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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Lake-Effect Snow Storm Slams Buffalo; 5 Dead in Jerusalem Synagogue Attack; Iran Nuclear Talks Enter Final Phase; New Cosby Accuser

Aired November 19, 2014 - 05:00   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A crippling storm. Preparations under way to send in the national guard, as this relentless system paralyzes the Northeast, trapping motorists in up to six feet of snow. Parts of all 50 states now below freezing.

Terror attack. New details this morning about the seven minutes of horror inside a synagogue in Jerusalem, three Americans among the dead. Israel vows revenge with a heavy hand.

Another woman coming forward claiming to be a victim of sexual assault by Bill Cosby. The former supermodel details the night she claims the comedian drugged and raped her. You will hear those accusations in her own words, coming up.

Good morning, and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. It is Wednesday, November 19th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East. John Berman has the morning off.

A deadly snowstorm buries Buffalo, New York, this morning. More snow on the way, folks, upwards of five feet already on the ground in some parts of Erie County. Another foot at least is expected next. Abandoned vehicles are turning roads into parking lot.

County officials declaring a state of emergency, banning unnecessary travel, while crews try to clear those roads. At least four people now dead, one in an auto accident. Three others from cardiac arrest while shoveling snow. In at least one case, emergency crews were unable to transport the 81-year-old victim because the roads are impassable.

Twenty-four members of the Niagara University women's basketball team just rescued from their bus. We are proud to say. They had been stuck for more than 30 hours on the interstate, as they returned home from a game.

And another bit of good news this morning. Firefighters had to deliver a baby in the fire station because they couldn't get the mother to the hospital. The Buffalo fire commissioner reports the baby girl is safe and healthy.

Now, this giant snowstorm is not finished with western New York state just jet. CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray has more. She is in Buffalo, of course, this morning. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Christine, welcome to South Buffalo.

This is lake-effect snow in full force. You can see the blowing snow. Snow is coming down, sometimes at 2 inches per hour. There are areas around Buffalo that have received almost 50 inches of snow, another two feet possible tomorrow. Bit time this is said and done, low-end estimates could be 70 inches.

And just look at this, cars over here, completely buried. We passed cars left and right that were completely stuck. And look how powdery this is, you just get it in and it's so fluffy. We're estimating this is a ratio of 50 to 20 to one, that means you take 15 to 20 inches of snow and melt it down and it equals one inch of water.

So, this is very, very powdery. The plows have been out here all day, though. Driving is just treacherous, though, and it is very dangerous out here. Most folks are staying at home, which is a good idea.

We are going to get another round of this Thursday, into Thursday night. So, this could be one of the worst lake-effect snow events this area has ever seen -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Yes, you get better -- talk about the 70s for any kind of comparison. Is there any relief in sight?

Indra Petersons, she's got an early start on your forecast.

I can't believe these snow totals.

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You talk 70 inches of snow. That's the record in anywhere in the United States for amount of snow in 24 hours. Now, take a look at these totals when you see that perspective, how big of lake-effect snow event this really is. We're talking the potential of about six feet of snow in many places, especially in Upstate New York.

The reason for that, you have that cold arctic air that we've been dealing with, that's going over that huge effect right over the lakes there. And notice the difference. It's something I really want to point out. I want to keep talking about Buffalo.

Look at the borderline. It's the direction of the wind or the direction of the fetch, how much distance you have for that cold arctic air to go over it. It makes such a huge difference. Places like Buffalo's airport, only 3.9 inches. Notice three miles pretty much southeast of the region, 42 inches of snow fall. That's how drastic a difference you can see in a short period of time.

The same reason people are getting stuck on the roads. They're not realizing the intensity of these storms just a few miles away. What we're looking at a little breather that snow will wind down

throughout the day today. But another shot of arctic air is coming behind it by tomorrow, enhancing more lake-effect snow in the exact same region. For everyone else, it means another chance for all 50 states today to see temperatures somewhere below freezing.

Take a look at the map, already. You're already at these teens out towards Cincinnati. D.C. currently 22. Down to the South Pensacola, we're talking Florida, currently 26 degrees.

This is the story. It's not going anywhere. Temperatures well below normal day after day. The reason for it again, we keep talking about, that omega block. As long as we have this powder in place, you're going to notice wave after wave of cold air comes right on through.

Look at the one for next week, diving all the way down to the south again. Looks like it's not going anywhere.

ROMANS: Damn you, omega block.

PETERSONS: Yes, right, I feel the same way.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Indra, for that.

Four minutes past the hour this morning.

We now know more this morning about the deadly terror attack on a Jerusalem synagogue. Two Palestinian cousins barged into the temple in the western part of the holy city on Tuesday. And a gun, butcher knives, they killed four rabbis and a police officer. The Israeli prime minister calling the attackers human animals on Tuesday night.

For the latest, I want to turn now to CNN's Atika Shubert live in Jerusalem.

Three of these rabbis were American. One was British. Dual citizenship.

Why do we -- why was this particular synagogue targeted? Do we know anything about the motive of these two young cousins?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that the city had been tense in the days before, particularly because a Palestinian bus driver was found hanged in his bus. And there was -- the Israeli police had said it was a suicide. But a lot of Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem just didn't believe that. So, there was a lot of anger on the streets the day before.

Now, we don't know exactly why these two cousins carried out the attack in the synagogue. But a lot of the family and residents say the death of that bus driver may have been the trigger. And this is something that police will be looking at. But the city is reeling from this. Because it's really the first time we've seen an attack like this on a place of worship, on a synagogue, in many years.

I want to show you actually the headline. You can see, this is the kind of graphic photo from inside the synagogue yesterday. Prayer shawls and soaked in blood, the headline says in the midst of prayer.

It's the fact that a place of worship has been attacked like this that I think has really hit home for many Israelis here in West Jerusalem. This is -- this is really unprecedented in many ways. For many, it feels like it's a step-up and escalation in the tension here.

ROMANS: That same photo on the cover of the "New York Daily News" this morning, Atika, the point here I think that in the United States, people shocked at an attack. Such a brazen attack, people who were peacefully worshipping. That's what makes this one so, so chilling in what has been escalation of violence for weeks now.

Atika Shubert, thank you for that.

Seven minutes past the hour.

A Virginia woman is behind bars this morning for her alleged ties to ISIS. Police say 29-year-old Heather Coffman conspired and attempted to provide materiel support to the Islamic terror group. Investigators built their case against her with information from a series of undercover interviews and from her inflammatory social media posts.

Her neighbors are, obviously, in shock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD LAUTERBACH, NEIGHBOR: As astonished by the sight, can't even believe that literally something like this is happening in my backyard. Horrifying what they're doing. I mean, it's one of those things where I can't even comprehend someone sympathizing. It's just sickening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Coffman is expected to appear at a hearing today in Virginia.

Secretary of State John Kerry has reportedly pushed back his trip to Vienna as negotiators there work to hammer out a nuclear deal with Iran by that November 24th deadline. Kerry originally scheduled to join Western diplomats in the Austrian capital today. Iran says it will resist extensive restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for relaxed Western trade sanction. Kerry is delaying his arrival in Vienna until sometime later in the week.

Live for us now from Tehran is CNN's Reza Sayah with the latest.

Why the change, Reza?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, not clear why U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has delayed his trip. Rest assured he is going to be there at some point, the final round of these talks in Vienna just getting underway. So, no one is expecting a big announcement of an agreement or breakthrough today. But these two sides, in the next days, they have a shot of making history, Iran, the Western powers, Washington, that could take a huge step in normalizing and improving relations and may even drastically changes the geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East. If there is no deal, it's likely that it will stay the same and the nuclear standoff will don't drag on.

Here in Iran, there is a lot at stake, especially for the Iranian people who are tired of sanctions. They believe that with the lifting of the sanctions, their economy will improve. So, they're looking forward to an outcome as well.

Almost all representatives of these two sides in Vienna at this hour. On one side, you have Iran represented by its foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and then you have the U.S., Russia, China, U.K., Germany and France. In the next five days, they'll try to hammer out a compromise where they can address everyone's needs. On one side, you have Iran. They want to maintain what they call a peaceful nuclear program, and they want those sanctions lifted. And then you have the world powers in Washington, they want to curtail Iran's nuclear program, reduce the capacity for them to enrich uranium.

So, we'll see. A lot at stake in the coming days, Christine, in the lead-up to the November 24th Monday deadline.

ROMANS: All right. Reza Sayah for us in Tehran this morning -- thanks, Reza.

A critical setback for the supporters of the Keystone XL oil line. But the controversial project is by no means dead. Senate Democrats shooting down a bill that would have approved construction by a single vote, 59-41.

Louisiana's Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu was a leading proponent of the measure, hoping to get it passed, in order to boost her chances of winning a runoff election in December. She insists the fight for the pipeline is not over yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D), LOUISIANA: It's been on my agenda, and it's staying on my agenda. And I'm going to do everything I can to help America become energy independent and to use the assets and resources that we have. And most importantly be a partner with our best ally which is Canada.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Republican leaders are already promising to bring up the Keystone pipeline next year after they take control of the Senate.

New details this morning about President Obama's immigration plans. Under an executive order, the president will allow undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents to stay in the country. This is according to a reporting from Bloomberg. The president's order is expected to stop short of including the children -- the parents, rather, of children brought to this country illegally.

Police caught the man suspected in a fatal subway shoving in New York City. Kevin Darden was arrested Tuesday at his mother's house. Authority say the 34-year-old has a long rap sheet, and who's also accused of pushing another man unto subway tracks earlier this month. Wai Kuen Kwok was killed Sunday when Darden allegedly pushed him in front of an ongoing D-train while his wife watched.

Time for an early start in your money. Stock futures are pointing a bit lower right now. You know, it might finally be time to snap the record streak. The S&P 500 climbed to a record close yesterday. That was the eighth-record high in the last ten trading sessions. The Dow also closed at a high.

And another stock that set a record, Apple. Apple closed at about 115 bucks a share, the highest price ever. Look at this rally this year. This stock, Apple shares, up 47 percent. It's now the most valuable company in the world, worth about $667 billion, $300 billion more than rival Google.

So, could Apple one day be worth $1 trillion? Legendary investor Carl Icahn thinks so. Some argue though that talk of a trillion dollar valuation is just another sign of a tech bubble.

Another accusation of sexual assault against comedian Bill Cosby. This time a well-known supermodel comes forward with the details what she claims the comedian did to her. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: New this morning, another accusation of sexual assault against iconic comedian Bill Cosby. TV host and former model Janice Dickinson tells "Entertainment Tonight" she met with Cosby in Lake Tahoe in 1982 to discuss a possible role on "The Cosby Show."

Listen to her describe what she claims happened at the end of the evening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANICE DICKINSON, FORMER 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Cosby isn't commenting this morning. And CNN has learned Netflix is postponing the release of the comedian's stand-up special "Bill Cosby 77". That was scheduled to begin streaming the day after Thanksgiving.

New video this morning that appears to show Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson getting involved in an altercation on the job back in 2013. It comes as the embattled Missouri town awaits a grand jury decision whether to indict Officer Wilson for the shooting death of the unarmed teenager Michael Brown.

Listen as Wilson approaches a resident for having derelict vehicles on his property.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FERGUSON RESIDENT: What's your name, sir?

OFFICER: If you want to take a picture of me one more time, I'm going to lock your ass up.

FERGUSON: Sir, I'm not going to take a picture. I'm recording this incident, sir. Do I not have the right to --

OFFICER: No, you don't.

FERGUSON RESIDENT: -- to record?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The video of the confrontation is grainy, but CNN has obtained a Ferguson police report confirming that was Wilson responding to that home last fall. This as the Justice Department panel begins reviewing the police response to 16 days of protests in Ferguson, after Michael Brown was killed.

A Texas judge rejecting a defense motion to have felony abusive power charges against Governor Rick Perry dismissed. Perry's lawyers argued the special prosecutor had been sworn in improperly rendering his work on this case invalid. But the judge declined to throw out the case over paperwork technicalities. Perry is accused of publicly threatening and carrying out a veto of state funding when a Democratic D.A. refused to resign after a drunk driving conviction.

Breaking overnight, a Cuban doctor in Sierra Leone, now the latest Westerner to be diagnosed by Ebola. Felix Baez Sarria is being sent to the University Hospital of Geneva in Switzerland for a specialized treatment. The physician came down with a fever of more than 100 degrees on Sunday and was diagnosed with Ebola the following day. It is unclear how the surgeon got the deadly virus.

Federal safety regulators calling for a nationwide recall of, get this, 20 million vehicles equipped with airbags made by Japanese supplier Takata. Airbags that could spray drivers with deadly shrapnel. It would expand the current recall which covers 8 million vehicles made by 10 different automakers.

This is limited to states with hot, humid climates. The defect has been linked to at least five deaths but now they're widening toe all states.

All right. It's a road trip the Niagara women's basketball team won't soon forget, just rescued from deep snow, stuck on their team bus for 30 hours.

Andy Scholes with more on "Bleacher Report", next.

Business travelers take note. Hackers appear to be targeting you according to the cybersecurity company Kaspersky, an espionage campaign called "Dark Hotel" is accessing sensitive information through hotel Wi-Fi. The hackers tricked Wi-Fi users into downloading malware, camouflage, as legit software. The software then hacks into passwords and saved log-ins.

Some of the most recent targets have been CEO and other executive working in the Asia Pacific region. Experts say road warriors should threat any Wi-Fi server as a potential threat. You should try to use a VPN, an encrypted virtual private network, along with layered virus protection, and you should regard all software updates as suspicious.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: The arctic blast is pummeling the Northeast has left many people stranded in their vehicles, including the Niagara women's basketball team. That's some real team work, 24 -- what 30 hours in a stuck bus.

Andy Scholes has more on this morning's "Bleacher Report."

ANDY SCHOLES, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning, Christine.

Yes, the team played in Pittsburgh Monday night. And then they tried to make their way to update New York. That's when they got stopped. They stopped driving at 2:00 a.m. Tuesday. And they were on the bus for more than 30 hours.

Good news, in the last hour they have been rescued. The team chronicled the entire event by posting pics on social media. They said state troopers came by and they give them water and some snacks while they were stranded.

And just a little while ago, after the team was safely off the bus, one of the coaches tweeted, "Thank you for rescuing us, NY state police." So, we did get a nice happy ending to that story right there.

Now, Niagara team bus was stranded near the stadium where the Buffalo Bills are playing. The Bills are going to be hosting the Jets on Sunday. In the meantime, the Bills player having fun with the snow. Here's defensive end Mario Williams trying to take his dog for a walk. Check out the poor guy. He has to hop around. Can barely get through the snow.

His teammate, Marquise Goodwin, meanwhile, he was braving the snow. He said the snow doesn't scare me as he took his shirt off. Took a pretty awesome picture right there.

All right. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will not be back on the football field this season. Peterson lost his arbitration hearing against the NFL, where he was challenging their decision to keep him on the commissioner's exempt list.

Earlier Tuesday, Peterson was suspended for the remainder of the season without pay by Roger Goodell. On November 4th, Peterson pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault of a child. The NFL Players Association says it plans to appeal the suspension. The college football playoff committee announcing their latest

rankings last night. As expected, Alabama is taking over the top spot. They're number one after beating Mississippi State.

Now, despite the loss to Bama, the Bulldogs are still in the playoffs right now. They dropped only to number four. Oregon still number two. Undefeated Florida State is third.

TCU is on the outside looking in at five. Followed by Ohio State and Baylor.

And, Christine, right now, everyone's got their arguments. Everyone's got pretty much one loss. It's like whose resume is better than whose. It's going to be interesting as three more rankings come back, it's going to be interesting to see who ends up in the playoffs come December.

ROMANS: Oh, yes. Now, it gets really interesting.

All right. Thanks so much. Nice to see you, Andy.

SCHOLES: All right.

ROMANS: Coming up, snow slamming parts of the Northeast. The rest of the country feeling the system. Is there relief in sight? We have your forecast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)