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Terrorist Attack Carried Out in Jerusalem Synagogue; More Rape Allegations Against Bill Cosby; State of Emergency Declared in Ferguson

Aired November 18, 2014 - 08:00   ET

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

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: As you can see, we're switching guests there. Let's bring in Aaron David Miller, former adviser to six secretaries of state on the Arab-Israel peace process and vice president for new initiatives and distinguished scholar for the Woodrow Wilson International Center. We're also going to have Micky Rosenfeld, foreign press spokesman for the Israeli police. Gentleman, thank you for joining us. Micky, if can I start with you, you were at the scene. We understand the pictures are so grisly that we don't want to show them to the audience. But, please, give us a sense of what happened.

MICKY ROSENFELD, SPOKESMAN, ISRAELI POLICE: What took place this morning just after 7:00, a horrific terrorist attack which was carried out by two Palestinians from East Jerusalem. They entered inside the synagogue where there was many people praying peacefully, quietly, and calmly, the morning Jewish prayers. They used knives and axes and fired a 9-millimeter weapon at the people that were praying inside the synagogue.

Immediately our police officers were dispatched to the area. Seven and eight minutes -- just seven minutes after the attack was known to Israeli police officers, the two terrorists were already engaged by police officers and shot and killed. The investigation is continuing, obviously, and with heightened security in Jerusalem at the moment after this morning's terrorist attack. And we've also confirmed, right now, as the funerals are, in fact, taking place in Jerusalem, that four of the people, the rabbis that were killed, three of them were American dual citizens and one was an English dual citizen man.

CUOMO: And in terms of why they used the weapons that they did, do you think this was just about convenience for the attackers? Or do you think it was to send an even more violent message?

ROSENFELD: This was a sporadic attack that was carried out by two terrorists from east Jerusalem. We've seen over the last 24 and 48 hours continuing incitement both by the Palestinian Authority as well as the Palestinian media calling upon extremist Muslims to carry out attacks in Jerusalem. And unfortunately, we saw today the significant and terrible effects of that incitement on the ground level, people, rabbis that were worshiping, respectful people this morning that were killed innocently in Jerusalem in a quiet neighborhood in north Jerusalem.

CUOMO: Micky, we understand your outrage and obviously thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who were lost and the victims. Regardless of where they come from, their lives should be respected.

Aaron, let me bring you in on this. It is relevant on one level that they were dual citizens because that means now the FBI will get involved. And this takes us to an interesting point you made in one of your recent op-eds, where you talk about what the U.S. should have as a reasonable set of expectations about what it can control in places like the conflict between Israel and Palestine. What do you make of this?

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER ADVISER TO SIX SECRETARIES OF STATE: First of all, I think you have a new kind of terror, driven by a number of factors, which I'm afraid may well represent the wave of the future. One is proximity. If initial reports are true, one of the people who is responsible for this terror attack actually worked at grocery store adjacent or close to the synagogue. So that means that far from being a spontaneous act, this may well have been targeted. Not that this was somehow authorized by Hamas, although incitement does play a role.

And number two, it's not unprecedented, but the reality is I'm not sure there is much of a precedent for an attack against a local synagogue in Jerusalem or in Israel, generally. There are thousands of these throughout the country. And it took years for Israelis to adjust themselves to putting armed guards at schools, shopping malls, and theaters. Now you have the risk of a much more serious escalation.

And finally, you do have this proximity problem. These attacks are not coming from the West Bank, they're coming from Palestinians in east Jerusalem, where Israelis and Palestinians mix on a daily basis. And if you add to that Micky's notion of incitement and Israeli efforts to -- or at least the perception that Israel is out to stage the status quo on the Temple Mount and no prospects of any political process, what you have is a really witch's brew, which I'm afraid is going to continue without much hope right now of resolution.

CUOMO: Micky, let me get back to you one second. Do you believe there's any reason of suspicion that these particular rabbis were targeted by these men, maybe because of their dual citizenships?

ROSENFELD: No. Part of the ongoing investigation is being asked to believe that the two suspects, the two terrorists worked on their own, that they planned the attack ahead of time. We're obviously looking to see if they were affiliated either with the Hamas or the jihad or any other terrorist cell.

But one aspect we're looking into is how did they know their neighborhood? Were they familiar with the area that they targeted at 7:00 in the morning where they knew so many respectable people praying the early prayers? The investigation is continuing at the moment, and heightened security both in and around north Jerusalem neighborhoods as well as east Jerusalem neighborhoods, in order to prevent any further terrorist attacks from taking place.

There were also clashes and disturbances in the neighborhood where the terrorists came from as well, where police quickly responded and made nine arrests. So there are tensions that are being felt. But unfortunately, after this sad and pretty much sickening attack this morning, heightened security will continue in all general security public places around Jerusalem, the light railway, public train stations, and bus stops as long as necessary. Throughout the day, security measures are still being carried out. And let's just emphasize that there are six people in hospital, four in serious condition, including a police officer who is in critical condition at the moment.

CUOMO: And that's an important note to make. We don't know how much life may be lost there. Micky, is it true that they may reinstitute the older policy of house demolition as a way of clearing the area and securing it? And if so, how would that work?

ROSENFELD: Well, whatever decision will be made by the government will be implemented by the minister of internal security and the Israeli national police if necessary for our units to be deployed in different Israeli-Arab neighborhoods. That will be done immediately. Just over a week ago, we had big blockades that were set up in order to prevent those Palestinian vehicles from driving into public areas, and that was very effective and very efficient. But let's not forget, just recently, they were removed as a gesture after last week's Friday prayers on the Temple Mount where things were relatively quiet. So heightened security will continue in Jerusalem.

CUOMO: Well, Aaron, this is what leads you, this kind of back and forth of violence and just regrettable outcomes, leads you to describe the Middle East as BAD, which is an acronym for "broken, angry, and dysfunctional." When you look at the future, whether it's Israeli- Palestinian relations or what's going on with many different nation states, what do you believe this is a reflection of?

MILLER: What I see, Chris, sadly, is a region in the process of meltdown. Certainly in the Arab and Muslim world, that's true. In fact, you could make an argument that the three most consequential nations in this region right now are the three non-Arabs. Israel, Iran, and Turkey, all are politically stable, all have tremendous economic potential, all have military power with very competent intelligence services, and two of the three have close relations with the United States.

As far as the Arab world is concerned, though, I'm afraid that civil war, dysfunctional politics, the absence of gender equality, the absence of the accountability and transparency, respect for human rights, with exceptions in Tunisia and perhaps Kurdistan, I suspect you have a region in the end that will produce a series of outcomes for the United States, not solutions.

The question for us in Washington, for the Obama administration and for this president's successor, is how can the United States really practically and realistically shape those outcomes in a way that is -- that can protect its own interests and perhaps reintroduce a measure of stability and political progress in this very broken, angry, and dysfunctional region.

CUOMO: Well, the solution there remains evasive, but the problem is literally all around us and seen in very horrible fashion in what happened the Jerusalem today. Micky, thank you very much for joining us. I know you have a lot of work to do. I'm sorry to have to speak to you under these circumstances. Aaron, appreciate the perspective as always.

We'll be following on this story. There are a lot of headlines this morning, though, so let's get your right to Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, another story that we've been closely monitoring, the governor of Missouri declaring a state of emergency in Ferguson before a grand jury has even decided whether or not to indict a police officer for the shooting death of Michael Brown. The FBI also warning of potential violence. Governor Jay Nixon says he does not want a repeat of the summer violence that has plagued the St. Louis suburb.

Breaking overnight, President Obama has ordered a thorough review of the policy regarding American hostages, including how families are kept informed and how the government can secure their release. It comes following the deaths of three American hostages at the hands of ISIS, including former U.S. soldier and humanitarian aid worker Peter Kassig, who was confirmed just days ago.

The Senate appears poised to approve the controversial Keystone pipeline project today. Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu says the bill has enough support to pass. Democrats have been pushing the bill since the election when Landrieu landed in a runoff for her seat. The House approved the pipeline last week. However, President Obama has expressed skepticism.

Promising new research from people looking to combat cholesterol problems. A comprehensive study shows the drug Vitorin helps bring down cardiac events more than six percent. Vitorin is a combination of two drugs, a statin, which prevents production of bad cholesterol, and another drug that prevents it from being absorbed. The results really could be a game changer, but for now no major changes in recommendations from leading medical groups. Thought we'd pass that along to you.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, great. OK, thank you, Michaela.

PEREIRA: You're welcome.

CAMEROTA: Another woman is coming forward claiming Bill Cosby drugged and raped her when she was just a teenager. So we will hear her story when she joins us live.

CUOMO: And a state of emergency issued in Ferguson, the government preparing to keep the peace. The question is, are those preparations making it more likely there will be violence when the grand jury makes its decision? Perspective from the ground, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Allegations of sexual assault keep coming out against Bill Cosby. Another woman stepping forward, saying the comedian drugged and raped her on two occasions. Joan Tarshis was only 19 years old at the time. She says she never went to the police, but she feels it's important to go public now, and Joan Tarshis joins us this morning. Good morning, Joan.

JOAN TARSHIS, ALLEGES BILL COSBY RAPED HER IN 1969: Good morning, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Tell us what you say Bill Cosby did to you when you were 19 years old.

TARSHIS: Well, briefly, I had met him for lunch with some friends up in his bungalow while he was shooting "The Bill Cosby Show," his first sitcom. And I was invited back by him a few times and on to the set. And one day, he introduced me to Sidney Poitier. He used to call me "Midget" because I'm five foot three. And he knew that I had written comedy for Guthrie Cambridge and asked me to stay after he was finished shooting and go up to his bungalow and work on some comedy with him.

And I thought, whoa, that's neat. That's a good idea. And I told him I was working on a bit about earthquakes in Los Angeles.

CAMEROTA: Yes. And then what happened when you got to his bungalow?

TARSHIS: So, we went up to his suite, and he knew that I liked to drink Bloody Marys and he topped them off with a bit of beer, which he called a red eye. And I drank one of those and -- which he made for me. And the next thing I remember is being on his couch with him taking my clothes off, and feeling very drugged and very hazy.

CAMEROTA: And so, he took your clothes off and then he sexually assaulted you?

TARSHIS: No, first I said to him -- he was starting to, and I said, I have an infection, if you -- I thought I was being clever. I said, if you have sex with me, your wife will know, she'll catch my infection. And he very quickly made me give him oral sex instead, which was horrible.

CAMEROTA: So, Joan, that was in 1969. And why, why have you waited so long to tell people about it?

TARSHIS: Well, I was approached years ago by a tabloid who wanted to pay me money to give them my story, and it just wasn't the way to go. I just didn't know how to broadcast my story. Also, my parents were a lot younger, and I did not want them to know this. My parents are now in their 90s, so, yes.

CAMEROTA: And, Joan, why didn't you go to the authorities? Why didn't you go to the police?

TARSHIS: Who was going to believe me? It's he said/she said. Bill Cosby is Mr. America. He's Mr. -- he's the perfect father. He's the perfect husband.

His image is, you know, clearer and whiter than the whitest snow. Who's going to believe me? They think I was out for something. I didn't think I'd be believed.

CAMEROTA: And in fact, Joan, there has been backlash now against your accusations and against the other accusers who have come forward this week.

Whoopi Goldberg, a fellow comedian, talked about this just yesterday. Listen to what she had to say.

TARSHIS: Right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ACTRESS: Half the police might have believed it or the hospital. Where you go -- don't you do a kit when someone has raped you, don't the police --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A rape kit is what it's called.

GOLDBERG: Isn't that the next step once you make an allegation?

And one of the things of getting accused of a lot of stuff when you're famous does, is it opens the door for everybody to come out and say, and me too, boss, me too. It's like a Bugs Bunny cartoon. So you have to really take a minute and follow, follow the evidence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Basically, she's saying that maybe the police would have believed you.

TARSHIS: However, I don't think there were such kits in 1969. If there were, I was 19, I didn't think of it. I didn't know about it. I didn't think about going to the hospital, never crossed my mind.

The only thing that crossed my mind was I wanted to get out of there and get home.

CAMEROTA: Yes. Social media also is responding to these accusations against Bill Cosby. Let me read you some of the tweets that we have received.

The first one said, "No one would believe them before. Cosby is such a nice guy. He wouldn't do such a thing."

Second says, "They just want his money."

The third says, "Leave this man alone. It's been tried and failed. He's an icon. That's all I have to say about that."

What's your response to people who say you're doing it because he's a celebrity, he's a target, you want money, those types of things?

TARSHIS: Well, I don't know how I would get any money. And if I could, I would do these interviews with a bag over my head, to be anonymous. And I don't want any money. If I wanted money, I would have spoken to

the tabloids years ago, who did offer me money. And there's nothing for me to gain. I just want to join forces with my sisters who have, who have also been brave enough to admit this story.

And I know he's an icon. I know it. It's like, but so is Bill Clinton.

CAMEROTA: And since there is nothing for you to gain, as you say, why do you want to speak publicly about it now?

TARSHIS: Well, it's been on my mind since 1969. And I wanted to give more credibility to the women that have come before me. Those are the real courageous ones.

I'm also hoping that perhaps more women will come out. I mean, I believe he was doing this from the time he was on "I Spy" and I'm not sure whether he has stopped doing it. He's a serial rapist. And I don't believe serial anythings quit what they do. I think they do it until the day they die, until they can't do it anymore.

CAMEROTA: Bill Cosby was on NPR, on a radio show this weekend and he was asked about these accusations. Let me play for you that exchange.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SCOTT SIMON, NPR: This question gives me no pleasure, Mr. Cosby, but there have been serious allegations raised about you in recent days.

You're shaking your head no.

I'm in the news business, I have to ask the question. Do you have any response to those charges?

You're shaking your head no.

There are people who love you who might like to hear from you about this. I want to give you the chance.

All right.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Joan, how do you interpret his silence there when asked about it?

TARSHIS: I think it's very wise on his part. I mean, he didn't want to be asked any further questions about it, and it was a very smart thing to do. And I think his lawyer's response was the response of a lawyer whose client is guilty.

CAMEROTA: His lawyer says, we're not going to dignify these allegations. They're old allegations and we're not going to even dignify them with a response.

TARSHIS: Exactly. The word "We're not going to dignify them with a response," I have found out in my life, my experience, is said by somebody who is guilty.

CAMEROTA: So, Joan, where do you want to see this go? How does this end?

TARSHIS: How it ends, if I had my druthers, people would believe it. They would not see him as Mr. Jell-O anymore, Mr. Huxtable, Mr. Nice Guy. They would realize that there is a compartment in this man that's very ill and needs to be helped.

He needs treatment. He needs help. He needs to get well.

CAMEROTA: Joan Tarshis, we appreciate you coming on and sharing your story with us. Thanks for talking this morning.

TARSHIS: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Let's go back to Chris.

CUOMO: All right.

So, the National Guard is being called in as Ferguson waits for a grand jury's decision in the shooting death of Michael Brown. Is the city taking the right steps to keep the peace? We have legal experts, weighing in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Everything's about preparing in Missouri right now, around Ferguson. The grand jury decision is expected in the Michael Brown case. We don't know exactly when, but soon. So, the governor there, Jay Nixon, has declared a preemptive state of emergency. Nixon says he does not want a repeat of the ugliness that we saw this summer. Peaceful protesters say authorities' anticipation of violence may actually cause violence.

Let's discuss the issues at play here. We have HLN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney, Mr. Joey Jackson.

Joey, always a pleasure.

JOEY JACKSON, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning, Chris.

CUOMO: State of emergency sounds like something that it is not. It sounds like you are in crisis. What it really is, isn't it, is a way of just releasing the funds and having what you need, isn't it?

JACKSON: It certainly could be construed that way. I guess the governor is doing something preemptive as opposed to waiting for what may happen, at least getting the troops marshaled up in anticipation of something happening.

Is it a right decision? Is it a wrong decision? It remains to be seen.

Hopefully, Chris, I know people will have views to this. They do have view. People are very impassioned about this, one way or the other. So, whatever happens, let's hope it's peaceful and people enjoy their

right to protest in the First Amendment, in a democracy, in a way that doesn't impair the safety of others.

CUOMO: Maybe the weather is a blessing, because it will keep outsiders. And it's true in that community. We were there, we covered it.

There were people who weren't from Ferguson who are coming in, seeing it, either they're anarchists or they're outside agitators, seeing it as an opportunity. You know, hopefully, the people that are there have the right intentions.

JACKSON: Absolutely. You know, you want that. And, you know, this is something that is really beyond the current incident. This speaks to larger issues.

That's why you have the FBI investigating, to see whether there's a systemic pattern in Ferguson. Is that pattern something that's been emblazoned in them for a long time and historically? Could it change in the future? Should it change in the future? Are there other localities and municipalities that are like this?

And that's why you see across the country, people, right, not some with their views, but other localities, marching, et cetera, but no matter what anyone does, we just expect and, of course, hope that it's peaceful, that people share that passions, they share their views, but that businesses are not shut down and everybody sort of does the right thing here.

CUOMO: You know, Representative Keith Ellison is out of Minnesota. He was on the show today. And one of the things he discussed was Ferguson. And he said something very interesting, somewhat casually in the interview.

If a prosecutor wants an indictment, he gets one. A grand jury is a tool. You can't hide behind the grand jurors. If there is no indictment, that was the way the outcome was anticipated by the office.

Do you agree with that?

JACKSON: You know, it's interesting, Chris, because how many times have we heard, right, a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich. Who said that? Our court of appeals person, right? It was Judge Watts (ph) who I think who said that.

But the reality is, as a grand jury, you really are at the sort of mercy of the prosecutor. What information they convey to you, how they convey it, how they tailor the presentation to you.

So, it is true that in general terms, the grand jury will indict. Why? Because it's a wing of the prosecution. I think what the prosecutor is doing in this instance is presenting all the information to them, good, bad, or indifferent and letting them make the decision.

CUOMO: We don't know that, though, right? We don't know what he's presenting?

JACKSON: We have no idea. From what we read and from what we understand, and certainly, Chris, from knowing that Dr. Baden, who was hired by the family, was in that grand jury, I'm certainly thinking that what he's doing is presenting everything, because that never happens.

CUOMO: They asked for it, though, Joe.

JACKSON: Absolutely.

CUOMO: In Missouri, you're allowed to ask, as a grand juror, for things. They asked for Dr. Baden's testimony.