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CDC: Unvaccinated Adults Face 11X High Risk Of Dying From COVID; Bill Clinton Hospitalized But "On The Mend" From Infection; British Member Of Parliament Stabbed To Death; Actress Sues Bill Cosby, Alleging He Drugged & Raped Her. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired October 15, 2021 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00]
DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: And you know, unfortunately, we've been struggling with a very dedicated disinformation campaign, you know, targeting folks in this country with just not enough information, don't have enough correct information to make this decision.
But it is just as clear as that. If you get vaccinated, you will not die of this virus.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Doctor Reiner, thank you for your expertise as always.
REINER: My pleasure.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Former President Bill Clinton is in the hospital. He's being treated for complications from a urinary tract infection. We have the latest on how he's doing, next.
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[14:35:02]
CAMEROTA: Doctors say former President Bill Clinton is on the mend. He has been in a California ICU since Tuesday for a urinary tract infection that spread to his bloodstream.
BLACKWELL: CNN's Jamie Gangel is with us now.
So, Jamie, do we know when he will potentially be able to go home from the hospital?
JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Not quite yet, but it is looking a lot better. According to a source familiar with his condition, he is really improving.
But the doctors are still making rounds. They're continuing to monitor him.
One report was that his white blood cell count is trending down. He's responding to antibiotics well. We hope to have him go home soon. I could also tell you, on a lighter note, our colleague, Sara Sidner,
who is standing outside of the hospital, and I, have found out that Hillary Clinton has been there visiting.
That former President Clinton is joking around, walking around and reading books, including Coleson Whitehead's "Harlem Shuffle." So he's in a very good mood.
And finally, I was just told that President Biden did just reach out. They've been trading calls and the two men just spoke on the phone.
CAMEROTA: OK, thank you, Jamie, for clarifying that.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
CAMEROTA: Because Victor and I were very confused.
If you have a lot of down time in the hospital, we couldn't understand why they haven't connected yet. I know Biden is busy.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
CAMEROTA: But doesn't President Clinton take the call immediately when President Biden calls?
GANGEL: So someone from his office told me yesterday that President Clinton was walking around the ICU so much that the doctors had to tell him to get back into bed.
So clearly, when President Biden was calling, he was out a walk. What could I tell you?
CAMEROTA: Fair enough.
BLACKWELL: Mr. President, will you go back to your room, please.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: All right, Jamie Gangel, thank you.
All right, let's turn to the U.K. This was truly a horrific scene. A member of the British parliament has been stashed to death.
There are disturbing similarities to the killing of another British lawmaker just a few years ago. We'll share those details.
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[14:41:56]
BLACKWELL: There was a horrific attack in the U.K. today on a member of parliament. British lawmaker, Sir David Amess, was stabbed to death as he was meeting with his constituents at a church east of London.
CAMEROTA: The suspect is in custody.
This is the second murder of a sitting member of parliament in five years.
CNN's Nic Robertson is at the scene and joins us now.
Nic, what you have learned.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the prime minister called him one of the nicest, kindest, gentlest members of parliament. And 69 years old. He spent more than half of his life being an M.P.
Very popular in this community here. Just looking at some of the floral tributes laid here.
People have come as far away from London, an hour and a half's drive away just to lay flowers here.
One of the tributes is from a group called Surfers Against Sewage. This constituency here is on the seaside.
So he was popular at all levels. He was known to be strong on animal welfare, strong on the environment.
He was very traditional conservative in many of his views. He was against FOX hunting, which perhaps was a big less-traditional for conservatives.
But the police say that they got a call just afternoon today when he was attending what is known as a constituency surgery at a church down the street here where his voters, people in his constituency would come to him with their problems.
And he would try to offer them solutions. He would try to listen to their moans and groans and gripes about any number of issues. But he was popular here because he was someone who really tried to address those concerns.
Never taking -- trying to take a leading role across his almost 40 years as an M.P. with his party. But merely speaking from what is known as the back bench here for those local constituents.
And those local constituents today are in shock. One of them told us it was absolutely horrible what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone was just speechless. It was just awful. He's such a kind gentle soul and that he would say quite quirky, he liked people and it was just shocking. Absolutely shocking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: So after getting that call earlier today, the police say they were here within minutes. They arrived to find him bleeding. They were unable to save him life.
They have arrested a 25-year-old man. A knife was found at the scene believed to be, it appears from what we understand so far, the murder weapon.
This investigation is being headed, at this stage, by counter- terrorism police.
CAMEROTA: Just horrible.
Nic Robertson, thank you very much for reporting from the ground.
Back here, actress, Lili Bernard, who appeared on "The Cosby Show," has filed a new lawsuit against the disgraced comedian, Bill Cosby, accusing him of drugging and raping her in 1990.
[14:45:47]
So we're going to speak to her about what has changed that is allowing this new legal fight to move forward.
BLACKWELL: And later tonight, a CNN special report, "GABBY PETITO AND THE HUNT FOR JUSTICE." Get the latest from investigators, at 9:00 p.m., right here on CNN.
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CAMEROTA: Actress Lili, who appeared on "The Cosby Show," is now suing Bill Cosby, alleging that he drugged and raped her in 1990. Bernard has claimed Cosby assaulted her at a hotel in Atlantic City after saying he wanted to mentor her.
There's a change in a New Jersey law that will now allow this legal battle to go forward in a way it never could.
[14:50:05]
Cosby was released from prison in June after a Pennsylvania court overturned his sexual assault conviction in a separate case. He has been accused of assaulting dozens of women.
Joining us now is Lili Bernard, the woman suing Bill Cosby. She is joined by two of her attorneys, Jordan Merson and Jordan Rutsky.
Great to have all of you here.
Lili, yesterday, you were finally able to file this lawsuit against Bill Cosby, after the story you have been telling since 1990 when you say he raped her. So what is this moment like for you now?
LILI BERNARD, ACTRESS: It's surreal. It's empowering.
I'm grateful to my attorneys, to the activists, legislators and governor of New Jersey for allowing me this opportunity to hold Bill Cosby accountable for the life-altering sexual crimes he inflicted upon me.
I'm grateful that I'm going to be able to present my evidence, testimony and witnesses in a court of law. And I'm hoping that my case will inspire other states to pass the Adult Survivors Act so that other survivors across the nation can see their day in court.
And clearly, since only 2 percent of rapists ever see a day behind bars, that evidence is that our criminal justice system is stacked against survivors.
CAMEROTA: Particularly with the statute of limitation laws that, as we know, so many victims of rape have come up against.
And so the fact you haven't been able to do this, though you have told your story and the rape happened in 1990, what have these 31 years been like for you?
BERNARD: They've been -- every day, you know, every day I live with the fear and the pain of the crimes that Bill Cosby inflicted upon me. I suffer panic attacks and night terrors of the Cosby trauma regularly.
I am a mother of six children. Of course, I have to stand strong and be there for them. I'm also an actor and an artist, so I find comfort in my art.
But it's been difficult. I suffer PTSD like any other war veteran suffers PTSD. Except the war that Bill Cosby waged upon me was not overseas. It was on the landscape of my body, so.
CAMEROTA: Yes. We've heard this, time and again, actually, connected to Bill Cosby. Your story is tragic, but you're not alone, as you well know, from having connected with so many of the other accusers.
So, Mr. Merson, what changed? What changed in the New Jersey law that is allowing Lili to move forward now?
JORDAN MERSON, ATTORNEY FOR LILI BERNARD: What changed is, on December 1st, back in 2019, there was a new law that went into effect. It's called the New Jersey Child Victims Act.
And it allows people like Mr. , who have been victims of sexual assault, as we allege in her complaint, to come forward. There was a window created, a two-year statute of limitations window.
And what that means is that the statute of limitations cannot be used as a defense to Ms. Bernard's claims. That window ends November 30th of this year.
CAMEROTA: Let me read to you what Bill Cosby says through his spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, about this today. We got this statement.
"These look-back provisions are unconstitutional and a sheer violation of an individual's constitutional rights and denies that individual of their due process."
"This is just another attempt to abuse the legal process by opening up the flood gates for people, who never presented an ounce of evidence, proof, truth and/or facts in order to substantiate their alleged allegations."
"Mr. Cosby continues to remain steadfast in his innocence."
Do you have a response to that, Lili?
BERNARD: I'm going to defer to my attorney here, Jordan Rutsky, for that answer.
JORDAN RUTSKY, ATTORNEY FOR LILI BERNARD: We're not concerned about what Bill Cosby or his representees are saying on the subject. We're concerned what the court says.
And the court has already found this law to be constitutional. They've done that in the very court where we brought the lawsuit in, the United States district court, district of New Jersey.
The most recent decision was September of this year, the case called "SY versus the Roman Catholic Diocese of Patterson." It's publicly available.
And the court found there was no vested right of perpetrators like Bill Cosby to expect that there will be no consequences for their action. And that laws like this, that change the statute of limitations, are constitutional.
And so, you know, Bill Cosby and his representatives can say whatever they like. We're concerned about what the court has to say. And you know, it's right here.
CAMEROTA: So what about the point --
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: -- that 31 years is a long time to have to preserve evidence?
[14:55:58]
RUTSKY: You know, the -- first of all, the issue of presenting no evidence -- the case was filed yesterday. There will be a time to present evidence.
And quite frankly, the best evidence is the testimony of Ms. Bernard and the testimony of Mr. Cosby.
And we are ready and willing to produce Ms. Bernard for a deposition as soon as defense counsel would like. And we're happy to depose Mr. Cosby as soon as possible.
As far as preserving evidence, in a situation like this -- you know, we're going to see what evidence is out there.
We know what we have. We're curious to see what Bill Cosby has. And that's just a situation that will develop.
CAMEROTA: Yes. Well, Lili Bernard, it's great to see you and talk to you again. We'll
be watching very closely what happens. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Jordan Merson and Jordan Rutsky, thank you both.
BERNARD: Thank you, Alisyn.
MERSON: Thank you.
RUTSKY: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: All right, we are following breaking news out of Washington where a Capitol Hill police officer is charged with obstruction in connection with the January 6th investigation. We're live from outside the courthouse, next.
But first, there's a lot going on today. Here's what to watch.
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