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Donald Trump Bars Iowa Paper from His Rally; Clinton to Testify on Attacks that Killed 4 Americans; President Obama Criticizes Kenya's Gay Rights Record; Trump Attending "Make America Great Again" Rally; Cruz Accuses McConnell Of Lying; Turkey Sends Warplanes To Attack ISIS In Syria; U.S. To Use Turkish Bases For ISIS Attacks; Spelman College Drops $20 Million Cosby Endowment; Cosby May Be Forced To Give Videotaped Deposition. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired July 25, 2015 - 12:00   ET

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

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[12:00:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He obviously was shooting very much at random.

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Inside the shooting at a Louisiana theater. Witnesses telling CNN how it unfolded and their desperate escape.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was blood everywhere and that's when we realized what's going on so we ran.

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WHITFIELD: And new details uncovered about the shooter's past, his rant on the Internet and stories of violent and destructive behavior as police try to piece it all together.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did he pick this movie theater? Why did he buy that ticket? Why did he go in there?

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WHITFIELD: Plus Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz with some surprising words to the leader of the Senate.

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SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: These hundred senators have to be able to trust that when a senator says something, he or she will do it, even if we disagree on substance.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Why he says Mitch McConnell is lying. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

All right. Hello again, everyone, and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

So we're about an hour away now from hearing from Donald Trump in Iowa. The GOP frontrunner is holding a rally in Oskaloosa, but reporters from the state's largest newspaper are not being allowed to cover the event.

Trump's camp has barred "The Des Moines Register" from today's event over its editorial earlier in the week which stated Trump should drop out of the race saying, quote, "If he were merely a self-absorbed B- list celebrity, his unchecked ego could be tolerated as a source of mild amusement. But he now wants to become president which means that he aspires to be the leader of the free world and the keeper of our nuclear launch codes," end quote.

M.J. Lee is at the Trump event.

All right, so M.J., it's been pretty difficult to stop any news outlet from covering Donald Trump, but now when Donald Trump's camp says the paper of that state is not allowed to be there, how can that camp assure that no one with the paper is there? I mean, how difficult is it to get into that event to cover what is happening?

M.J. LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, I think that any reporters wanting to get in because they have to go through press check process I just went over. There's a table setup where everyone's names are being check off. I do actually think that it will be quite difficult for anyone whose names are not on the list to get into the event.

There's quite a bit of security here, so I don't know if "The Des Moines Register" reporters will actually end up being able to come in. And we know that this comes from, as you said, Trump being upset about the fact that the editorial wrote something incredibly critical about him earlier in the month. And he reemphasize this in a tweet earlier this morning saying, "The Des Moines Register" journalist are begging him to get into the event and that's just not going to happen. So I don't see the situation turning around actually for the paper or its journalist.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then M.J., where is this event? Tell us a little bit about that room, how many people are invited to attend and is there any way of knowing whether they are supporters of Donald Trump or they enjoy or looking forward to any potential entertainment coming from Donald Trump?

LEE: We are at a high school in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The campaign has said that they expect something around 400 to 500 people to show up. The weather was not so great this morning and we're expecting to have thunderstorms. It's cleared up a little bit so maybe that might entice people to come and see Donald Trump speak. There is an overflow room that is being prepared in case the space that we're in right now is not enough to hold the people that come in. In previous events, he actually has had too many people show up to his events and they have had to use the overflow rooms. So I think to expect a lot of people and sort of an enthusiastic crowd to show up would be reasonable.

I have been going around and speaking to some of the people that have shown up. I spoke to about a half dozen people who all said they're excited to see him speak, first of all, because they know that he is atypical and entertaining candidate to watch. And a lot of them said they get that he had said some controversial things in the first couple of weeks of being a candidate, but that does not bother them, that they like the fact that he is so straightforward and will say whatever is on his mind.

WHITFIELD: All right, M.J. Lee. Thanks so much.

I want to bring in Brian Stelter, our media -- senior media correspondent, host of "Reliable Sources" to chime in on this conversation.

So, Brian, the paper hit Trump pretty hard, especially on his comments about John McCain's war record and saying this, quote, "His comments were not merely offensive, they were disgraceful. So much so, in fact, that they threaten to derail not just his campaign, but the manner in which we choose our nominees for president. By using his considerable wealth, his celebrity status, and his mouth to draw attention to himself, rather than to raise awareness of the issues facing America, he has coarsened our political dialogue and cheapened the electoral process."

[12:05:00] Wow. So Trump now as a result banning the paper or any other reporters associated with "The Des Moines Register" from being in attendance. But what does that kind of exclusion mean for the candidate who ultimately wants to serve the people?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, it's almost as if Trump is the media's best friend but its loudest critic at the same time, Fredricka.

You know, Trump certainly knows how to get an audience. He responds to interview requests. He shows up at press conferences. He says landish things sometimes. He gets people's attention. But at the same time, he also knocks the press, loves to criticize the press, calls out reporters by name and criticizes them sometimes.

In some ways, having it both ways, it's a very effective strategy obviously for some voters, particularly conservatives who feel that the press does have a liberal bias that too many media outlets lean to the left. But if Trump wants to endear himself to all of Iowa, this is not the way to do it.

"The Des Moines Register," more so than papers in many other states, in many other cities, is a really important, really valued paper. It's a really treasured newspaper. So to attack "The Register" might not be the best play for him if he wants to appeal to a big audience and not just his base.

You know, I noticed that the columnist who was rejected yesterday, she is over at a Chris Christie event instead this morning.

WHITFIELD: You know, conversely, we are talking about an editorial. You talk about the, you know, the commentator here. But why should a newspaper print that it believes a candidate is, you know, quote, unquote, "disgraceful" or "unfit to be president," especially if you talk about the importance of that newspaper to the readers, to the electorate of that state. And now you've got a paper that should be down the middle in coverage of so many events but then now has an opinion about one of the candidates?

STELTER: You know, this is something I think -- this is a frequent issue, I think, Fredricka, that the audience that reads the paper does not always understand. People like you and me, we know that there oftentimes a wall between the editorial pages and the news room.

When I worked in "The New York Times" for example, the editorial people, people that wrote op-eds and opinion columns and editors, they worked like ten floors higher than me in the building. But, you know, that said, they're printed in the same pages, in the same paper. So it sometimes confusing and sometimes unclear that there's a wall there.

WHITFIELD: Yes, people cannot distinguish the difference.

STELTER: That's right. And, frankly, I think that it's partly the fault of newspaper, you know. It's the fault of television, too. Think about Bill O'Reilly versus an anchor on "Fox News," you know.

It looked like it's the same kind of show and the same kind of graphics, but they're very different kind of shows. It's true in newspapers as well. They don't label these things very well sometimes.

With that said, Trump knows the difference. Trump knows the difference between an editorial and a news article, and he is using this to probably turn people in his side, you know, using this as a way to rally people who think the media is biased against him. I'm not sure in the long term that's a good idea, though, but for a lot of journalist, it's disturbing to hear about credentials being revoked or rejected, or request being rejected. That is not a very presidential thing to do.

WHITFIELD: Right. And you and I both have roots in newspaper writing so we know that just because the reporters for that paper are not welcomed into the event does not mean that they're not going to cover it. There will be other more resourceful ways in which they still cover it.

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STELTER: Sometimes that's the more interesting way to cover it. Sometimes, if you can't get it on the inside, you actually get a better story on the outside. WHITFIELD: That's right. All right, Brian Stelter, thanks so much. Always good to see you. Appreciate it.

STELTER: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right, a bit of a wrench thrown into the plans of the Hillary Clinton campaign. We learn this morning that Clinton will indeed testify before the House Special Committee investigating the Benghazi consulate attacks.

In 2012, when Clinton was secretary of state, U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and 3 other Americans were killed. This investigation has grown into a political fight over Clinton's e-mails on that private server.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has been all over this story. And Sunlen, we're learning that this is just a day after Hillary Clinton tried to make it very clear. She has, you know, given up 55,000 pages or e-mails as it pertains to information that was on her personal server.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. And these two issues are very much intertwined and that's something that Clinton will have to answer in front of the committee on October 22nd. The date now set as she will testify in a public hearing on Capitol Hill.

Now this had been a major point of contention. First, how and when she would testify? Republicans on that committee saying they wanted two hearings. One, first, in private, then another one in public. But Clinton always saying that she wanted to testify once and one time only in public.

This attack in Clinton's role in Benghazi as secretary of state really has cast a shadow over her tenure as secretary of the state and really moved over to attack lines by Republicans on the campaign trail. This won't be the first time that she will be testifying about Benghazi. She testified back in 2013. And she continually defended herself saying that she had no direct role in any sort of security decisions at U.S. facilities abroad.

The committee, in the meantime, they have been scouring over some of those released e-mails from the State Department on Clinton's private e-mail server, looking at any communication she had leading up to the attack and after the attacks.

And as you rightly point out, Fred, this is now in the spotlight yesterday when the inspector general of the Intel Community saying that some of those e-mails found on the e-mail server of Hillary Clinton contained some classified information.

Now, it was not marked as such. It was not clear whether she was aware of whether it was classified information or not. But this just sets the stage up for a fiery, intense hearing and has major implications for her campaign. Now, Fred, the Clinton campaign telling reporters that they are confident that she will be able to hold her on. WHITFIELD: OK. And that will be October 22nd right in the throws of that campaign. We know that the Clinton campaign probably wanted this to go away, but if anything does that moment of testifying simply, you know, heat up the fires on it?

SERFATY: Well, it certainly puts a lot more attention on it. And I think that how she performs is important. It has major implications just a few months before the Iowa caucus, a few months before the New Hampshire primary, so this just remind voters of her involvement as secretary of state. So if she performs well, I would have to think that the campaign would be happy to almost put this to bed and settle all the talking points that Republicans have been using against her. But it's very contingent on her performance and all the questions that remain after that testimony.

WHITFIELD: All right, the timing is significant. All right, thank so much. Sunlen Serfaty, appreciate that.

All right, still ahead, the war against ISIS gets a new ally. Why Turkey is now stepping into the fray.

Plus, the house he trashed, the wedding dress he left and the disguises that he carried. We are learning more about the Louisiana shooter's erratic behavior.

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[12:15:15] WHITFIELD: All right. We're learning new details today about John Russell Houser. The gunman in the Louisiana theater shooting. The investigation now uncovering a past of extreme erratic behavior.

This picture surfacing of Houser flying a swastika flag outside his tavern after losing his liquor license. We also now know that he legally bought the 40-caliber, semi-automatic pistol use in the attack which he purchased at a pawnshop in Alabama last year.

Joining me right now from Lafayette, Louisiana is CNN's Ryan Nobles with more on the investigation.

Ryan?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, right now the big thing investigators are trying to figure out is what lead John Russell Houser here to Lafayette, and what motivated him to kill people he seemingly had no connection to at all.

So police are going over every aspect of this man's life. The first thing they found is where he was living here in Lafayette, a motel. They found wigs and disguises, glasses. It was clear that he was going to attempt some sort of a get away. He even changed the license plate on his 1995 Lincoln Continental.

But going even further back into his past, there was a home in Alabama that he was forcibly evicted from and when he left that home, he trashed the place. The only thing he left behind was a single white wedding dress that was still hanging in a closet there. But other than that the place was a disaster. Even poured cement down some of the drains in the house. The people that own it now described the place as an absolute mess. He even attempted to booby trap the building for people that came in after him.

Meanwhile, we're learning more about his past erratic behavior. He was very vocal not only in public, but on the internet and social media. Many of his rants were often homophobic and antigovernment.

There was at one point in his past where in protest of his liquor license being taken away from a bar that he owned in Georgia, that he actually placed a big swastika on the outside of the building to protest the government.

You know, other than that, though, he was a very educated man. He actually had a law degree and at times was a successful business man, but he also had a very long mental health history. One that his family was very concerned about. At one time, he was forcibly put into protective custody and his wife and daughter also placed a protective order against him because he had threatened at one point to break up his daughter's impending wedding. So right now all of this history being looked over closely by investigators as they figure out what lead John Russell Houser to come here to Lafayette, a city he had almost no connection to and commit this awful crime.

Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Wow, so terribly disturbing. All right, thank you so much. Ryan Nobles.

All right, up next, President Barack Obama on his historic trip to Kenya. Why he is making headlines on the issue of gay rights in that country and here.

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[12:21:47] WHITFIELD: All right, President Obama making a bold statement on the issue of gay rights today on his trip to Kenya. Kenya has come under criticism for its laws that threaten gays in the country with imprisonment. President Barack Obama had already faced some criticism for the trip because of Kenya's human rights record and its stands on gay rights. Well, here's part of what the president have to say when asked about it at a news conference.

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And as an African- American in the United States, I am painfully aware of the history of what happens when people are treated differently, under the law, and there were all sorts of rationalizations that were provided by the power structure for decades in the United States for segregation and Jim Crow and slavery, and they were wrong.

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WHITFIELD: President Uhuru Kenyatta didn't exactly defend his country's position but had this to say.

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UHURU KENYATTA, KENYAN PRESIDENT: It's very difficult for us to be able to impose on people that which they themselves do not accept. This is why I repeatedly say that for Kenyans today the issue of gay rights is really a non-issue. We want to focus on other areas that are day to day living for our people.

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WHITFIELD: All right, let's bring in CNN's Michelle Kosinski who is traveling with the president. So the president reiterating saying I am painfully aware of the history of what happens when people are treated differently under the law.

But show me how much preparation perhaps went into having to answer that question while in Kenya?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they knew it was going to come up likely, exactly as it did as a question. I mean they had to be expecting that for both of the leaders as a question from the press.

I think it was a little bit surprising that President Obama didn't bring it up during his statement before the question started. I mean, he did touch on human rights, so it seem like he was making a kind of vague reference to it. The rights of all people, the value of democracy, but then when he asked the question, that just open the doors for him to make that statement.

And it did seem like something that was prepared. It was very well laid out. And he framed it first, gently, as saying, well, I know that there are some people who on a religious grounds or personal beliefs are not going to agree with this but, and then he made that very strong statement. So they knew it was coming, and the president seemed well prepared.

I think what was also more surprising was the way the president of Kenya responded. I mean, in the past couple of days, the deputy president made global headlines by calling gay rights a non-issue in this country. And then the president not only reiterated that in very clear terms, but took it a step further by saying, well, there are certain things in this country -- in this culture and in this society that people don't accept. So not mincing words in saying that is something that people here don't accept on a whole.

I think what you're left with is thinking about it. If you're a gay person in Kenya, how must that feel to hear the leader of your nation say, well, you know, people here culturally and societally, generally, don't accept that. It's a non-issue.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then an intended topic of conversation was security, terrorism and Al-Shabaab. Were there any breakthroughs in the conversations between these two leaders? KOSINSKI: I don't know if I would call them breakthroughs, but they say that cooperation is expanding in that area. Of course, that's a big topic. I mean, when President Obama started talking about it, he said that was one of the biggest things that they discussed in their bilateral meeting. I mean, if you look at what's been going on in Kenya, I mean, it shock the world in April.

That attack on the university that killed more than a 140 people, most of them students. A year before that it was bus bombing. A year before that, it was that West Gate Mall attack. Remember that?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

KOSINSKI: Killing more than 60 people. So it was going to come up especially with the treat across the border from Al-Shabaab. And some strong words from Kenya's president saying that this is an existential threat, something that we're not used to dealing with here. We're trying to improve. And then President Obama was saying that the cooperation is effective between these two countries but there are still some work needed, especially in intelligence sharing and trying to prevent these things from happening again.

WHITFIELD: All right, Michelle Kosinski traveling with the president today in Nairobi, Kenya. The next stop will be Ethiopia.

Thank you so much.

All right, it's not something you normally here on the U.S. Senate floor. Senator Ted Cruz to GOP leader Mitch McConnell, you are a liar. That's next.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Hello again and thanks so much for joining me, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. In just about a half an hour from now, Donald Trump will hold a rally in Iowa but he is not allowing the state's largest newspaper to cover the event.

[12:30:06] Trump is angry over the editorial by the Des Moine Register calling for him to drop out of the race.

Here to talk about it Ronald Brownstein CNN Political Analyst and Editorial Director at the National Journal and Larry Sabato Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

All right, Ron and Larry, good to see both of you.

So Ron, first despite all of his controversial speeches and now barring reporters from this event, Trump is exhibiting once again. He is very much in control of his message and trying to be in control of how it's disseminating.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah, I would say yes but -- excuse me. Donald Trump is doing a lot of things that reinforces his appeal to the slice of the Republican Party that is responding to his message which is mostly the kind of the most alienated, disaffected, heavily blue collar tea party kind of element.

The problem is all of the things that he is doing is reinforcing I think the doubt in the broader Republican electorate and kind of nailing down a ceiling on his potential support. He is deepening but narrowing, it's a kind of sugar rush that has, you know, kind of crashes at the end.

And I think that the challenge Donald Trump faces is he wants to truly be a serious candidate for the nomination and not just a propagator, is he got to be acceptable to more people within the Republican coalition.

And most of what he is doing is kind of doubling down on the people who support him while reducing the number I think of potential voters who would seriously consider him.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's profound, we just deepening but narrowing.

So Larry, how do you see it because Donald Trump keeps reminding everybody, look at all the people who come out to see me, I mean the crowds are getting bigger. And there's going to be an overflow, you know, crowd in fact overflow room at this high school event.

He is planning on not only talking to the main audience. But then he will personally go to the overflow event and share his message there too.

So how do we discern whether all these people who are showing up are supporters of him and his message or they are looking forward to go in because they're witnessing, you know, something that's become quite entertaining on the campaign trail?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: Well it's a mixture of both. Although they're mains and supporters there's always people who show up just to take the measure of the candidate.

But look, Ron is absolutely correct. Here is what is happened Fred. He has got in the polling averages. Trump has got approximately a 5th of the Republican base. And his antics has strengthened the backing of that there because they are very antiestablishment.

They recent the party establishment, they fear the party establishment it's going to pick the nominee again. They like the fact that Trump will say absolutely anything. But Trump's biggest friend is the fact that there are 16 other candidates under Republican nomination. So that being at approximately 20 percent means that you lead them all.

You're -- all the others are 5 point or more below him. But what happens when the field narrows?

You're not going see Trump continue to be number one for the long run.

WHITFIELD: Up on the campaign trail, you know, Senator Ted Cruz, hasn't he also have some also kind of described him as being the antiestablishment even though he is an elected U.S. Senator. And now in this rare display he repeatedly accuses his fellow GOP senator that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of lying about some amendments to a funding bill in fact let's listen to what he said specifically.

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SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I cannot believe he would tell a flat out lie.

And I voted based on those assurances that he made to each and every one of us. What we jut saw today was an absolute demonstration that not only what he told every Republican senator but what he told the press over and over and over again was a simple lie.

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WHITFIELD: So then Larry, you know, how do you decipher not specifically what he was saying but really this kind of fissure and or maybe a series of fissures happening within the Republican Party.

You've got, you know, the party or people on the campaign trail presidential campaign trail saying, you know, trying to get Donald Trump out. He is not representative of us. And then you've got, you know, this latest example of Ted Cruz, you know, who, you know, is using these remarks and calling the majority leader a liar.

What is happening here? Is this demonstrative of something big happening within the party?

SABATO: Well, this is a very factionalize party. It's become more so that way in the last ten years or so. But as far as Cruz is concerned Fred, what he is doing terribly is to position himself to inherit the Trump vote if and when Trump collects it, simply because they're Malaysian or simply because the air goes out of the blue naturally.

[12:35:07] So in a way Cruz is the best positioned to inherit that Trump vote. Now I think most of what he does is designed to remind the Trump people that first of all he ask to back Trump, he's been friendly with him, and second that he is just an antiestablishment as Donald Trump.

WHITFIELD: OK, Ron, final words real quick.

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, that's a really good point, I mean look, you know, Ted Cruz was the outrageous candidate who would say or do anything, go to the mattresses to take on the establishment that was his kind lane in this race. And then all of the sudden Donald Trump drops on him like a house in terms of, you know, you can't out -- you can't outrageous Donald Trump.

So maybe he is there in the end. But it is a reminder that what Trump is doing at this point is dividing the antiestablishment vote. And to the extent those voters stay with Trump who I believe has a ceiling that he is reinforcing in the end the ironic implication of the Trump candidacy is to make more likely that one of this establishment candidates in the end can win because the antiestablishment vote will be divided.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ronald Brownstein and Larry Sabato, thanks to both of you appreciate it.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you Fred

WHITFIELD: All right, up next Turkey says enough is enough and steps in to help in the fight against ISIS.

Our military analyst explain how this could change things.

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[12:40:04] WHITFIELD: All right, Turkey now stepping into the fight against ISIS. It is sending war planes inside Syria to strike at ISIS targets following the killing of a Turkish soldier along the border.

The Turkish government also arrested some 600 people across the country. All suspected of supporting terror groups.

And also Turkey will give the U.S. crucial access to a key air base. That means U.S. air strikes into Northern Syria, in places like Kobani and Raqqa can take place more rapidly than from current bases hundreds of miles away in the Persian Gulf.

I want to bring in Lieutenant Colonel Tony Shaffer. He is a former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer and CNN Military Analyst Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona.

All right. So, Rick Francona, earlier I asked you how significant, you said this is very significant because of the proximity Incirlik to Syria and as well as Iraq where some of the U.S. air strikes have been taking place to take out ISIS targets.

So, what do owe envision? Is it something that just -- you know, if it's tentative plan just in case, or do you -- do you think this is an indicator that there is a plan about to be executed from the U.S. military standpoint?

RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Oh, I think we're ready to go fairly quickly. This is something we wanted for months. That base in Incirlik is a sprawling NATO complex. It's built to U.S. standards. It has everything we need. We can move aircraft in there quickly both manned and unmanned which the Turks have given authorization for.

It cuts the flight time down dramatically. Pretty example, if you wanted to launch an air strike in Iraq, as you mentioned the self- proclaimed capital of the Islamic State, its 200 miles from Incirlik, its 800 miles from bases in the gulf. It just cost down the flight time. And it allows you to get there faster. You can carry more ammunitions, less refueling. It's just a great operation capability. I think we're going to take real advantage of this.

WHITFIELD: And -- you know, Tony Shaffer, I recall and remember how Incirlik was a vital at the start of the last Iraq War for U.S. military assistance and missions. But it seems the process of getting engage in Syria or even other potential, you know, strikes in Iraq, Turkey was a lot more reticent. What has changed? Why now will Turkey or would Turkey want to be involved in this capacity?

TONY SHAFFER, FORMER U.S. ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: Well, I think they see the world moving by and plus ISIS now is bitten the hand that fed it. I mean let's be very clear here.

ISIS would thrive primarily in the many ways because of the initial support of its precursor elements by Turkey. Turkey is allowed to backdoor to be open for resources both personnel and money to go in the ISIS and they're the black market trader of the primary source of oil, although oil, illegal oil going out. So I think that they now have seen ISIS bite them.

Secondly, with the Iran agreement, you now see a strengthening of Syria. Syria is something that the Turks wanted us help them destabilize against Assad out. So, I think now, in many ways, they're acting in their own self-interest.

Let me be clear, they're going after ISIS but at the same time I think they're going to try go after the Kurds -- you know, to get them too. And unfortunately for us I think the Kurds were one of our strongest allies, maybe and across hairs (ph) of the Turks as they move forward in the military aspects of the operation.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much Tony Shaffer, Rick Francona to both of you. Lieutenant, Colonel, appreciate it.

FRANCONA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come, as the accusation pile up, the associations now drop down, another organization distancing itself from Bill Cosby.

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[12:47:26] WHITFIELD: All right, Atlanta's all woman's Spelman College has discontinued the use of a $20 million endowment from a foundation related to Bill Cosby.

The college's Office of Communications released this statement today saying "The William and Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Endowed Professiorship at Spelman College has been discontinued and related funds have been returned to the Clara Elizabeth Jackson Cater Foundation. The college has no further comment."

And just to explain what that means basically the money has been sent back to the Cosby's as the Clara Elizabeth Jackson Cater Foundation was established by Bill Cosby's wife, Camille, in honor of her mother.

The school had already suspended the endowment back in December of 2014 when the allegations of sexual and misconduct around Bill Cosby re-service in a very big way. And separately, now this week, a civil lawsuit accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault is now moving forward.

Judith Huth represented by Gloria Allred claims that Cosby forced here to perform a sex act on him in 1974 at the Playboy Mansion when she was just 15-years-old.

A ruling by the California Supreme Court allows the civil suit filed by Judith Huth to move forward.

Allred told CNN what she has planned for Cosby.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLORIA ALLRED, JUDY HUTH'S ATTORNEY: Today we are going to be noticing his deposition, for some time within the next 30 days and providing his counsel with specific dates and also with specific location.

Here is what happens. We are entitled to take his deposition, his testimony under oath, in this case of Huth's first as William H. Cosby. If he does not appear for this deposition which, by the way, we are going to notice we are going to want to video his deposition. If he does not appear for this deposition, he's going to need to go to court and seek permission to continue it to another date and he's going to have to show good cause like a health reason or whatever else he wants to try to show.

If, in fact, he doesn't do that, he doesn't appear, we're going to seek sanctions. What are sanctions?

We are going to seek a court order that he -- to seek to hold him in contempt. We're taking this seriously. We want him to sit down. We want his answers under oath.

If he doesn't want to do that and then he answers this lawsuit, then we're going to strike the answer. What's that is going to mean?

That's going to mean he doesn't get to present his defense. He doesn't get to testify when we get to trial. He doesn't get to present witnesses. We will take his default.

[12:50:03] We want justice for our client and we intend to get it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And in an appearance on CNN an attorney representing Cosby pushed back against the accusations being made against him. She also refused to say how Cosby's attorney as will respond to the notice for that deposition that Allred speaks of.

MONIQUE PRESSLEY, COSBY'S ATTORNEY: Even though that we hear excerpts from accusers and we seek headlines that discuss things like calling him a rapist or thing that he is committed sexual assault. The case actually is in a civil court and there are no criminal charges filed.

Then I think it's important no matter what the manner the attorneys or speaking forum or the media is covering it that's a point that stays clear.

FEMALE: If called to give a deposition will he give a deposition. PRESSLEY: And certainly I am not going to reveal strategy, tactics or intentions of my client to testify or not or advise of counsel about that matter. We'll deal with that with the able council who are in California who are handling this case.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right let's bring in our legal guides, Avery Freidman our civil rights attorney and law professor in Cleveland. Good to see you.

AVERY FREIDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Richard Hermann a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor join us from Honolulu.

I'm always admiring you all have ties. And once again you're instinct with the stripes. I like it.

FREIDMAN: There we go. There we go.

WHITFIELD: All right gentlemen so let's -- all right.

RICHARD HERMANN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It was just a co incidence.

WHITFIELD: All right then. All right let's start with the push for this video taped deposition that we heard Gloria Allred talking about. How likely Avery is that to happen

FREIDMAN: 100 percent Fredricka. I mean, it seems that is there was a lot of discussion about sanctions and defaults. Look at that's what the rule says but other than plain throwing to zero the issue zeroed in here is did Judith Huth have repressed psychological injury which she discovered about 50 years after the event. And if she can show that that's all the Supreme Court denial of review did. The case goes forward.

It's a standard civil suit and frankly the cause is just, Fredricka. I hope the deposition does go forward and I hope Bill Cosby shows up and goes under oath so we get some explanations of what's going on.

WHITFIELD: So then Richard, is it possible, is it a likelihood that his attorneys will say, you know, "Why do we need a new deposition," the deposition that was sealed for a long time, you know, 10 years ago that was recently made public as the similar case. Why not just use that? Is that something his attorneys would likely say to get out of a new deposition?

HERMAN: No, they can't say that Fred this is a separate case, separate set of facts, separate circumstances. So this deposition if it goes forward will refer to the facts of this particular case.

But someone sleeping at the wheel in the California court system...

WHITFIELD: What do you mean? HERMAN: ... to be even allow this case to continue. Fred 35 years ago, 35 years ago allegedly something took place when this 15-year-old got herself at the Playboy mansion and was partying with Bill Cosby and a lot of other people there, Fred. And all of a sudden 35 years later she brings litigation for the first time, for the first time against Bill Cosby after years ago trying to sell her story.

So her claim that's she all of a sudden woke up and realizes his repressed damages, it's garbage, you know what, Fred...

WHITFIELD: And isn't it also the case that the reason why there's no statute limitations on this because it involves a minor of the fact that it happened in the '70s if it involved an adult, then this case would not be proceeding forward. So how does that impact or change the dynamics and of course it answers the question of this 15-year-old in a Playboy mansion the first place anyway.

HERMAN: Because if there's a repression, it was held back and it comes out. But if the woman tried to sell her story years ago the repression was over it then.

FREIDMAN: That's not proven. Richard, you can not say that.

HERMAN: And they didn't bring anything. And, you know, Fred, I don't know if it's just me but when Gloria Allred speaks or she gets involve in a case, it's like chalk on a black board. To me she does not care about the subsident (ph) the nature of the case. It's all publicity, publicity.

WHITFIELD: But haven't we also heard -- But haven't we gentlemen heard consistently from many of these women, who whether they tried to tell someone, you know, long ago they couldn't get the support and now in recent months now particularly in recent months there is a feeling of comfort that they're other woman who have shared a similar story and that's why now there is a place or level of comfort where they want to share and now pursue up for their large experiences.

Avery, that has to be meaningful, does it not?

FREIDMAN: I think that's a very thorough way of putting what's going under 45 women who have surfaced for a civil suit. One seeking damages that's the hot case but the issue of she was selling it to the tabloids 10 years ago is an allegation.

[12:55:00] All the Supreme Court did this past week is say let the case go forward. If the defense has that as evidence and produce it. So we're just at the beginning. If you can't assume that that's true but I do agree that because the case is now going forward, other women who are reluctant to stand up and fight back are now joining in and saying, "You know what, I want to be part of this at least I want my story to be told." That's a good thing. That's a healthy thing.

WHITFIELD: All right, concluding any last thoughts on that, Richard.

FREIDMAN: Fred, 35 years ago, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

HERMAN: Fred, yeah, they're going to ask him questions of events and facts that took place 35 years ago. Do you know what you have for dinner three days ago? So, in that there never going to be a deposition.

WHITFIELD: I'm the last person you're going to ask because I can't barely remember, you know, yesterday one.

HERMAN: OK.

FREIDMAN: What that have to do with that.

HERMAN: Would you. All right, I shouldn't have asked that.

WHITFIELD: But yeah, I'm the last one you want to ask.

HERMAN: If this thing ever goes forward.

WHITFIELD: Most people have a much better memory than me.

FREIDMAN: But it's not about what you had for breakfast or dinner.

HERMAN: If it goes forward, Horton -- Fred Horton the Elephant. OK, Fred, listen if it goes forward here's going to be the answers for him, right? I don't recall -- I don't recall, I don't know I'm not sure, I'm not going to speculate. I don't recall. That sounds going to come down, Fred. This is a circus another Gloria Allred (inaudible).

FREIDMAN: I thought Richard might have too much sun being there on the beach.

WHITFIELD: Oh boy. All right.

HERMAN: You're just jealous.

FREIDMAN: I thought he's been exposed to too much sun.

WHITFIELD: That's right in Honolulu.

FREIDMAN: I think he's going to say I don't remember.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. I know he's going surfing after this one shot hit. So, OK.

FREIDMAN: I think that's exactly, right.

HERMAN: Right now. North Shore baby.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right, Richard and Avery, thank so much guys I appreciate it.

FREIDMAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Mahalo to both. All right, be right back after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)