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Elizabeth Taylor Dies at 79; Blast At Jerusalem's Central Bus Station

Aired March 23, 2011 - 09:57   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Israeli authorities now looking for secondary bombs at a bus station in Jerusalem. As we've been telling you, a bomb did go off inside that bus station near a bus. We understand 20 -- 20 to 30 people have been injured, maybe one person dead but we can't nail that down just yet.

As I said, authorities are scouring that bus station for any more bombs. We're going live to Jerusalem in -- in just a few minutes when we get Kevin Flower back and -- and he has more new information to share with you.

Right now, though, we want to talk about the actress Elizabeth Taylor she died a short time ago. She was 79 years old.

A.J. Hammer is on the phone right now. A.J.? Can you hear me?

A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" (via telephone): Hi, Carol. I'm actually right here in New York.

COSTELLO: Oh good I'm so glad, I'm so glad that you're live and in person. Tell me what you know about the circumstances surrounding Elizabeth Taylor's death.

HAMMER: Well, we know, Carol, that Elizabeth Taylor was hospitalized six weeks ago with congestive heart failure, something she had been dealing with for a long time. There was a lot of hope in this last hospitalization that she would have returned home. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, but her publicist said she died peacefully at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

But what a life, what a legacy. She was certainly one of the most beautiful women in the world, as she was called so many times throughout the years. And think about all the memorable roles that she played: "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Cleopatra." Those all made her the first actress, Carol, to receive $1 million dollars for a single part.

You know, now actresses are getting $20 million, $25 million, but really, Elizabeth Taylor is -- is the one who paved the way.

COSTELLO: I -- I know and people forget she was sort of like the Angelina Jolie of her day. Every movement was followed by the paparazzi back then.

HAMMER: Yes, it was. And she really sort of almost paved the way for that whole paparazzi movement as well. And a lot of it had to do with her publicized, a very -- highly-publicized real-life sagas.

You know, she was married eight times to seven different men. She got married to Richard Burton twice. But she got married before she turned 18, that got a lot of attention. She married the hotelier Nikki Hilton, she married actor Michael Wilding (ph), producer Mike Todd, singer Eddie Fisher, and -- and that's really where the paparazzi craze may have started.

Taylor was blamed for breaking up Fisher's marriage to America's sweetheart, Debbie Reynolds. We hear about this stuff happening all the time now, but it was going on back then with Elizabeth Taylor.

But her marriage to Richard Burton -- the -- the first of which lasted ten years, became even more sensational fodder for the press. And she also married Virginia Senator, John Warner and finally a construction worker, Larry Fortensky. That's the one we all seem to remember the most in this generation. They divorced back in 1996.

And like so many actresses today, her personal dramas really took away attention from what an accomplished film career she had. You know, she just was working from the time she was a child in 1944. And she received five academy award nominations. She won twice for best actress and she won for her role in "Butterfield 8." That was back in 1960, and also of course, "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolf" that got her, her next academy award. That was 1966.

And yes, she battled with health issues throughout her life, she struggled with substance abuse issues, a chronic bad back, respiratory problems. She had both her hips replaced. She had the removal of a brain tumor, but she was always working. She always on the front lines and really one of the first actresses to get a lot of attention for trying to educate the public about AIDS. Her friend Rock Hudson died in 1985 and that sort of what led her to that battle. She help found AMFAR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research. And she established the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

What a life, what a legacy, as I said at the beginning here, Carol, and it's a sad loss --

COSTELLO: It's incredible.

HAMMER: -- but what a fulfilling life.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes, an incredible life. A.J., I'd like to welcome our international viewers from around the world. We're talking now about the American actress Elizabeth Taylor who died at the age of 79, and Isha, remember watching all those old movies of Elizabeth Taylor and then you know --

ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It's very sad news because even though we knew she had been ill for some time and out of the public gaze, so to speak, it was still very shocking when the news came into the newsroom. Everyone gasped because you know, everyone still had that feeling for her, and you still remember her as being young and beautiful and vivacious. COSTELLO: Right. And she had so many health problems through the years and she has always bounced back, and she made it seem like she would be able to do it this time, but she had congestive heart failure and it just got the best of her.

We have Larry King on the phone. Larry King was a friend of Elizabeth Taylor's. Larry, tell me what you're feeling now.

LARRY KING, FMR. HOST, "CNN'S LARRY KING LIVE": Even as you say, even at that age, it's still a shock. She was a great pal. She was on my show many, many times. In fact, we had put together a special in advance of this. I don't know if it was all edited yet but, but we show highlights of her appearances with me and highlights of her career. I don't know if it was all put together. If it was, we'll get it right on.

She was a trooper. I tell you this, if she was your friend, she was your friend for life. She was gutsy, she stood up for things. She was the first real major individual to get in on the AIDS fight. She probably did more than any other single individual to fight AIDS than any person. She was loyal to a core. She was a tremendous talent. She did have a lot of rough life. She loved a lot. I guess I know how that goes. But she went to her level. She was what she was. She had everything you could put into one life, including a great, great sense of humor.

SESAY: And, Larry, it's Isha here, let's not forget, because I think it's something that some of our viewers remember, she was so glamorous all the time, always so beautifully put together.

KING: I never saw -- she was also tiny the first time I met her years ago. I was surprised at how short she was because on the screen she was so dynamic. Another thing she had, which I haven't seen in any other person is true purple eyes. They were not blue, they were purple. When you see early shots of her and she made those movies when she was a child, how glowing they were, sort of hypnotic. They were really -- She was a hell of a woman. I think sometimes you think beauty like that gets in the way of talent. Of course, people can't appreciate what a good actress she is because she's so damn pretty.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Larry, remember "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? She certainly didn't -- I mean, she was brave in that movie as far as looks are concerned.

KING: No. There's nothing glamorous about that.

COSTELLO: Nothing. And she did a fantastic job in that. We have a little retrospect of Elizabeth Taylor right now that we'd like to share with our audience. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Elizabeth Taylor was called one of the most beautiful women in the world. Her violet eyes lit up the screen in memorable roles from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" to "Cleopatra," which made her the first actress to receive $1 million for one part.

ELIZABETH TAYLOR, ACTRESS: So much is said with the electricity of eyes, the intensity of a whisper. Less is more.

ANDERSON: Her highly publicized real-life sagas were punctuated by eight different marriages to seven different men, Richard Burton twice. Taylor's first union took place before she turned 18 to hotelier Nicky Hilton. She married actor Michael Wilding, producer Mike Todd and singer, Eddie Fisher. Taylor was blamed for breaking up Fisher's marriage to America's sweetheart, Debbie Reynolds.

But her often tempestuous marriages to Richard Burton, the first lasting 10 ten years became even more sensational fodder for the press.

TAYLOR: I think he's one of the finest actors -- sorry.

ANDERSON: Taylor's other marriages included Virginia senator John Warner and finally construction worker, Larry Fortensky, whom she divorced in 1996. Her personal dramas often drew attention away from an accomplished film career. The British-born Taylor rode into movie- goer's hearts as a child actress in 1944 with "National Velvet." The actress downplayed her abilities.

TAYLOR: I, along with the critics, has never taken myself very seriously. My (INAUDIBLE) yes but as an actress, no.

ANDERSON: Still, Taylor has received five Academy Award nominations, twice winning best actress honors for her role as a call girl in "Butter field 8" in 1960 and as an ornery alcoholic wife in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" in 1966.

Through the years, Taylor battled a litany of health woes from her struggle with substance abuse to a chronic bad back, to respiratory problems, the replacement of both of her hips and removal of a brain tumor. Taylor was recognized for her tireless effort to educate the public about AIDS, a battle prompted in part of close friend, Rock Hudson, in 1985.

TAYLOR: This is something that is a catastrophe that belongs to all of us. It isn't a thing that belongs to a minority group any longer.

ANDERSON: Taylor helped find AMFAR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research, established the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Later, she publicly befriended Michael Jackson, appearing with the singer several times and supporting him to an often critical press. She called him wonderful, but that was before his trial and ultimate acquittal on child molestation charges.

Through all her hurt, physical and emotional, Liz Taylor will stand as one of Hollywood's most giving and glamorous super stars.

Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And she is said to have died peacefully at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California. Her four children surrounding her bedside. She is survived by 10 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren.

SESAY: It was a full life. It was a full life played out in front of the cameras. So many celebrities today know what that is like. But she always seemed to handle it with grace and dignity and with glamour right to the very end, always with bright lipstick even in her old age. I think those are images that people will remember and her great contribution to the film world.

COSTELLO: And a great contribution to HIV-AIDS and the fight against that.

SESAY: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: We have other breaking news, of course, happening today. That out of Jerusalem, an explosion going off near public bus number 74. We understand 20 to 30 people have been injured. Don't know who planted the bomb. No one has taken responsibility for it yet, and authorities are now checking for secondary bombs around that bus station.

SESAY: Indeed, there has been a massive emergency response to the scene, as you can clearly see from our pictures. As Carol pointed out, scores of people injured at this stage. We don't have any reports of death, but we do have our correspondent who is there on the scene, Kevin Flower, who will be joining us shortly, to bring us up to date on how this is being received in Israel.

This is the first attack in Israel in some time, and just what the government's response is likely to be. Obviously, it comes at a time when there has been an up tick in violence in that Gaza border area. But as Carol also pointed out, there have been no claims of responsibility. We don't actually know whether it was tied to that up tick in violence. There are many questions to be asked, but these are the tumultuous scenes coming out of Jerusalem on this day.

COSTELLO: And we're going to take you live to Jerusalem but we have to take a short break first. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you. Welcome. This is special coverage of breaking news. I'm Carol Costello.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay. We'd like to welcome our viewers both here in the United States and around the world. We begin with a gruesome explosion in Jerusalem. Let's get the very latest from CNN Jerusalem Bureau chief, Kevin Flower. Kevin, the last we spoke to you, getting reports of (INAUDIBLE) no confirmed reports of any deaths. What can you tell us? KEVIN FLOWER, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF (on the phone): What I can tell you at this point, Isha, is that in fact, there is no death from the blasts, but what we do have are 20 to 30 people wounded. Emergency response personnel telling us that one woman was injured critically. Three are listed in serious condition, and five others in moderate, and the rest being categorized as light injuries.

But regardless of the casualties here, the impact of this blast is going to be felt very widely in Israel. This is the first explosion like this that has taken place in Jerusalem since 2004, and what could be said about this particular blast is that it was an explosive device that was attached to a phone booth near this main artery that connects the beginning of a main highway or road that connects Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.

Now, this device detonated about an hour ago, and just as a bus must have been passing by, a public bus, bus number 74 is what it's called, and apparently it blew out the windows of that bus. It's not clear to us whether all of those casualties are on the bus or from vehicles passing by, but it was enough of a blast to injure 20 to 30 people.

Now, as I said, this is going to create a lot of fear here in Israel, a lot of fear in Jerusalem specifically. A blast like this had not been seen since the second in Tafadah, and it's going to raise some serious questions about who is behind this. Now, most of the Israelis would probably say this is Palestinians. No one, to our knowledge, has claimed responsibility for this attack at this point in time, but it comes against the backdrop of increased hostilities between Palestinians and Israel in and around the Gaza border.

Just since this past weekend, dozen of rockets and mortars have been fired by militants in Gaza into southern Israel, wounding a small number of Israelis. There have been retaliatory strikes from the Israelis that have taken place, injuring dozens of Palestinians, in fact, killing 10 Palestinians since this past Saturday. So we have seen basically a real ratcheting up of violence between the two sides in and around Gaza.

The fear is going to be in the rest of Israel that this violence will spread to Jerusalem and to other cities, and that's the fear that a lot of people are going to be expressing tonight as people start demanding answers from the authorities as to who was behind this attack.

COSTELLO: Kevin, more word about this bomb, because it sounds unusual. When we hear of explosions like this in Israel and Jerusalem, I guess, you know, history tells us we're used to hearing about suicide bombers, but this was not that. Are there any clues that you can discern from this particular type of explosive device, who was behind it?

FLOWER: No. It's entirely too early at this point to point fingers at any particular group. As I said, I think most of the Israeli security officials, Israeli investigators are going to be looking hard, obviously, at Palestinian militant groups, they might be looking at Hamas, they might be looking at other based groups in Gaza and the West Bank, but we have no details. This particular M.O. in a device like this, it doesn't really tell us much about who could have been behind it. It could have been anybody, frankly.

So we're going to have to wait and see what the authorities come out with and whether any sort of credible claims of responsibility start emerging in the hours ahead. That is often the case in attacks like these, that claims of responsibility do come out.

SESAY: Kevin, let me ask you to stand by because I'd like to welcome to our conversation the mayor of Jerusalem, Mayor Barkat. He joins us now. Thank you for joining us at such a difficult time. As Kevin was just making clear for our viewers, Jerusalem has not seen an attack like this since 2004. Your thoughts at this very difficult time as we watch these pictures.

MAYOR NIR BARKAT, JERUSALEM (on the phone): Well, we talk about a cowardice attack, a bomb placed right next to a bus station. And innocent people were hurt. Let's pray for their recovery, fast recovery. Currently, the police are checking out the sources and hopefully will be able to put their hands on the terrorists. We want to, as fast as possible, go back to normal life, which we will do immediately after we clear this area.

COSTELLO: Mayor, this is Carol Costello. I was just wondering, did you have any intelligence that this sort of thing might happen?

BARKAT: Not specific intelligence. Israel and Jerusalem have been very safe lately, and hopefully we will find the root of this person, coward person that created this terrorist attack and we'll bring him to trial and justice.

SESAY: Mayor Barkat, as you say that Israel and Jerusalem have been relatively safe in recent times, had there been kind of a loosening of security measures?

BARKAT: No, I think security is very high. Always Israel and Jerusalem know how to deal with such situations, and the fact that this is a bomb placed and the terrorist escaped is proof that security is generally very, very high, and I'm sure that it's going to just take a few weeks until we find the person responsible and bring him to trial as fast as we can.

COSTELLO: And, mayor, the type of bomb, the type of explosive that was used in this blast, does it tell you anything?

BARKAT: Well, it's currently under investigation. The police and the security forces are checking everything, and it's a little bit early to tell.

SESAY: And you mentioned -- you say that officials there and authorities there in Israel are used to dealing with this kind of thing. But if you would -- describe the kind of security measures that would be in place at a central bus station like that in central Jerusalem. BARKAT: There is lots of intelligence, lots of security around the city and around the area. This is much more important. And we need to make sure people open up their eyes and look for suspicious people or objects. This is the best way to deal with it. And second, this doesn't happen every day. This is something that happens rarely, and hopefully we'll keep it this way.

COSTELLO: We hope so. Jerusalem's Mayor Barkat, thank you for joining us live on the air. We're going to take a short break and we'll come back with more continuing coverage of breaking news out of Jerusalem.

Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: If you're just joining us, we'd like to bring you up to speed. There's been an explosion at a Jerusalem bus station, or I should say near it. Some type of explosive device near a public bus, 20 to 30 people injured. We believe there are no deaths. As you might expect, things are rather chaotic at the central bus station in Jerusalem.

We'd like to bring now Yonatan Yagodovsky he is an emergency services worker in Jerusalem. And thank you so much for joining us, sir.

YONATAN YAGODOVSKY, ISRAELI MEDICAL SERVICES (on the phone): Hello. Good afternoon.

COSTELLO: Good afternoon. Describe the scene for us, could you?

YAGODOVSKY: Well, an explosion happened in an area of several bus stops next to the central bus station in Jerusalem. A very crowded area. Next to that bus stop, there was a lot of civilians and two buses were driving by. We are dealing with nearly 30 casualties, among them at least two women in labor and additional young people, students who were on their way home after the day school.

Three or four of the casualties are in treatable conditions treated in two medical centers in Jerusalem. The rest of the casualties are moderately to lightly injured. (INAUDIBLE) ambulance teams have taken their patients to the hospitals within a few minutes. And all blood services, they're now supplying additional shipment of blood and blood (INAUDIBLE) to the four hospitals in Jerusalem that received the casualties.

SESAY: And Yonatan, it's Isha Sesay here, do you have a sense as to what caused some of these injuries? Is it flying glass, is it just proximity to the blast? What is your sense?

YAGODOVSKY: It's a combination of internal and external injuries, some of them caused by the blast and others caused by shrapnel that was part of the explosive device. Patients are suffering from internal and external injuries, some of them to vital organs. COSTELLO: And Yonatan, you mentioned these two women who went into labor. Was that because of the blast and their fear?

YAGODOVSKY: The two women in advanced maternity, they were taken to two medical centers for evaluation in addition to their injuries to see and make sure that the children that they are bearing are OK. I do not know now what is exactly their medical condition because they are now being checked into hospitals.

SESAY: Yonatan, children in schools injured. We know that already. Do you expect this number to rise?

YAGODOVSKY: As far as we know, no, because all the casualties are already for at least 30 minutes in the hospitals. We are here only to provide additional backup to the work of the bomb squad and other agency (INAUDIBLE). We are already back to routine, but the alert level (INAUDIBLE) in Jerusalem is at the highest level. All the ambulances are manned or emergency motorbikes are manned, and we hope there won't be additional events within the next hours or days.

COSTELLO: Yonatan, just a final question for you, as a citizen of Israel, as somebody who lives in Jerusalem, how does this bombing make you feel?

YAGODOVSKY: Well, it brings very bad memories to us. I've been the director of the Jerusalem region during the big period of the Ikifada five or six years ago, even more than that, 10 years ago, and it brings bad memories to mind. It was relatively very quiet regarding terror attacks in Israel.

This type of terror attack in Israel for a very, very long time and it's something we will have to deal with again, first as civilians but also as emergency medical services and to make sure that our children are safe and our families are being able to come back to regular life. We'll see what will happen today, within the next few days, regarding that manner.

SESAY: Yonatan Yagodovsky, we really want to thank you for joining us at this tumultuous time. Thank you for speaking to CNN.

COSTELLO: I'm sure he's gone back to work.

SESAY: I think he has.

COSTELLO: He seems like that kind of man.

SESAY: I mean, you look at the scenes and you look at the size of emergency respondents there, and it's clear this was a large blast. We've seen a number of casualties affected. But you know, as we were trying to get a handle on the fact that this is really going to shake Israel. In fact it hasn't happened in such a long time, this kind of attack there in Jerusalem. It's going to shake people to their core and take them out maybe, maybe a false sense of security. I don't know if you could go that far.

COSTELLO: Well, you heard Yonatan saying this hasn't happened for a long time, it's relatively safe here, and it brings back all these awful memories about what we had to deal with year after year after year.

SESAY: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: And in some years there were dozens of deaths because of these kinds of attacks.

SESAY: Indeed.

COSTELLO: I'm sure it has rattled Jerusalem to the core.

SESAY: No claim of responsibility at this point in time. Another important point to make, we are, of course, waiting for any more information, waiting to see whether anyone will step forward. We don't know whether this is tied to the up tick in violence that we have seen in recent days along the Gaza border. But it is a very tense time and of course, also important is to see how Israeli officials are going to respond to this as they mount their investigation, trying to pinpoint exactly who is responsible.

COSTELLO: And we're going to get into all that right after we take a break. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: Welcome back to the special coverage of breaking news. I'm Carol Costello.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay. We'd like to welcome our viewers, both in the U.S. and around the world where we continue to follow events in Jerusalem where there's been a blast. There's been an explosion at the central bus station which has left scores of people injured. At this point in time, what we are being told is it was a bomb that was placed on a phone booth. It wasn't actually placed in a bus itself, but when that bomb did explode, it was at a time when a bus was going by and scores of people are now injured.

COSTELLO: But amazingly enough, no one has died, and that's perhaps the best news coming out of all of this.

SESAY: Absolutely. There has not been an explosion and attack of this nature with injuries since 2004 in Jerusalem, so this attack comes at a time when Israelis has been feeling relatively safe. And when we speak to people on the ground in Jerusalem on this day, there is no doubt they have been shaken by today's events. No claim of responsibility at this point in time. Nobody will say they are behind this attack, but it does come at a time when there has been increased violence in and around the Gaza border that has left some Palestinians dead.

So, we are working to find out exactly more details as to the nature of the blast. We're waiting to get more information as to how those in the hospital are doing. CNN is all over this story. We have all our people on the ground, so stay with us for our continuing coverage.

We have a number of new developments today in Libya to tell you about. First up, news that the coalition is growing. This morning, we learned that Kuwait and Jordan are joining the list of countries allied against Gadhafi. Both will provide logistical help.

Turkey has also joined the group. It will provide war ships and a submarine to help enforce a U.N. arms embargo against Libya.

Also this morning, a shift in military strategy. U.S. officials said a coalition has not fired any cruise missiles in the last 24 hours, and plan of attack now transitions to the next phase, which is deploying manned aircraft. Overnight, coalition airstikes targeted Gadhafi troops near the town of Misrata. That comes amid witness reports that the government forces are in the center of the city and hospitals are overflowing with wounded. U.S. President Obama says the coalition is already preventing a widespread slaughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just want to emphasize to the American people, because of the extraordinary capabilities and valor of our men and women in uniform, we have already saved lives. In Benghazi, a city of 700,000 people, you had the prospect of Gadhafi's forces carrying out his orders to show no mercy. That could have resulted in catastrophe in that town. Gadhafi's forces have pulled back because of this timely intervention.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Now let's take a look at what's new today in the crisis in Japan. The Japanese government expects total damage from the earthquake to reach up to $309 billion. That would make it the costliest disaster in Japan since the end of World War II.

Blackish gray smoke rose from one of the reactors at the crippled nuclear plant there. Utility officials said they didn't know what was causing the smoke. Some workers had to evacuate.

And government officials are telling Tokyo residents to stop giving tap water to infants. Tests show higher levels of radioactive iodide. Government officials are urging people not to hoard bottled water.

SESAY: OK. Let's get back to that gruesome explosion in Jerusalem. Let's get the very latest now from CNN Jerusalem bureau chief Kevin Flower. Kevin, describe the scene right now.

KEVIN FLOWER, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHEIF: Well, Isha, police and security officials are certainly still on the scene. They set up immediately after the blast happened, they set up a security cordon around the area. The initial fears, of course, were that there might be secondary devices, so police officials, security officials searching the area for those types of devices.

Also evacuating the wounded. When I got onsite, I saw at least one person being taken from the scene on a stretcher. But as is the case here in Israel, the evacuation of wounded happened very quickly, and of course, Israel is a society that is somewhat experienced in dealing with these sorts of blasts, so lots of wounded. Scores of them were brought to hospitals in fairly quick order, which is certainly, probably -- giving us a situation where there are no casualties at this point, no one killed at this point, some critically injured.

Now, one thing that police are probably going to be looking at going forward is this explosive device. They say it was on or near a telephone booth and that it exploded as a bus was passing by. There was a similar device, a small explosive device, about three weeks ago in a Jerusalem neighborhood called Gilo that exploded that injured a municipal worker. No one knew what it was at the time, what it was related to. And so police might look at that in relation to what happened today to see if there is any connection. They are not telling us at this point that there is a connection, but that is something that they would certainly be looking at, to see if there is -- if that gives any clues as to who might have placed this bomb there in the first place.

And what we can't underestimate for the people of Jerusalem is the impact this attack will have. As we've been saying, it's been since 2004 that there has been an explosion on or near a bus like this. And this is going to bring a lot of Jerusalemites back, a lot of Israelis back to the time of the second intafadah (ph) where explosions were happening once a week, on a weekly basis, almost, throughout the country. And that is going to raise a lot of fears for Israelis here.

We heard the Jerusalem mayor before urging people to stay calm and go about their business. Jerusalem is a city that has undergone a lot of growth. Even tomorrow, there is the first annual Jerusalem Marathon that is scheduled to take place. No word at this point whether that would be canceled or not. I assume it wouldn't be. But certainly a lot of people that will be expressing fears about what this means going forward, reminding them of the past, Isha.

COSTELLO: Kevin, we were talking to the mayor about security measures around bus stations like this. He says Jerusalem has been pretty calm in the last several years, as you have alluded to, but the mayor make it sound like things have been quite relaxed. Is that what I'm getting or do you know more?

FLOWER: Well, by and large, I can speak from my own experience. I've been here for about four-and-a-half years. Relative to the period before that, which is the second intafadah (ph), things in Israel have been very quiet, very stable. For the most part. For most Israelis. That's not true for those living in southern Israel who are dealing with rockets and mortars that get fired from Gaza on a regular basis.

But what the country hasn't seen are the sort of blanketed sort of suicide attacks that took place for a number of years and became sort of what Israel and what Jerusalem became known for. So, the mayor is absolutely right, there has been a period of economic growth here in Israel, you know, stability has weathered the global economic crisis better than most countries around the world. GDP growth is solid here.

So, this is a country and a city that has been doing very, very well. Not to say that this explosion is going to go change that, but it certainly gives people pause. They're going to stop and really think about what's going on here? What does this mean? Those are the sort of questions that will be asked continually through the course of the next several days, and will it happen again, and who is responsible?

SESAY: Our Jerusalem bureau chief Kevin Flower, thank you so much.

COSTELLO: And there is a bit more information we want to pass along this morning, the passing of Elizabeth Taylor. She died this morning at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles of congestive heart failure. She was 79 years old. Taylor was famous for so long for so many things. Her beauty, her acting, her marriages, her charity work. All of it the stuff of legend.

More on this story, too, coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Authorities in Jerusalem still on the scene at the central bus station there. An explosive device went off. 20 to 30 people were injured onboard a bus. Students, all different kinds of people. Students, two women who were pregnant went into labor on that bus after the explosion happened. They've been transported to the hospital. But authorities tell us there were no deaths and also no claims of responsibility for whoever planted this bomb.

SESAY: Yes, indeed. Let's get more on what is taking place right now in Jerusalem, and, of course, an investigation is no doubt underway.

Mickey Rosenfeld is the nationality (ph) spokesman. He joins us on the phone. Thank you so much for joining us. I know that an investigation is underway, but at this stage, what can you tell us about the device that caused this explosion?

In fact, we are having trouble establishing contact with Mickey Rosenfeld. We are working to bring him to you so we can get some more information on the device, its location and many other questions that we have, but now we do indeed have him.

Mr. Rosenfeld, thank you so much for joining us. I was just saying that undoubtedly an investigation will be under way or at least start shortly. Do we have any information that you can share with us about the device and its exact location, where it was placed?

MICKEY ROSENFELD, ISRAELI POLICE NATIONAL SPOKESMAN (on the phone): All I can confirm is this is the first terrorist attack that took place in Jerusalem in the last four years. An explosive device exploded at the bus stop itself. There was a bag that laid at the bus stop and it exploded, causing more than 24 people to be injured, three seriously, four moderately, and all the rest light. Immediately, all the hospitals in Jerusalem were opened. Our bomb experts continue to examine the scene, and the investigation is continuing as to who was behind this terrorist attack (INADUIBLE).

COSTELLO: This is Carol Costello. I just wonder if you could tell us a little more about this device. We understand that as the bus passed a phone booth, the device exploded.

ROSENFELD: That's correct. (AUDIO GAP) -- the explosive device was put inside a bag. It went off, and all those standing in the area of the bus were, in fact, injured and have been treated in hospitals. Since then, we've actually heightened security in Jerusalem in order to prevent any further attacks from taking place. The investigation is continuing, and the site is being examined.

SESAY: Mr. Rosenfeld, what can you tell us about the investigation and its immediate focus? Have you got any leads?

ROSENFELD: We're working on two levels, on a personal level as well as an intelligence level. Our units are continuing to work here in Jerusalem. We're still looking for the possibility of a suspect who laid down that bag at the site. And later on this evening, once again, we'll assess the security situation.

COSTELLO: Are there security cameras?

ROSENFELD: In and around Jerusalem, there are security cameras. That's part of the ongoing investigation as well. We'll be examining to see if the explosion itself was on security.

COSTELLO: And then just one other question I had. Kevin Flower, our CNN bureau chief there, reported that a similar device had gone off in another Jerusalem neighborhood not so long ago. Do you suspect they're connected?

ROSENFELD: There was a small explosive device that went off in the south of Jerusalem about a month ago. That was a completely separate investigation, opened up into that. Since then, five Israelis that were killed in a supplement (ph) in Juden (INAUDIBLE). Over the last few days, we had the Purim festivals where we heightened security, but in general, I can tell you and confirm that as of this afternoon, things in Jerusalem are more quiet, calm, and there was no specific alerts of a terrorist attack that was going to take place in Jerusalem.

SESAY: Mickey Rosenfeld, Israeli police national spokesman. We thank you for your time on this day. Thank you.

ROSENFELD: Thank you.

COSTELLO: We're going to take a quick break. We'll be back with more. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Elizabeth Taylor, the legendary actress, famed for her beauty and her charities and her many marriages, has died. She was 79 years old. Her publicists say she died peacefully at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.

J.D. Heyman is the executive editor of "People" magazine, and he joins us now live now. Thanks for joining us.

J.D. HEYMAN, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "PEOPLE" (on the phone): Thanks.

COSTELLO: So, can you tell us the circumstances surrounding Elizabeth Taylor's death?

HEYMAN: As you know, she was ill for quite a long time. Elizabeth Taylor had been in the hospital for two months. She was suffering from congestive heart failure, a fairly common, serious condition. While she was in the hospital, she, you know, fared as well as anyone could have expected, but she had many setbacks while she was being cared for.

She was famously never in the best of health and had, over many years, had several health crises. What we do know is that she was surrounded by people who cared for her and that she did pass away peacefully. It's obviously a sad end to an incredibly colorful and larger than life life.

SESAY: J.D., it's Isha here. You know, she really is, in the minds of many people and certainly in my mind, part of Hollywood's royalty. This really is quite a loss.

HEYMAN: Well, it is. I mean, Elizabeth Taylor may have been the greatest movie star that Hollywood ever produced. She was famous in a way that most people could only dream of. Her life itself was larger than any of the movies that she made. You know, she was famously married, she had incredibly colorful adventures, she had an incredibly cinematic life

So, people identified with her. She certainly was one of the great beauties of the 20th century, and I don't think we'll see another movie star like her.

COSTELLO: Through the generations, she was famous for so many different things. I'm sure each generation of people remembers her for a different reason.

HEYMAN: Well, I think that's true. Certainly Elizabeth Taylor, she was a child star, she was a major movie star well into her midlife. And then, of course, she became an entrepreneur and a very successful one.

And perhaps most importantly, she was one of the pivotal activists in making people aware of the AIDS crisis and addressing the health crisis that spawned and actually raising incredible amounts of money in medical research. She was a real pioneer in speaking out about that disease and really impacted the way the United States, in fact, all Western countries and countries around the world, deal with AIDS. So her legacy is a huge one, and one that I think we'll feel for many, many, many more generations.

SESAY: J.D. Hayman, executive director of "People" magazine. It is, indeed, a sad day and many film lovers around the world and those involved in her charity work are feeling her loss. Thank you for joining us.

HEYMAN: Thank you.

COSTELLO: We're going to come back with much more about what's happening in Jerusalem, the explosion at a bus stop. We'll be back.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

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SESAY: Welcome back, everyone. We continue to follow the breaking news out of Jerusalem where a short time ago, a bomb exploded in the vicinity of the central bus station, injuring nearly 30 people. That's what emergency officials are telling us. Some of them seriously injured, but all have now been transported to local hospitals. There have been no deaths confirmed at this time.

COSTELLO: Apparently, this bomb was planted at a bus stop, and it went off as a bus passed by a phone booth and stopped to pick up people at the bus stop. We believe that most of the injured were standing at that bus stop waiting for that public bus to come by.

SESAY: Yes. This is the first explosion, first attack of this nature in Jerusalem since 2004, and as we speak to Israeli officials, they say this had been a time when Israelis had been feeling relatively safe, so a number of questions surely to be asked about security measures and whether indeed those will be altered in any way following these events.

We did indeed speak to the Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat a short time ago, and this is what he said to us. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIR BARKAT, MAYOR OF JERUSALEM (on the phone): Israel and Jerusalem have been relatively safe lately, and hopefully we will find the roots of this cowardly person who that created this terrorist attack, and we'll bring him to trial and justice.

SESAY: Now, Mayor Barkat, as you say that Jerusalem and Israel had been relatively safe in recent times, had there been some kind of loosening on security measures?

BARKAT: No, I think security had always been pretty high. Always Israel and Jerusalem know how to deal with such situations. And the fact that this is a bomb placed and the terrorist escaped is proof that the security is generally very high. I'm sure it will take a few weeks until we find the person responsible and bring him to trial as fast as we can.

COSTELLO: And Mayor, the type of bomb, the type of explosive that was used in this blast, does it tell you anything?

BARKAT: Well, it's currently under investigation. Police and security forces are checking everything, and it's authorities (INAUDBILE).

SESAY: And you mentioned -- you say officials and authorities in Israel are used to dealing with this kind of thing. But if you would, for our viewers, describe the kind of security measures that would be in place at a central bus station like that in central Jerusalem.

BARKAT: There is lots of intelligence, lots of security around the city and around the borders. This is much more important.

We need to make sure people open up their eyes and look for sufficient people or objects. This is the best way to deal with it. And the fact is, it doesn't happen every day. This is something that happens rarely, and hopefully we'll keep it this way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That was the mayor of Jerusalem speaking. Much more on the breaking news coming out of Jerusalem. We'll take a break, and NEWSROOM will continue right after.

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