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Don Lemon Tonight
Thunder Snow in Buffalo; Bus Stranded in Thunder Snow; Bill Cosby Rape Allegations; Charles Manson Getting Married?; Interview with Joan Tarshis
Aired November 18, 2014 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news at this hour on CNN. You're looking live now, this is Buffalo, New York, under siege from a thunder snow. That's right. I said thunder snow. An unprecedented snow, monster storm that has already dropped more than 70 inches of snow and stranded a woman's basketball team on their bus for nearly a full day.
We're going to talk with them in just moments here on CNN.
This is CNN TONIGHT, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us.
Also tonight, law and order. New charges against Bill Cosby.
And fresh outrage over Charles Manson. You remember it, the ultimate Hollywood horror story. Pregnant starlet Sharon Tate slaughtered in her home along with her friends -- four of her friends killed by the cultish followers of Charles Manson. Now at the age of 80 Manson is marrying a 26-year-old woman. Who is she?
We're going to hear from her and Sharon Tate's sister is outraged by it. She's here tonight as well.
Also model Janice Dickinson says Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1982. That's in the wake of Joan Tarshis' explosive charges last night. She accuses Bill Cosby of raping her when she was just 19.
There's much more to this story and Joan is back with us tonight.
We've got a whole lot to get to this evening, but I want to begin with our breaking news, thunder snow, Buffalo, New York, I'm talking about being buried in snow right now. They could get more than 90 inches this week.
Martin Savidge out in the middle of it.
Martin, 90 inches, really?
MARTIN SAVIDGE CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's astounding even by Buffalo figures. They're saying, and the mayor just held a briefing a few minutes ago, worst snow he's seen, they know of, at least in the last 40 years.
Four deaths in Erie County. That's the county around Buffalo. Being attributed today to just that snowfall. And areas -- and I should point out there's a bit of a break right here now. We're in south Buffalo. You can see the -- you know, the streets are pretty much deserted. The police cars down there at the intersection, they're stopping everybody from either going south or going east because the beast, as they call it, is still there and still ferocious.
In fact, if you just would go a mile towards the south, we're not allowed to do that, there's a driving ban. It's sheer whiteout and it's been that way -- reporting from the area, people are reporting --
LEMON: That's our Martin Savidge reporting from Buffalo, New York. Martin has been there all day. And as we have been reporting, they're being inundated with snow there, expected to get more than 90 inches.
And you can put the video back up. That video you're looking at time lapse images coming into CNN earlier today from earlier today from our affiliate WCVB in Boston.
A thunder snow. A thunder snow. Many people had not heard about it. But living in Chicago area for so long, we had lake-effect snow there. We'd also get thunder snow in the middle of winter. It is real. Ninety inches in a short amount of time. That's a lot for anyone to deal with, and even Buffalo, New York, which gets snow a lot.
So I'm sure the resources there are really dwindling and they're concerned about people getting to and fro and also about power and electricity. So we'll get back to our Martin Savidge in just a little bit.
This is our breaking news here on CNN.
As we mentioned at the top of this hour, that a team was stranded. We're going to talk about that. In the middle of the snowstorm tonight.
The Niagara University Women's Basketball Team stranded on their team bus on I-90 for more than 20 hours and they are begging for rescue right now.
Joining me now via Skype is head coach Kendra Faustin.
Kendra, thank you for joining us so much. How long have you guys been stranded?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twenty-four hours.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twenty-four hours.
KENDRA FAUSTIN, HEAD COACH, NIAGARA UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM: Twenty-four hours.
LEMON: Twenty-four hours. Hi, team, how you doing?
FAUSTIN: Hi, guys, he says.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.
LEMON: Are you guys getting -- are you doing OK?
FAUSTIN: Yes, we're OK.
LEMON: So how many of you are out there on the bus, and do you guys have food and water?
FAUSTIN: We have a little bit of snack food. Not very much water.
LEMON: Yes.
FAUSTIN: So if you asked our team, they would say we have no food.
LEMON: You have no food.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: OK. So tell us --
FAUSTIN: Yes. We have a couple granola bars.
LEMON: Well, you better --you better make them last, because, again, the forecast is for 90 inches of snow. And that is crazy. So tell us exactly -- we're seeing on a map where you are. But what are you seeing around you? Are there other cars, vehicles? Is it just a huge pile of snow? What's going on?
FAUSTIN: You know, really we -- what we can see is the bus in front of us, and then we know that there's a car behind us. It's actually Tom's car. He's on our bus now. There's Tom.
(LAUGHTER)
FAUSTIN: Tom joined us. But that's really -- that's really all we can see. The visibility comes and goes. For a long time we couldn't see anything surrounding us, you know, except for 20 feet on either side of the bus.
LEMON: Right.
FAUSTIN: Now we could see some lights that we couldn't see, so it seems to be getting better is what we're hoping, but more importantly, we're just hoping to get on the move.
LEMON: So, Kendra, I want you -- I don't want you to ruin a signal or anything, but can you sort of show us outside a little bit? I don't know how much visibility you have. What can you show us?
FAUSTIN: Sure. Yes. We can -- can you ask Bill if he can open the door, please? We sure can.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Open the door.
LEMON: And as you do that, you heard anything from emergency workers, Kendra?
FAUSTIN: Have we heard anything from the emergency workers?
LEMON: Yes.
FAUSTIN: No. That's been, you know, a little bit of our frustration is that we're not really sure.
LEMON: That's outside of the bus.
FAUSTIN: We don't know so much about what's going on. So that's what we see behind us, and that I don't even know what that is. And then this is what we see in front of us. You know, it's still snowing. These drifts are, you know, to your knee or thigh area on the side of the bus. Thank you.
LEMON: And so how many -- can you get a sense of how many people are in front or behind you, Kendra?
FAUSTIN: We can't. What we hear is 120 people, but we have no idea. We really have no idea.
LEMON: You mean 120 people as in 120 cars? Or 100 people?
FAUSTIN: Cars, 120 cars. Yes.
LEMON: 120 cars, my goodness. So --
FAUSTIN: That's what we hear.
LEMON: So what is -- how did you guys get stuck? Was it just from drifts? Was it an accident, or what?
FAUSTIN: You know, I think it was just really the bad weather that the roads weren't plowed. It got really bad really fast. And then I'm assuming that somebody in the front of the line got stuck and everyone else had to stop and that's how we ended up where we are. Seems like a --
LEMON: Go ahead, Kendra.
FAUSTIN: Yes, it seems like the only conclusion because I know I wouldn't think that anyone would shut down an interstate while we were on it, and then, you know, leave us stranded. So I'm assuming there's, you know, cars at the front stuck.
LEMON: So you showed us outside. You said the drifts are pretty big, right? You haven't -- I'm not asking you to step out in it. What I'm meaning is can you leave the bus? Are you able to leave the bus? Is that a possibility?
FAUSTIN: Well, we could go outside if we wanted to. There's nowhere to go, yes. And I mean -- Tom says the snow is too high.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Snow's too high. He has been --
LEMON: Tom -- what did you say, Tom? Say again, speak up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went back and forth to my car a couple of times. And the snow was waist high. So it's not easy to get back and forth in that snow.
LEMON: Waist high.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I don't think anybody wants to go outside.
FAUSTIN: Yes. You shouldn't go outside in it. There's nowhere to go. I mean, there's nowhere to even walk to that's close enough, you know, that would be remotely safe to get to.
LEMON: My goodness. You have two small children with you?
FAUSTIN: Yes. We have my son is 18 months, a year and a half. He's sleeping. And my other one is way back there somewhere with our point guard. They've been entertaining him all day. So yes, it's been -- they keep things light. It's been interesting.
LEMON: How are your kids doing?
FAUSTIN: They're good. You know, they're good. I think they'll be really hungry and crabby in the morning, which will be -- I think everyone will be hungry and crabby in the morning. They're just a little bit more vocal about it. There's Cal.
Hi, buddy.
LEMON: Where are they? Can you show me their kids? And so what happens in the morning when they don't have breakfast or daddy, or you know what I mean?
FAUSTIN: Yes, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I don't want to find out. I'm hoping that we're going to be on the move at that point in time.
LEMON: Who's that little one right there?
FAUSTIN: This is --
LEMON: Uh-oh. Did we lose her? I think we lost her. We'll try to get them back. But you can imagine there on the bus there, the Niagara University Women's Basketball Team, we're talking to the head coach there. And they are stuck. They said they have been stuck there for almost 24 hours and as you heard, one of the men, one of the chaperons on the bus, saying -- if we can put some of the pictures back up because we're talking about what's happening in Boston in that area.
Saying that the -- the snow is waist deep around them. And when they were stuck, they weren't sure if it was from traffic or if it was from drifts. And according to them, that's like 100 and some people in line behind them. And who knows how many people are in front of them at this moment. And imagine being on the bus with all those people and then having your two children with you and we saw her one son there, and then she said an 18-month-old with her as well, and to get outside to even go to the restroom or to get fresh air, what have you, is going to be really tough with the waist-deep snow.
And again, what you're looking at now, time lapse from the snow coming in. Thunder snow happening there. Ninety inches of snow expected in the Buffalo, New York, area, from this snowstorm that is rolling through rapidly. And we'll continue to follow. If we get them back, we'll bring them back here on CNN.
When we come back right, the latest on the shocking allegations against Bill Cosby. Model Janice Dickinson says Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1982. How will Cosby respond to these new charges?
Also, you heard the accusations from Joan Tarshis. She's here last night. She's back with the rest of her story tonight.
Plus, outrage over notorious murderer Charles Manson. He is planning to marry a 26-year-old woman. Should that be allowed?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. Our breaking news tonight, that college woman's basketball team stranded in a monster snowstorm on their team bus on I-90 for more than 20 hours and begging for rescue.
Back with me now via Skype is head coach Kendra Faustin.
Kendra, you said you left Pitt yesterday at 10:00. So it's been 24 hours that you guys have been on the road. I see you have your little one with you, Cal who's 3, Blake is 18 months, somewhere in the back.
FAUSTIN: Yes. Yes.
LEMON: Police say anything to you? Have you heard from them about when they can possibly rescue you or get you some help?
FAUSTIN: Yes, we've heard a lot of different timelines today, and none of them have worked out, so that is -- that's the disheartening part. You can go up there. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
FAUSTIN: Go. OK. So, you know, that's the frustrating part. And -- yes, it's time for bed.
LEMON: Cal. Don't cry, Cal.
FAUSTIN: Don't cry.
LEMON: You OK, buddy?
FAUSTIN: It's OK.
LEMON: Good. So you're going to have to deal with that in that -- in that cooped up space. So you don't really know, right, Kendra?
FAUSTIN: Yes. I mean, it's just -- it's been a little bit crazy, and --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Snow.
FAUSTIN: OK.
LEMON: Well, Kendra --
FAUSTIN: So, you know, we've heard a couple different stories and, you know, I just don't know. We -- you know, we thought that someone was going to at least bring us water and that hasn't happened. So.
LEMON: Well, listen, if there's anything we can do to help -- can you do some snow for water? Is that possible?
FAUSTIN: Yes, we -- that's what we've been doing.
LEMON: You have been?
FAUSTIN: Yes. So that's a way -- you know, worst-case scenario that we can hop out there and grab some snow and melt it.
LEMON: OK. Keep us updated. Let us know how you're doing. All right.
Kendra Faustin, who is the head coach of the Niagara women's basketball team. The Niagara University women's basketball team. Stuck out on I-90 since 2:00 a.m. this morning. On the road for 24 hours. We'll keep in touch with them.
Meantime, rape allegations mounting against Bill Cosby. Model Janice Dickinson has now come forward claiming she was a victim back in 1982.
Will Bill Cosby be forced to break his silence and address these allegations?
Michael Smerconish is an attorney, he's a CNN political commentator, and he's the anchor of CNN's "SMERCONISH" and I watch him every weekend here on CNN.
Michael, you know, I'm sure you hear about this a lot on your radio show. Bill Cosby said nothing regarding allegations about rape. But over a dozen women, we have had two of them on, have spoken about it. Here they are.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA BOWMAN, ACCUSED BILL COSBY OF RAPE: I would wake up completely confused, half dressed, and knowing that my body had been touched without my permission.
JOAN TARSHIS, ACCUSED BILL COSBY OF RAPE: He made me have oral sex with him which really was just horrible. Much, much -- to me, it's much, much worse than had he just raped me the normal way.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Joan Tarshis, the second woman you saw there, she's going to be back with us this evening, Michael. But you're an attorney. These women are alleging Bill Cosby is a serial rapist. So now what? Can anything happen to him?
MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN ANCHOR, "SMERCONISH": Well, he's being tried right now, right? He's being tries in the court of public opinion.
LEMON: In the court of public opinion, yes.
SMERCONISH: And frankly, Don, I think he's being convicted as we speak. As a legal matter, the statute of limitations has run on these claims that are 30, even 40 years old.
Here's what I keep asking myself. You just used the word "serial." If all of these women are telling the truth, and to me, they have a ring of credibility, there's a Sandusky element to this. You, of course, remember the defensive coordinator for Penn State. When there's one allegation, when there's two allegations, I think that people are free to dismiss some of it.
When there are a dozen and they're all telling the exact same story, it becomes much more difficult to believe Bill Cosby. What I keep asking myself is, even though he's older, it would be awfully hard to shut down the kind of behavior that they're alleging, and so what I'm listening for is a very recent incident, and it wouldn't shock me if all of a sudden someone should emerge and say, hey, it happened to me, too, but it wasn't 30 years ago, it was much more recent.
And that's when he'll have a real legal dilemma.
LEMON: Yes. You're in Philly, Michael. I lived there. We worked in the same building. The guy's a legend there.
SMERCONISH: Yes.
LEMON: And I'm sure people are talking about it there, on your radio show. What are people in Philly saying?
SMERCONISH: You get much more of a mixed reaction, I think closer to home, than you would in the country. It's a worldwide story, or, you know, the further you get from Philadelphia, I'll express it this way, I think the more disbelieving they are of Cosby. Close to home, I do hear people say, well, why did they all wait so long? And why didn't they go to the police? So there's more skepticism, I would say, closer here where he is a beloved figure.
LEMON: Yes. It's -- you're right. It is -- he is being tried in court of public opinion, but it's really tough when you have so many women who say they don't know each other and they all have very similar stories, coming forward.
And as you said, you heard that, you know, in the Sandusky case. First it was one, two, and then you get a number of them.
Can we -- can we move on, Michael? Because I want to talk to you about -- I want to talk about the NFL now.
SMERCONISH: Sure.
LEMON: Suspended Adrian Peterson without pay for the rest of the season for injuring his 4-year-old while he was disciplining him with a switch. Commissioner Roger Goodell said he has shown no meaningful remorse.
Do you think this is right? I mean, can -- this is a good call from Goodell?
SMERCONISH: I don't think Goodell had a choice. I think frankly that Adrian Peterson is paying a price for Ray Rice. I think that that Ray Rice videotape in the elevator served notice to the public of perhaps what's been going on with regard to the NFL cutting too much slack for its players. And so I think that as a practical matter, Goodell was backed up against the wall.
But you know, Don, that the union is raising a fuss over this and they're saying, hey, it was ultimately a misdemeanor, and I don't know that he's -- he, Goodell, is on such secure ground as a legal proposition. Practical consideration, I get it. From a legal standing, it would not surprise me if the union were successful in pushing Goodell for reinstatement.
LEMON: Yes, and they're trying to clean up their image, so you know they're being very strict right now.
Michael Smerconish, always appreciate your perspective. We'll see you here on CNN soon. Thanks.
SMERCONISH: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: All right.
When we come right back, outrage over Charles Manson. He is spending the rest of his life behind bars for masterminding the murders of Sharon Tate and six other people.
So should he be allowed to marry? We're going to talk to Sharon Tate's sister.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: There's outrage tonight over Charles Manson. It appears the convicted mass murderer is getting married. He's 80 years old and in prison for life. Manson masterminded the grisly Helter-Skelter murders in Hollywood back in 1969.
So who would parry a man like him? His bride-to-be is 54 years old -- 54 years younger, I should say, and she talked to CNN's Ted Rowlands.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the 26-year-old woman who's getting ready to marry 80-year-old Charles Manson. Her legal name is Afton Burton, but Manson has named her Star. She dropped the news to us about her marriage to Manson a few months ago during an interview we did with her in California.
STAR, WIFE OF CHARLES MANSON: I am Charles Manson's wife.
ROWLANDS (on camera): Wife? Are you married?
STAR: We are technically -- the paperwork hasn't gone through yet, but we already consider each other to be husband and wife.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): That paperwork is a marriage license and it's just been issued by Kings County, California. They have 90 days to get married in Corcoran State Prison where Manson is an inmate. They will not be allowed to consummate the marriage because Manson doesn't qualify for conjugal visits.
Charles Manson is serving a life sentence for seven of the most infamous and gruesome murders in American history. The 1969 Tate/LaBianca murders. The victims were butchered. Their blood was used to write messages. And while Manson didn't kill any of the victims, he was convicted of being the mastermind behind the twisted killing spree, which was carried out by his devoted followers.
(On camera): Are you in love?
STAR: Yes.
ROWLANDS: Did you --
STAR: Why would I marry somebody if I wasn't.
(LAUGHTER)
ROWLANDS: Well, I'm just asking.
STAR: OK.
ROWLANDS: People get married for all kinds of different reasons in this country.
STAR: I guess so. Well, I wouldn't.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): But Manson might. When asked about the marriage last year, Manson told "Rolling Stone" magazine, quote, "That's a bunch of garbage, we're just playing that for public consumption."
(On camera): People think you're crazy.
STAR: I really don't care.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): When we first met Star several years ago, she told us that she was drawn to Manson because of his environmental philosophy that he calls ATWA.
STAR: ATWA stands for air, trees, water, and animals. CHARLES MANSON, CONVICTED MURDERER: Did you know that 900 redwood
trees get cut down every day? 900 redwood days, that's 900 years a piece. That's 900,000 years of sunlight you're taking off this planet.
ROWLANDS: But after seven years of living near Manson's prison, Star's main focus now is to clear her future husband's name and get him out of prison. She says he is innocent.
STAR: They all know that he did not break the law. They all know that they're keeping him hostage in there.
ROWLANDS: By marrying Manson, some people believe Star will gain more access to Manson. Not true, according to the California Department of Corrections. What she will get is worldwide attention as being Charles Manson's wife.
Ted Rowlands, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Well, Sharon Tate was married to film director Roman Polansky and was nearly nine months pregnant when she was murdered by Manson's followers.
Joining me now is Debra Tate, Sharon's sister.
Debra, thank you for coming on this evening. I appreciate it. Can you hear me, Debra? Apparently Debra can't hear us. Debra, you there?
All right. We've lost contact with Debra. We're going to take a quick break. We'll come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Back now with Sharon Tate's sister, Debra Tate. Debra, you can hear me this time, right?
DEBRA TATE, SISTER OF SHARON TATE WHO WAS BRUTALLY MURDERED BY MANSON'S FEMALE FOLLOWERS: Yes, I can. Thank you.
LEMON: Thank you for coming on. You know, it's been 45 years since your sister was brutally murdered by Manson's female followers, is so- called family. What did you think when you heard -- what do you think when you heard that this 80-year-old murderer is now has permission to get married to a 26-year-old?
TATE: I have very mixed feelings. My first reaction is that she's possibly setting herself up for a very big disappointment or, she's as much of a con artist as he is, those are your two possibilities. Unfortunately, we may never know what the motives are for this marriage, but, I'm sure that it's to manipulate something, that's the nature of the Manson family killers. They are very much manipulators and con artists and they're doing what they do. LEMON: Afton Burton is 26 years old. She's the same age as your sister
when she was murdered. She says that she loves Charles Manson and thinks that he is innocent. If you could speak to her right now, what would you say to her?
TATE: I think that she's setting herself up for a major disappointment. I've looked at the facts long and hard, and from a neutral position, and there is nothing that's gonna change the outcome of this trial. Charles is not innocent because, he sought out to influence others. And in the state of California, you don't have to actually wield the knife yourself, by influencing others, you're just as guilty. Now, he's also guilty of many murders prior, I believe that there's evidence enough to support that there were other killings out at the Barker Ranch. And the -- and there's evidence of even killing off his own family members so, these are very aggressive predatory killers. I hate to see any young person get sucked into this. But, that's what I'm fighting against, that's what I'm all about, is trying to convince the world that these people are still influential in a major way over the young minds of America.
LEMON: Do you think he should be allowed to get married?
TATE: No, I don't. I do not. I don't. If it were up to me, heinous crime committers would not have the privileges that free men have in jail.
LEMON: Yeah. You know, as I was talking to the members of my team here, I'm surprised that you have the courage to come on. I remember this when I was a child, and I'm sure you remember the movie Helter Skelter and so on. It's just frightening for someone who's not connected to this. So when something happens like this, when something comes up with Charles Manson or anyone that has to do with the so- called Manson family, does it bring it all back to you? Is it ever really far away from you?
TATE: It's never very far away from me, if not for my own situation, but as victims' rights advocate. I have to stay in touch with my feelings so that I might be able to help other people that have just recently lost their loved ones. So, if I'm not fighting for victims' rights then I'm fighting for the sanity of another individual and I have to relive my own feelings in order to help that individual through their trauma.
LEMON: You mentioned the influence that he has another member of the Manson family they have on young minds and young people. He still gets about 35 letters a week. He gets more mail than any other inmate in California history. Why do you think this case fascinates so many people, and why are people so, still influenced by him?
TATE: Well, I almost hate to give him credence, but it's the urban legend of the Boogeyman. There's, there's if the age-old story of the Boogeyman when -- and nobody is safe in their own home. This is a practice that he taught his followers to go in and violate people in their most secure environment. This is the mind of a domestic terrorist. LEMON: You know, it's interesting, if you look at Afton or Star, as
she calls herself, and you look at one of his murders, one of the -- they are eerily -- they look alike. They favor each other...
TATE: Yeah.
LEMON: As we say, in common.
TATE: Yes, yes they do. They favor each other. Susan Atkins and Star do look very similar.
LEMON: Do you find that -- what do you make of that?
TATE: Um -- you know this...
LEMON: There's just something weird about it.
TATE: It is weird. It is weird. These are girls that aren't really pretty or, you know, they are pretty enough, but not, not beautiful. They're kind of a generic kind of a face. I find Star's appearance to be similar to different features of each one of the Charles Manson girls, as a matter of fact.
LEMON: You do?
TATE: So, yeah, I do. I can see similarities in her features, and each one of the -- Leslie Van Houten and of course, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel and...
LEMON: You know. Well, at least you are a strong advocate for victim's rights and we wish you the best of luck with that new -- you have a lot of strength and a lot of courage and we appreciate you coming on. Thank you.
TATE: Thank you so much for having me.
LEMON: Alright. We come right back here on CNN, the outrage over Charles Manson. Plus, one of the women accusing Bill Cosby of sexual abuse is here tonight with more of her story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We've been telling you about new allegations against Bill Cosby tonight. And this time, the accuser is also in the public eye. Model Janice Dickinson says Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1982. Cosby has repeatedly said allegations against him of sexual assault are just completely untrue.
But as the scandal grows, CNN's Jean Casarez has the story of how it all came to light.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Bill Cosby it has been a week of allegations from women who say they were sexual assaulted in the past by the comedian. Many claim they were drugged. BARBARA BOWMAN, COSBY ACCUSER: I never saw any drugs but I would wake up completely confused, half dressed, and knowing that my body had been touched without my permission.
CASAREZ: Bowman says she went to Cosby's New York apartment alone and that Cosby flew her all around the country as he performed at various venues. She says the advances were unwelcome.
Also speaking out, Joan Tarshis.
JOAN TARSHIS, COSBY ACCUSER: We went up to his bungalow afterwards. He made me a drink and very shortly after that I just -- I passed out. I woke up or came to very groggily with him removing my underwear.
CASAREZ: Tarshis says that in 1969 she voluntarily saw Cosby again when he invited her to a performance. After accepting drinks at his hotel and in a limo, she says she woke up the next morning with him in his bed.
Ironically, Cosby released a comedy album that same year titled "It's True, It's True", joking about that very issue.
BILL COSBY, COMEDIAN: You know what? You know anything about Spanish Fly? No, tell me about it. Well, there's this girl, Crazy Mary, you put something in her drink, man, she's --
CASAREZ: But with all the allegations and even after Andrea Constand went to police saying Cosby medicated and fondled her in 2004, the district attorney of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, at the time, Bruce Castor, said there would be no charges. Constand and Cosby settled a civil suit out of court for an undisclosed sum in 2006. Also in 2005, Tamara Green on "The Today Show" with a similar story.
TAMARA GREEN, COSBY ACCUSER: He had gone from helping me to groping me and kissing me and touching me and handling me.
CASAREZ: In 2005, Cosby spoke out for the first and only time, telling "The National Enquirer", "I am not going to give in to people who try to exploit me because of my celebrity status."
Now nine years later, Cosby's attorney, John Schmidt, has responded to it all with this statement. "Over the last several weeks, decade-old discredited allegations against Mr. Cosby have resurfaced. The fact that they are being repeated does not make them true."
Jean Casarez, CNN New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Thank you, Jean. I want to bring back now Joan Tarshis. She -- you heard her story here on CNN last night. Allegedly that Bill Cosby raped her when she was just 19 years old. Thank you for coming in.
TARSHIS: Thank you.
LEMON: How is today different than yesterday? TARSHIS: I'm very tired. Today's different because, I've received a
lot of support from a lot of women. My phone hasn't stopped ringing. I've gotten tons of e-mails, tons of texts. Actually, somebody that I hadn't known since I was 9 years old got in touch with me and said, I'm sorry that it's due to these circumstances, but how are you?
LEMON: As you were, you know, on last night, I got lots of people who were saying, why were you so skeptical of Joan's story? And I was just --
TARSHIS: I said...
LEMON: I was just asking you questions. Do you think I was being skeptical?
TARSHIS: I didn't feel if joking (ph) I thought you were doing your job.
LEMON: Yeah, yeah. And that's the tough part of doing this. But, you do know, as we mentioned last night, as I mentioned, there are a lot of people who don't believe you.
TARSHIS: Uh-huh.
LEMON: And they say, why didn't you go to police? And why would you put yourself in a position to be with him a second time if you had raped you once?
TARSHIS: Well, I didn't go to the police because I was 19 years old. I was scared. And I thought nobody would believe me. I'm a 19-year-old girl and he was Mr. America, Mr. Jell-O as I called him. Why would anybody believe me, take my word against his word? The second time I kind of felt roped into it, by my own -- hoisted by my own petards...
LEMON: Petard, yeah.
TARSHIS: Because, I didn't tell my parents and didn't want to tell my parents.
LEMON: Can I ask you this, because we -- and please, I don't mean to be crude, OK?
TARSHIS: Yeah.
LEMON: Because I know somebody -- and you said this last night, that he -- you lied to him and said I have an infection, and if you rape me, or if you do -- if you have intercourse with me, then you will probably get it and give it to your wife.
TARSHIS: Right.
LEMON: And he said he would -- he made you perform oral sex.
TARSHIS: Right.
LEMON: You -- you know, there are ways not to perform oral sex if you didn't want to do it.
TARSHIS: Oh, I was kind of stoned at the time, and quite honestly, that didn't even enter my mind. Now I wish it would have.
LEMON: Right.
TARSHIS: But.
LEMON: Meaning the using of the teeth, right?
TARSHIS: Yes. That's what I'm, thinking...
LEMON: As a weapon.
TARSHIS: Yeah, I didn't even think of it.
LEMON: Biting. So --
TARSHIS: Ouch.
LEMON: Yes. I had to ask.
TARSHIS: Yes. No, it didn't cross my mind.
LEMON: Since we spoke last night, you heard that supermodel Janice Dickinson made allegations against Bill Cosby now she said it happened back in 1982. She also says she tried to write about it in her book, I think it was 2005, but his lawyers sent the publishing company a letter and told them not to write about it and she couldn't. So, let's listen to what Janice said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANICE DICKINSON, MODEL: After dinner, in my room, he'd given me wine and a pill and the next morning I woke up and I wasn't wearing my pajamas and I remember before I passed out, that I had been sexually assaulted by this man. The last thing I remember was Bill Cosby -- patchwork robe, and getting on top -- and I remember a lot of pain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, again, I have to say these are unproven allegations. She claims, again, it was back in 1982. The circumstances all sound familiar to you at the same -- what do you make of what she said, what Janice said?
TARSHIS: Well, it's always the ploy of business, getting into business with the person, helping the person's career. He was gonna help her singing career. He didn't necessarily say he was going to help my career, but writing with comedy with him after writing with Godfrey would have definitely been a career boost.
LEMON: Do you think that, because -- I know Janice. Janice and I aren't friends, but we're friendly. I actually called her tonight and asked her to appear on this program. But I hope she'll consider it. But Janice is, you know, she is an unusual person, so to speak. Do you think that, that will add, that adds credibility or does it take credibility away since Janice is so out there sometimes?
TARSHIS: Well, I don't think Janice is that out there anymore. I think she was out there, and I think to -- that people can change, and I think it's very possible that she has -- that she has changed. I don't know. I don't know her.
LEMON: And for someone who's already famous, what is -- how does that help them?
TARSHIS: I think that that helps the cause. No pun intended, but...
LEMON: But you don't think it helps -- that there would be a reason that she doesn't really need any more fame?
TARSHIS: I don't think so, you know. I don't believe so. She's pretty well known.
LEMON: Jean Casarez mentioned the former D.A. in Pennsylvania, it was Bruce Castor, he believes that Bill Cosby likely did something inappropriate in 2005 in the case of Andrea Constand, and you said, you didn't know about it when it was happening, but he never filed criminal charges. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUCE CASTOR, FORMER DISTRICT ATTORNEY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: I certainly thought that he probably did something he shouldn't have, and I wasn't a fool. I knew if I arrested him, I was gonna become a very famous man. So, I have a lot of incentive to want to go ahead. As she had reported it -- in time, we could have checked her blood, or we could have checked even hair and nails if it was weeks gone by to see if she had anything in her system that didn't belong there. We could have done a forensics check on Cosby's house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: He said the former D.A. felt that there just wasn't the evidence there a year after. What do you make of what he said, no arrest, nothing?
TARSHIS: I don't, I don't agree with him. I think he should have followed, followed through if he had suspicions. But I can understand that he didn't want to because, he didn't want -- be put himself in the limelight and then, perhaps, be cast asunder by the army and legal army that Cosby probably has.
LEMON: Yeah.
TARSHIS: Sort of like, you know, DOJ Army that he armored -- that he lawyered himself up with. Cosby's not a fool.
LEMON: Are you out to get Bill Cosby?
TARSHIS: No.
LEMON: Do you hold a vendetta against Bill Cosby? TARSHIS: No. What I would like to see NBC not go through with his
series? You betcha. You betcha I would.
LEMON: Because?
TARSHIS: Because, you reap what you sow and it's time for him to face the music and maybe if this does happen, maybe he'll get some help. I mean, where there's life, there's hope. I know he's 77, It's kind of -- you can't change -- turn.
LEMON: Yeah.
TARSHIS: You know the old dog.
LEMON: Yeah. I get it.
TARSHIS: I can't say it.
LEMON: You get new tricks.
TARSHIS: New tricks...
LEMON: Yeah.
TARSHIS: For an old dog, but maybe.
LEMON: Thank you, Joan.
TARSHIS: Thank you.
LEMON: Appreciated. We've got a lot more to come here on the allegations against Bill Cosby when we come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. You have heard from two of Bill Cosby's accuser's right here on CNN. I want to know what my experts think of these charges. So joining me now is Lisa Bloom, she's a legal analyst with avvo.com, trial attorney and founder of the Bloom Firm. Also Drew Pinsky, host of Dr. Drew on call, and Marc Lamont Hill, CNN political commentator. Welcome to all of you, Dr. Drew, we just heard from Joan Tarshis, and I spoke to Barbara Bowman as well. Two women who seem credible with nothing to gain, at least in my estimation by coming forward, how damaging is this?
DREW PINSKY, DR. DREW ON CALL HOST: Well, it's obviously very damaging. I had a sort of an expert, interrogation expert on my program whether she looked at specifically the sort of indicators on these women, whether or not they're likely to have been telling the truth and she felt as though they really met every indicator she knew of, number one. Number two, from a clinical standpoint, there's nothing inconsistent with what these women have reported, in terms of the kind of person that gets themselves into this sort of situation. Why they don't get help, why they feel ashamed, why they might have taken so long to come forward with it. But of course, I don't know whether this is true or not. LEMON: So, Lisa, I have to ask you this, did you, did you hear Michael
Smerconish when he said, the issue is, these are all past the statutes of limitations, so now what he's really fighting for is the court of public opinion. But if someone comes up with a newer allegation, if women start coming forward then, that's the issue, that's when Cosby could face some really big problems coming up.
LISA BLOOM, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY AND LISA BLOOM SHOW ANCHOR: Right. You know, the real story here is not Bill Cosby, and not Janice Dickinson and not these accusers. It's that we live in a criminal justice system that does not believe women. That does not support rape victims. Every agent, every lawyer who told these victims, don't come forward. Every police officer who didn't investigate, every district attorney who didn't prosecute Mr. Cosby when allegation after allegation has been made against him -- is culpable in my opinion. I mean, how many women have to come forward before we have to start taking this seriously?
LEMON: Absolutely.
BLOOM: That's the problem. That's why every day women don't come forward because we don't trust the system. And guess what? We still don't.
LEMON: Go ahead, Marc.
MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's absolutely true. I'm tweeting stuff, announcing the segment. I just tweeted a few minutes ago about this. And so many of the responses are, why -- how do we know this happened? Why shouldn't we trust Bill Cosby? Some people even said all he's done for our community we shouldn't be worried about this. Our default position seems to be to deny the legitimacy of rape claims. Despite the fact that evidence shows, that only an infinite testimony amount of women lie about rape claims. Most people are telling the truth. And yet we somehow act as if there's a huge tendency for women to lie, that's the problem. The other thing here is in the conversation of a broader (ph) rape culture, when you look at the standup routine from a few decades ago, the crowd is laughing. He did that on multiple stages. It was a hit.
LEMON: Right.
HILL: It was a free comedy skid. We make light of rape, we trivialize rape. And we deny a rape victims, it's rape culture we has to, we have to live with it.
LEMON: It's interesting, because when this came up, you know that everyone, sort of had a healthy skepticism initially, right? And the more you start to examine, you go well. And so, I -- and I found that even myself, and mostly men, would say, well, you know, women lie about rape and how do we know and what have you? But that is, as you said, Marc, it seems to be the default position...
HILL: Yeah.
LEMON: Especially for men and even for an older generation, younger people, not so much, and I -- I'm speaking in broader terms here. And then, Marc, compare that, you know, just position, it's so extreme. Presidential of Medal of Honor, winner, cultural icon, entertainment giant, and now this, his legacy -- what will Bill Cosby's legacy be? Will he still have a great legacy? Or is it always tainted by rape allegations, Marc?
HILL: Sadly, it may not be tainted by this. Again, there's a long history of his heroic figures who engaged in domestic abuse, who engaged in sexual assault, and we bury that's stuff, because again, in the broader context of rape culture, we don't see it as that big of a deal as a society. That's why he's able to get awards after allegations like this come out, because people just don't care as much as they should. It's a real tragic circumstance, and money and wealth only make it harder to really criticize or challenge him.
LEMON: Alright. We're going to continue to follow that story. Again, we have invited Bill Cosby on the show again, he's denied all these allegations. Mr. Cosby, if you'd like to come on and clear the air, we would love to as the record say we love to have you. As well as Janice Dickinson, so, we appreciate all of you on to come on the program and talk about it.
Let's change subjects now. I want to talk about Charles Manson. Lisa, this question is for you. You heard Jessica Tate's sister, Debra Tate, and she said -- Sharon Tate's sister, excuse me, Debra say, he shouldn't get a marriage license. Do you think that she -- he should be allowed to get married?
BLOOM: You know, the Supreme Court has said that Americans have a fundamental right to marry, that was back in the 1960s, that's why prisoners like Charles Manson do. The irony is of course, in 17 states same-sex couples still can't get married. Charles Manson can get married but my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters across America still can't -- in a lot of states. That's the outrage I think about this story.
PINSKY: At least I agree, it's funny, but it is not funny. It's funny ironic, but it is not funny. Alright, let's take it away from Charles Manson, at least, if you and I are gonna not come around...
LEMON: Dr. Drew, in the final seconds that we have left, you can do as quickly, what is she thinking, this woman?
PINSKY: She's thinking that she sees something special in him that no one else does. It's sort of a form frost of something we call love addiction or way of understanding that's love addiction. He's so special --
LEMON: Five seconds, Dr. Drew.
PINSKY: They idealize them and they then delude themselves into these crazy thoughts.
LEMON: That is it. Thank you, guys. Thanks everyone for watching, I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you back here tomorrow night. "A.C. 360" starts right now.
