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Bill Cosby Facing Criminal Charges; Authorities Worldwide on Alert for New Year's Eve; Historic Flood Expected in Missouri; El Nino Causing Havoc in Global Weather; Authorities Worldwide on Alert for New Year's Eve; Cosby Arrested, Accusers Talk of Experience; Questions Surround Death of North Korean's Top South Korean Liaison; NY Crystal Ball Drop Tradition Turns 108. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired December 31, 2015 - 02:00   ET

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

(HEADLINES)

[02:00:32] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

The rumors and accusations have been around for decades, but Bill Cosby has always denied that he sexually assaulted any women. Now for the first time, the comedian is facing criminal charges in a case dating back to 2004.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Disgraced Comedian Bill Cosby stumbled, walking with a cane and noticeable limp, as he arrived at his arraignment amid a crush of reporters. Cosby was released on $1 million bail, charged with aggravated indecent assault for the alleged 2004 sexual assault of a woman 37 years younger than the comedian. After denials and claims that the encounter was consensual, Bill Cosby is now facing criminal charges for the first time.

Andrea Constand, who worked with Temple University women's basketball team, accused Cosby of drugging, then assaulting her when she visited the comedian, who she considered a friend and mentor at his Pennsylvania home.

KEVIN STEELE, FIRST ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Mr. Cosby made two sexual advances at her that were rejected. On the evening in question, Mr. Cosby urged her to take pills that he provided to her and to drink wine, the effect of which rendered her unable to move or respond to his advances.

FEYERICK: Though Constand came forward in 2005, the district attorney at the time did not file charges. That same year, Constand sued Cosby. The comedian then settling for an undisclosed amount.

Legal documents in that case were unsealed for the first time this past July and the deposition made public. In it, Cosby admits giving women Quaaludes but never without their knowledge. Constand's lawyer asks Cosby, "When you got the Quaaludes, was it in your mind that you were going to use these Quaaludes for young women that you wanted to have sex with?" Cosby replies, "Yes."

That deposition and other evidence unsealed in the civil case paved the way for a new district attorney to reinvestigate the allegations.

In the criminal complaint, Constand says Cosby told her the pills were herbal and, after taking them, she lost her strength but was aware of Cosby, quote, "fondling her breasts" and of his hands into her pants.

STEELE: What we know is that pills were provided. We then go to the reaction of the victim, you know, frozen, paralyzed, unable to move. A person in that state cannot give consent.

FEYERICK: Constand was the first woman to publicly come forward accusing Cosby. Since then, some 50 women have alleged similar sexual assaults over a period of four decades, most involving the use of drugs.

Cosby has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and even filed a countersuit against seven women earlier this month. Cosby says their accusations hurt his reputation and derailed his plans for a new comedy show.

Prosecutors are right up against the expiration of the 12-year statute of limitations for sexual assault cases in Pennsylvania, which will close early next year. Cosby could get up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And Bill Cosby's lead attorney has issued a statement. She says, and I'm quoting here, "The charge by the Montgomery County district attorney's office came as no surprise, filed 12 years after the alleged incident, and coming on the heels of a hotly contested election for this county's D.A., during which this case was made the focal point. Make no mistake, we intend to mount a vigorous defense against this unjustified charge, and we expect that Mr. Cosby will be exonerated by a court of law," end of quote there.

Well, Attorney Gloria Allred represents 29 women who allege they are victims of sexual assault by Cosby. She says seeing him face criminal charges is the best Christmas present they've received.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:04:57] GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY: Many of them are very, very happy that Andrea Constand is going to be able to get her day in court, in the criminal justice system. For most of them, they are going to be denied that opportunity to have their day in court because it's too late because of the statute of limitations and they cannot have their matter prosecuted even if a D.A. felt that there was evidence sufficient to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. And it's too late for most of them to also file a civil lawsuit because of this arbitrary time period set by law called the statute of limitations. My clients have clearly indicated, many of them, to me that they are willing to testify, if, as, and when their testimony is sought, if that testimony is considered to be relevant or admissible in the criminal case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Joining me now is criminal defense attorney, Page Pate, to talk more about this.

Thank you for coming in and speaking with us.

Now, we know at this point Bill Cosby is on $1 million bail. So he is free at this point. And his defense attorneys have said that they will mount a vigorous defense on his behalf. Given what we know, some 50 or so women all sharing pretty much the same story of being drugged and then being raped, how difficult will it be for the defense if those women's stories are allowed in? That's the critical question, isn't it?

PAGE PATE, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think it is the critical question. And I think it will be incredibly difficult for him to defend himself against these charges if the judge allows the jury to hear about all these other women who are make a very similar-type accusation against him. So the main challenge for the defense is let's keep out those other accusations. And it's possible. Under Pennsylvania law, they don't automatically come in. The prosecutor will have to show that those accusations are so similar to this accusation that they can't prove intent or some other element of the crime.

CHURCH: Right. So that is going to be the key point here. And we don't know what's going to happen.

PATE: We do not.

CHURCH: Can we assume if they've gone this far that presumably they do intend to admit --

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: -- the other stories?

PATE: I'm certain that the prosecutor wants to admit them. So what will probably happen is that the defense will file a motion and challenge the admission of those other accusations. The judge will hold a hearing prior to trial and will make the determination of whether or not they come in.

CHURCH: Now, what about the issue of consent? Because it's very different when you're looking at the possibility or the alleged drugging of Andrea Constand. So if she's been drugged, then she can't put up the same sort of resistance. So what happens when you're talking about consent in that situation? PATE: Well, in most sexual assault cases, consent is usually the

ultimate issue, and especially in a case like this where Mr. Cosby, back at the time he was initially investigated for these accusations, and in the deposition, he admitted to sexual contact. He admitted to giving her pills. The only issue is whether she went along with it. And in proving a lack of consent, the state will have to show she was intoxicated, she was out of her mind, she was drugged, she was put in a position where she could not either verbally or physically resist his advances. If they can prove that, then they can prove a lack of consent.

CHURCH: And just very quickly, if you had to choose as to whether you would be the defense or the prosecutor in this situation, which do you think would be the easier path?

PATE: It would be the defense, unless those other accusations come in. If those other accusations come in, it's going to be very difficult to defend this case.

CHURCH: Page Pate, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

PATE: Thank you. Absolutely.

CHURCH: Now to another big story we are following. Authorities around the world are on high alert over New Year's Eve terror concerns. New York will send 6,000 police officers to Times Square for the big celebration there. Security will also be tightened in Washington, D.C. And in L.A., more cameras and security will be posted up at the Rose Bowl Parade.

Arrests in other parts of the world, mainly Europe, have also prompted officials to take action.

Nic Robertson joins us from Brussels in Belgium.

So, Nic, in fact, authorities there in Brussels have canceled New Year's Eve festivities. Why did they make the rather extreme decision to shut everything down? A very different response, we have to say, to events planned across the United States, for instance.

[02:09:32] NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. Sure. What the prime minister here both the prime minister and mayor talked on national television last night to explain why they're taking this almost unprecedented decision. The prime minister said, look, the terrorists right now are more prudent, more professional than they've been in the past, that the threat at the moment is changing hour by hour. There's uncertainty about the level of threat, that Europe faces a new stage in its history. The mayor here said we cannot guarantee the safety and security of big gatherings of people.

That said, this square, the Grand Place here -- I'll just step out of the way. You can see this beautiful square in the middle of Brussels. Tonight, we can expect this square to be still crowded with people. It's the fireworks that have been canceled. The cleanup is ready for the -- for tourists and Belgians alike to come and enjoy seeing the New Year in here. That's under way right now. You can probably hear some of the noise in the background.

But what we are seeing here in Belgium at the moment is typical of the concern across Europe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): In Belgium, security is tight. Traditional New Year's Eve celebration of fireworks in the capital canceled. In recent days, police arrested two men plotting an attack, if not directed by ISIS, then at the very least inspired by them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We cannot exclude it. We will be obliged to wait the evolution of the investigation. But we cannot exclude it.

ROBERTSON: In Rome, the heart of Christendom, security is tighter than ever.

Police in London issued their own warnings of caution around New Year's Eve parties.

UNIDENTIFIED LONDON POLICE OFFICER: We've put together a strong proportionate policing plan to ensure safety and security of people and to reassure those coming to watch the spectacle of the fireworks on Thursday night.

ROBERTSON: Germany, the same. New Year's Eve celebrations amidst unprecedented security.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): After recent events, we have again adopted more surveillance, security guards, security guards, more fences.

ROBERTSON: Europe is on heightened alert, and no surprise. The ISIS- instigated Paris attack less than two months ago has ISIS threats of a follow-on taken seriously.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the first time since long that we are confronted with movement who has impact all around the world. You saw terrorist attacks everywhere in the world, in Australia, in the U.S., Canada, Europe, of course, Africa, northern Africa, Arabic countries, Asian countries, Russia. So I think it's a phenomenon.

ROBERTSON (on camera): This is the place where the two men recently arrested in Belgium were planning to attack, the Grand Place, where thousands of revelers gather to see the New Year in, just like Times Square in New York and Trafalgar Square in London.

(voice-over): Restaurants here quieter than past New Years. Bookings are down. The same in Paris, too. People now familiar with the threat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What should I do? There's nothing to do. There is police and military everywhere. I think we are safe here. But everything can happen anywhere, in London, in Paris, everywhere. Somebody can get a bomb and then explode somewhere, so.

ROBERTSON: Here and across Europe, 2016 dawns in the chill of a shadow cast by the Paris terror attacks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: And in Turkey as well, terror arrests just yesterday, again giving an indication of how high this ISIS threat is. Authorities there in Turkey saying that the two people arrested in Ankara they believe connected to ISIS. They were arrested with explosives. They believe one of the devices was a suicide vest ready for use. There was a backpack full of explosives as well. Authorities there in Turkey believe there were two locations in the capital, Ankara, that these two suspected ISIS members were going to target. And one of them does appear to have potentially been a suicide bomber. This again targeting New Year's Eve -- Rosemary?

CHURCH: Indeed. There's a lot of concern, a lot of tension.

Thank you so much to our Nic Robertson joining us there live from Brussels in Belgium.

The man accused of buying guns for the San Bernardino attackers is now facing terrorism charges. Enrique Marquez met Syed Rezwan Farook in 2004 when they became neighbors. The two allegedly planned multiple attacks that they never carried out. A federal grand jury indicted Marquez Wednesday on charges of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists as well as entering into a false marriage with Farook's cousin. December's attack in San Bernardino left 14 people dead. Authorities called it the deadliest attack on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001.

Well, the mother of the so-called affluenza teen is on her way to Los Angeles after allegedly helping her son flee to Mexico. Tonya Couch will be charged with hindering the apprehension of a juvenile. If she's convicted, she could serve up to 10 years in prison. Her son, Ethan Couch, was sentenced only to probation for killing four people while driving under the influence. The defense blamed it on what they called affluenza, saying the teen was too spoiled to know any better. Ethan Couch is currently fighting deportation from Mexico, and the process could take months.

[02:15:17] Flooding hits the United States, causing death and destruction, including this, a house floats away and gets crushed by a bridge. We have updates about this dangerous weather straight ahead.

Plus, several deadly and controversial police shootings in Chicago are spurring changes. How the city is responding. We'll take a look at that when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. More than 12 million people in the U.S. are under flood warnings right now. Missouri is one of the hardest-hit states with historic flooding expected. On Wednesday, a house floated away and crashed into a bridge. No word on any injuries there. But so far, 14 people have been killed in the state and 19 states in all are impacted by this flooding.

Martin Savidge has been covering this story for us and has more now from Missouri.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[02:20:09] MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In some of the worst flooding in state history, parts of the St. Louis region are under water. This shopping area half submerged. A sign for Jimmy John's Sandwich Shop still visible above the water. Hundreds of roads and bridges are closed including more than 20 miles of I-44. This lone vehicle was trapped by the water, a boat crew rescuing the stranded woman inside. Rescue crews also coming to the aid of this man stuck on top of a pickup truck, the flood water spilling out of its door after he was pulled to safety. Emergency crews also had to save this man and his dog.

In Missouri and Illinois, the Mississippi, Missouri, and Merrimack Rivers are all experiencing major flooding.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): This is the back yard.

SAVIDGE: In Illinois, this woman helplessly watching as flood waters flow around and then into her home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my lord.

SAVIDGE: This cabin caught floating away on the Merrimack River.

And where it hasn't yet flooded residents are preparing, laying sandbags and evacuating from nearby levees while engineers work to try to ensure that they hold.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son's already gone. The kids are gone. The pets are gone. Just trying to get the rest of the stuff that we can get out here that's important to us.

SAVIDGE: In some places, rivers and streams have already crested but not the Mighty Mississippi, which isn't expected to peak until later tonight or Thursday.

(on camera): As the waters begin to recede here, it only means that downstream they will start rising there. And the flood warnings and watches extend nearly all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.

Martin Savidge, CNN, Pacific, Missouri.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: This dangerous and deadly weather in the U.S. is being blamed on El Nino, which is also causing havoc globally. Torrential rain in northern Britain caused part of an 18th century stone bridge to collapse Wednesday into a racing river. Look at that. And a powerful storm left thousands in Scotland without power as residents there dealt with severe flooding. Meanwhile, fierce winds blew the roofs off buildings in Bolivia Wednesday. One family says they were inside when their roof came off. Flood waters submerged several buildings in Paraguay, leaving victims without clean water and medicines. And relentless rains sparked flooding in central Peru, forcing people to leave their homes.

So let's turn to our meteorologist, Allison Chinchar, who's been looking at how all these events are connected.

And it is just fascinating but disturbing as well when you look at the amount of rain in some parts of the world and how it's all linked.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right. It's important to note too that each El Nino event is not the same. So you have to take a look at the small minute differences in each one of them. Probably the most recent big El Nino event is back in 1997. Here's a look at the sea surface temperature maps there. Compared with what we have now very recently. And you can see the temperatures were much more extreme, much warmer. However, compared to the current event, it's a much more widespread event now. So it's affecting a lot more things out there.

Here if we take a look, though, what we do know is the observed change in heavy precipitation. This was put out by the IPCC report in 2013. Notice the eastern half of the United States is more prone to having heavy precipitation events during El Nino years. And again, a lot of it has to do with climate change.

So let's take a look at what we've experienced recently. We go to the floor for that. And we'll kind of talk about what we've seen recently. Here we put up the earth. OK? We will kind of show you what we've got going on in terms of recent events. Here is a look at what we have right now. And you can see the difficult patterns that we have. Flood and severe threats tend to be prone towards the southeastern United States. We also get a lot of floods in South America. Do note, both of these have happened in the month of December. And also we've had flooding events in the United Kingdom. Very typical of the patterns we would normally see in El Nino years.

Here's another thing. Here's the recent -- this is the last couple of weeks. And you can see some of those patterns coming off the United States and really kicking up this huge system that produced so much of the rain over parts of the United Kingdom and also produced what we call a bon, which is a huge drop in pressure, typically 24 millibars in 24 hours. This particular system dropped over 50 millibars over Iceland. Again, very impressive.

But also notice the temperatures too because this is very key. We have this warm swath of air that's actually coming back around into the North Pole. The North Pole actually was above freezing for today, which is absolutely incredible when you think about the temperatures that are there.

So here let's take a look at one more thing. Let's take this out real quick. This is a look at the North Pole. OK? They were at 33 degrees today. Incredible. Compared to Chicago, which was 29 degrees. Denver topped out at 26. And Warsaw topped out at about 32 degrees. Again, it's incredible but it's all due to the same pattern that

brought a lot of the moisture to the United Kingdom and a lost moisture to the United States. So it really has impacts, Rosemary, globally, even as far north as the North Pole.

[02:25:39] CHURCH: You've just got to wonder what lies ahead in 2016 weather-wise, right?

Allison, many thanks to you. Appreciate it.

Well, the Chicago Police Department is getting an overhaul in the wake of several deadly and controversial shootings. The latest was over the weekend. Police killed a teenager and his 55-year-old neighbor after being called to the young man's home. The interim police commissioner says the department will emphasize de-escalation techniques and more officers will have tasers, which are non-lethal weapons.

The city's mayor says this is a big step forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAHM EMANUEL, (D), CHICAGO MAYOR: There's a difference between whether someone can use a gun and when they should use a gun. And we as a city must train for that difference. We will improve communication between officers and individuals to make these encounters less confrontational and more conversational. And we will double the number of tasers to 1,400 while also providing officers the training to use them properly. Ultimately, what we are doing is injecting some humanity into the work of our police department and the police officers. That is what these new policies will help us do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Right now, only about 20 percent of Chicago's police officers have access to tasers.

Comedian Bill Cosby now facing criminal charges for sexual assault. Just ahead, we will hear from more than a dozen women who say it happened to them as well.

Plus, security is stepped up in some big U.S. cities for New Year's Eve. But what about smaller towns? We will hear from a security analyst. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:46] CHURCH: And a warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and, of course, all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

It is time to update you on the main stories we have been following this hour.

(HEADLINES) CHURCH: Security is boosted in high-profile locations across the United States over terror concerns on New Year's Eve. New York police will deploy 6,000 officers to Times Square for the big celebration there. Security is also heightened in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Senior U.S. Officials say they caught wind of a threat but that it's uncorroborated.

Earlier, I spoke with our security analyst, Juliette Kayyem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: None of these events is going to be perfectly safe. You just have too many people congregating in too many different areas. But we should have anticipated after Paris and certainly after San Bernardino here in the United States that the -- first that the 31st celebrations would have been targeted or at least there might have been noise or chatter about them. So this increased police presence and surveillance and initiatives are nothing new.

CHURCH: Certainly good for those big cities. But what about those cities and towns outside the high-risk areas? How vulnerable are they given there will be less security at those events and so many more thousands police are being sent to New York, for instance.

KAYYEM: That's exactly right. This is the challenge of when you try to fortify certain soft targets then other targets become softer, right? Because you're taking away from the police or other aspects of keeping places secure and moving them toward a big event, like the 31st. So for someone who's been in security for some time, it's those satellite events that make me a little bit more nervous, the cities that we haven't necessarily heard of, the San Bernardinos and other cities that are big places but may not have the global feel of a New York or a Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: All right, talking to Juliette Kayyem there.

Well, next hour, we will have more of that interview, including how people attending those big events can stay safe.

More now on the sexual assault case against Bill Cosby. The 78-year- old comedian is charged with aggravated indecent assault, a second- degree felony. The charges stem from allegations made by a former employee of Temple University in Philadelphia who says Cosby drugged and fondled her at his home in 2004. While dozens of women have claimed abuse, these are the first criminal charges filed against Cosby.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN STEELE, FIRST ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY: When you look at the case, there's a number of aspects that are undisputed. There's not a question in terms of pills being provided to her. There's not a question as to the occurrence of what went on, of the digital penetration. And we've gotten that from statements, from depositions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And many of Cosby's accusers say he drugged them before assaulting them. A number of them told CNN about their experiences.

And we should warn you this report contains some very graphic descriptions of what they say Cosby did to them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[02:35:00] BARBARA BOWMAN, COSBY ACCUSER: He was Dr. Huxtable. He was America's dad. Everybody loved him. I loved him. I wanted him to be my dad.

JOAN TARSHIS, COSBY ACCUSER: He asked me back a few times. He asked me to visit him on the set. I was not the only girl he was doing this with.

BEVERLY JOHNSON, COSBY ACCUSER: Mr. Cosby wanted me to come down for an audition for "The Bill Cosby Show."

DOTTYE, COSBY ACCUSER: The star of the show called me at my Jersey City apartment and asked me to audition for him himself.

JANICE DICKINSON, COSBY ACCUSER: I'm going to offer you a part on "The Cosby Show."

BOWMAN: He had been mentoring me and grooming me.

LISA CHRISTIE, COSBY ACCUSER: I saw Bill as a father figure.

HEIDI THOMAS, COSBY ACCUSER: What a cool thing, that he wants to help young talent. This is a dream come true.

TARSHIS: He said, well, come up to my bungalow after I'm finished shooting and we'll work on it.

P.J. MASTEN, COSBY ACCUSER: So he asked me, he says, before we go out to dinner, would you like a cocktail?

DOTTYE: He asked me to have a drink to relax myself.

BOWMAN: I have one glass of wine with dinner.

TARSHIS: He made me a drink.

CHRISTIE: Bill had the drink in his hand ready for me.

DICKENSON: He said, oh, I've got something for that. And he gave me a pill. It was red wine. It was a pill.

LINDA JOY TRAITZ, COSBY ACCUSER: He opened up a briefcase that was on his front seat, and it was filled with different assorted pills.

TARSHIS: This men's shaving kit opened up with lots of pills. TRAITZ: I want you to take a couple of these to help you relax.

JOHNSON: I took one sip, and I felt something very strange going on in my head.

TARSHIS: I began to feel very, very, very drugged.

VICTORIA VALENTINO: He drugged me and my roommate.

JOHNSON: I knew I had been drugged. It was very powerful. It came on very quickly.

TARSHIS: And very shortly after that I just -- I passed out.

THOMAS: There was a glass of Chablis and then I don't remember.

DICKINSON: Last thing I remember I had blacked out and Cosby mounting me.

VALENTINO: She passed out, and I pulled him off of her.

JOHNSON: The room starts to spin. My speech was slurred.

BOWMAN: And before I knew it, I was with my head over the toilet throwing up, in a white T-shirt and my panties, and he was looming over me in a white robe.

ELIZABETH, COSBY ACCUSER: He made me kneel down. And I'm not going to repeat what happened next.

PAMELA ABEYTA, COSBY ACCUSER: When I came to, I was lying in Bill Cosby's bed.

CHARLOTTE FOX, COSBY ACCUSER: The next thing I remember was sort of a -- I was sort of awake in the bed with no clothes, and there was Mr. Cosby in a robe crawling from the bottom of the bed.

TARSHIS: I woke up or came to very groggily with him removing my underwear.

THOMAS: I do remember waking up in his bedroom and he's naked. He was forcing himself in my mouth.

MASTEN: The next thing I knew it was 4:00 in the morning. I woke up in the bed naked, bruised.

DICKINSON: There was a lot of pain in -- downstairs. There was semen all over me. And my pajamas bottoms were off.

BOWMAN: I woke up out of a very confused state and knowing that my body had been touched without my permission.

MASTEN: I knew I was raped.

DICKENSON: I was embarrassed, and I, at that point, fight or flight, I just packed up and I got the hell out of there. DOTTYE: He was Bill Cosby. Who would believe me?

TARSHIS: But who's going to believe me? Bill Cosby, the all-American dad, the all-American husband, the person -- Mr. Jell-O that everybody loves.

EDEN TIRL, COSBY ACCUSER: Bill, you are Jell-O pudding pops and Fat Albert to me. You are my childhood. He barked back instantly, "Don't say that. They all say that."

BOWMAN: I was looked at directly in the eye by Bill Cosby and said, I had better never, ever see your face or hear your name again. And I listened.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:39:10] CHURCH: And Cosby is suing eight of his accusers for defamation, including supermodel, Beverly Johnson. He says their false allegations have ruined his reputation.

Let's take a very short break here. But when we come back, North Korea pays its last respects to a top aide in a state funeral, but there are questions about the circumstances of his death. We will have a live report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. North Korea's top liaison to South Korea is being laid to rest in a state funeral. State media reported Kim Yang-Gon died in a car accident, but some experts are questioning that.

Alexandra Field joins us now from the South Korean capital, Seoul.

Alexandra, how rare is it to see a state funeral like this in North Korea, and what do we know about how it all played out?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Reporter: we've only been aware of a handful of others that have happened in North Korea since Kim Jong-Un came to power, so these pictures that are being released by the state news agency gives us a fairly rare glimpse into sort of the pomp and circumstance that attended this funeral. And what you see in these pictures are Kim Jong-Un, the leader, bowing in a very reverential way. At one point, he's leaning over the coffin, taking a close look at the man who's described as his closest comrade, Kim Yang-Gon. There's also a release that went out from the state news agency as if the pictures did not speak enough for themselves. The state news agency takes great pains to describe what is happening at this funeral. And they particularly hit on what they call the bitter grief and sorrow that Kim Jong-Un is experiencing. They say that he actually placed his hands on the cold body of his revolutionary comrade. They describe him as being really very grief-stricken and there to comfort others. They also heap more praise on Kim Yang-Gon. This is somebody who's been called not only a close and trusted comrade of Kim Jong-Un but called a loyal warrior of Kim Jong-Un's predecessors. Great pains being taken to heap some reverence on this man who was killed in a car crash, the North Koreans say, but, Rosemary, they haven't given more details about his death. And that has caused skeptics, particularly in South Korea, to question the circumstances of Kim Yang-Gon's death. They point to the fact there were really a number of other high-level officials who seem to have also died in car crashes, including Kim Yang-Gon's predecessor.

CHURCH: Yeah, still a lot of speculation surrounding this. So Alexandra, what are the experts able to learn from just looking at some of those pictures and reading through that description as well as the planning committee list? Does it tell them more than what we see just at a quick glance?

[02:45:14] FIELD: Well, it doesn't tell them more about the circumstances surrounding Kim Yang-Gon's death. It does tell them that the message from North Korea is to say publicly at least that this is somebody who was loyal to the regime, this is somebody who is being respected and given these last, you know, very high rights. But people who watch North Korea closely do know that there are other sorts of clues that are revealed by these state funerals and that mainly comes from the planning committee list. So people will be taking a very close look at who's on the planning committee list, what high-level officials are named on that list. Because over the last few years since Kim Jong-Un came to power you've had so many reports of a purge of high-level officials. You've had South Korean government officials coming out and saying that at least 70 high-level North Korean officials have been executed since Kim Jong-Un came to power. So this list could reveal who is still in the favor of the regime, who is still holding on to these titles, who is still in the inner circle, so to speak, Rosemary, and maybe more tellingly who is not, whose name is missing.

CHURCH: And, Alexandra, is this sort of an overarching trying to prove with the description, with the photographs that an effort to dispel the rumors if you like?

FIELD: It certainly would look that way. These descriptions from the state news agency are really quite elaborate in terms of expression the grief that Kim Jong-Un is feeling. So that would seem to in some way attempt to quiet any critics or skeptics who might be raising red flags in the case of Kim Yang-Gon's death. Remember, this is somebody who was a very public figure. He was in charge of North Korea's policy towards South Korea. So he is being given these last traditional rights, and certainly the final word from the regime in North Korea is this is somebody who was loyal and respected -- Rosemary?

CHURCH: Alexandra Field joining us live from Seoul in South Korea. Many thanks to you.

In New York, the crystal ball in Times Square has been tested, and it's ready to go. We will take you behind the New Year's Eve tradition and tell you how it all started. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:51:18] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, New York's ball drop has become a widely recognized symbol for bringing in the New Year. And on Wednesday, organizers tested the crystal ball in Times Square. It's now ready to say good-bye to 2015.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY STRAUSS, COUNTDOWN ENTERTAINMENT: Midnight here in Times Square is incredible. We have a million people here that are going to count down those final seconds of the year as this ball drops behind me. And they're going to be joined by over 180 million Americans and over a billion people around the world as we count down those final 10 seconds. There's no other moment like it where the world truly comes together as one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And now Richard Quest gives us an inside look at the tradition that will be turning 108 years old.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST BUSINESS TRAVELLER & CNN HOST, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: A few floors below the Times Square ball, it's an unassuming room. But this is where the power that ushers in the New Year resides. And this is the mechanism that starts the whole thing off. Some great and good dignitary puts their hands on the ball and it all begins.

(voice-over): New York's New Year's Eve ball drop has been a celebrated tradition since 1907. The ball has been through many iterations, and it's still considered the universal symbol of the New Year across the world.

STRAUSS: Check it out. Looks great.

QUEST: Jeff Straus is preparing for the biggest party of the year.

STRAUSS: The Times Square ball.

QUEST (on camera): Times Square ball.

(voice-over): He has the towering task of entertaining the masses on New Year's Eve. And that includes producing this massive geodesic sphere.

(on camera): So this is it. In terms of New York traditions in the holiday season, they really don't come much bigger than this particular one. Tell me about it.

STRAUSS: It all began as a maritime tradition when they would lower a ball at noon in parts around the world, so the navigators out at sea could adjust their timepiece to local time. They combined that with a new technology, the electric light bulb, to create a lighted ball that would drop at midnight here in Times Square that's attracted hundreds of thousands of people from the very beginning.

QUEST: Tell me about the ball itself.

STRAUSS: 12 feet in diameter, weighs six tons, has over 32,000 Philips LEDs and over a ton of Waterford crystal triangles.

QUEST: Does it ever go funny? Is it always on time? Is there an override in case it doesn't work? Has it ever not worked?

STRAUSS: There's been a couple of times. My very first year, the ball was actually three seconds late.

QUEST: And now?

STRAUSS: Now we actually tie it in to GPS and we've got it perfectly set. We've been on time every year since.

QUEST: So if the person pushing the button doesn't push it or is late pushing it, does this thing start anyway? Does this thing automatically -- this thing's going to start one minute --

STRAUSS: We've learned our lesson. It's tied right in. 60 seconds, it starts lowering no matter whether that's pushed or not.

QUEST: How many people are you expecting this year?

STRAUSS: We have nearly a million people here in Times Square joined by over a billion people around world joined by watching this ball come down at midnight and counting down together. There's nothing else like it. When you have that many people counting in unison the final seconds of the New Year, it's truly magical.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Very educational there. Thanks to our Richard Quest.

U.S. President Barack Obama is neither a comedian nor a car fanatic. But he tried his hand at both during a guest appearance on Jerry Seinfeld's latest show called "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee." Watch as the president and Seinfeld zip around the White House grounds in a 1963 Corvette while cracking a few jokes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:55:06] JERRY SEINFELD, COMEDIAN: We're just going to go for a quick coffee. We'll be right back.

UNIDENTIFIED GUARD: I'm sorry, it's not possible.

SEINFELD: I do this little show "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee."

UNIDENTIFIED GUARD: You're a comedian with the president going nowhere. Back it up.

SEINFELD: Yes, sir.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yeah, baby. Watch out, people.

(LAUGHTER)

SEINFELD: I like the hand hanging over the wheel.

OBAMA: Yeah. That's -- if you're driving, you've got to be doing it that way. You can't be doing the 12 and 2 thing. That's not cool. Come on, man.

SEINFELD: If you talk to the guy, they'll let us out. Just say, you know, I'm the president and we'll be out for a quick coffee.

OBAMA: Darryl, can you open this up?

UNIDENTIFIED GUARD: I'm sorry, I can't allow it.

OBAMA: That's unbelievable.

I knew that wouldn't work.

SEINFELD: You didn't sell it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: I love it.

I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to stay in touch on Twitter anytime, @RosemaryCNN.

And I'll be back in just a moment with more news from around the world. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:06] CHURCH: Terror fears. Major cities across Europe, Turkey and the United States set up security ahead of New Year's celebrations.