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Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield

Israel Stabbings; Debate Showdown; Lamar Odom Unconscious. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired October 14, 2015 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00] KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Poppy Harlow actually sits down with Ivanka Trump. You can see that full interview today on "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper and also on "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" tonight at 7:00 p.m.

And that is all for us. Thanks for joining us "AT THIS HOUR," Vegas edition.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it's time for us to leave Las Vegas. LEGAL VIEW with Ashleigh Banfield starts now.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Ashleigh Banfield.

I want to begin with this breaking news. There is a chaotic situation in the West Bank right now on the heels of yet another attack in Jerusalem. These are live picture for you. As nightfall in Jerusalem, it turned 7:00 p.m. on the mark. Palestinian protesters in the far background clashing with Israeli police who were on your side of those barricades and that fire. Hard to see in the darkness, but Bethlehem has often seen these pictures. It is yet another flare-up, it seems, in what could possibly even lead to yet another intifada.

Today's other incident in Jerusalem came near the gates of the old city. It is an area that is sacred to three world religions, three main ones at that. Police say a man seeming nervous allegedly lunging at them with a knife. Israeli police shot and killed that attacker, who was wearing combat fatigue. And if this story sounds repetitive, it is. It is the latest attack amid a fresh flare-ups of violence between Israelis and Palestinians and it seriously has this region on edge.

More police officers now all over the streets. Israel clamping down, setting up roadblocks, putting new security measures in place across Jerusalem. Global affairs correspondent Elise Labott is standing by live in Washington right now, but let's go first to our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman, who is on the scene.

So set the tone for me and the scene with regard to what happened today and how it is the latest in this long string of flare-up attacks, Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Ashleigh, this is actually - there's been another incident. We're getting reports of an attempted stabbing at Jerusalem's main bus station where we're told a 50-year-old woman has been slightly injured by an attacker who has been, we are told by the Israeli police, neutralized, probably dead at this point from the social media pictures and video we've seen.

That comes just hours after the incident that happened here. We understand that there was a young Palestinian, a 20-year-old resident of Hebron, as you mentioned, wearing a military-style t-shirt and combat pants, who was acting strangely. The Israeli police, border police, approached him and, when they did so, apparently he lunged at them with a knife. They opened fire on him. He ran and another group of Israeli border police came into action and shot him repeatedly right in front of the Damascus gate.

We arrived just as his body was being wrapped in a black plastic body bag and being carried away. In the course of the gunfire, apparently a tourist was slightly wounded. He was treated on the scene and a local resident was also hit by gunfire and that person is in the hospital.

Now, that's two attacks today. Keep in mind that, of course, there were five attacks within Jerusalem and elsewhere in Israel that left three Israelis dead as a result. The Israeli security cabinet has taken a variety of measures to try to stem this - stop this tide of stabbing attacks. They're closing, clamping down on Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem. They've deployed even more security and soldiers around Jerusalem and the country. Buts as we see, even though those new measures were in place, two more attacks since then.

Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: So, Ben, I just want to be very clear, we're looking at your live shot at the Damascus gate in Jerusalem, one of the most popular entrances to that old city, very, very close to the Muslim quarter, and then we just showed pictures as we broke in with this newscast in Bethlehem. That is farther east. And it is in the West Bank. And it is electrified right now. There are skirmishes and, you know, oftentimes it's the scene of a burning tire in the middle of a street and stone- throwing, police responding sometimes with rubber bullets. We're not sure if that's happening right now.

And then you just mentioned at the main bus station in Jerusalem as well, there is this most latest attack. I just want to be clear since people are looking at their screen right now, that the pictures in Bethlehem that you're seeing right now are from earlier when there was still some daylight out. It has now turned to nightfall after 7:00 p.m. But this attack in - at the main bus station, this has been - listen, there - many bus stations, always a dangerous place when you're in - in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. Is this another one of these young people who doesn't seem to be affiliated with any group, who seems to be radicalized online, going out and acting sort of lone wolf-esque? Is that another one of these circumstances playing out?

[12:05:27] WEDEMAN: Well, that appears to be the case in the incident here. It's probably a little too early to tell regarding the incident at the - Jerusalem's main bus station. That really just happened about 20, 25 minutes ago. So we don't have the details. But if you looked at all the attacks that have happened until now, and I honestly can't keep track of how many that is, but in every incident, the attackers have not been found to be connected to Hamas or Islamic jihad or any other of the militant factions here. And this is what is stumping the Israeli police because they are accustomed to dealing with certain threats. During the second intifada, which was really led by Palestinian factions, fatah, Hamas, Islamic jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. So there was an address. They would claim responsibility. There have been no claims of responsibility.

Over the years, Israel has built up an extensive network of collaborators and informants in east Jerusalem, in the West Bank. It doesn't seem to be able to come up with, a, any factual connections of these attackers to those groups, and, b, it can't prevent these attacks from happening because these appear to be indeed lone wolf attacks by individuals who, for whatever reason, whether it's online radicalization or a personal motive because a relative has been killed or somebody's home has been destroyed. So even these latest measures don't seem to be able to stop these attacks from happening.

Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Ben Wedeman. And as you were talking, and again that word intifada comes up yet again. This is a huge concern that this is what this string of violence may ultimately lead to, yet another intifada. I'm getting some other statistics that have just come in. This is courtesy of the Palestinian Red Crescent. That is their version of the Red Cross. The Red Cross, Red Crescent. And they're saying that the clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian demonstrators just on Tuesday left 155 people injured across the West Bank and Jerusalem. Again, those are the statistics coming in from the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Ben, I'm going to let you go and I'm hoping that you can make it to the bus station to do some original reporting from there during this program. We'll let you go now so that you can check out that most latest scene.

In the meantime, I want to bring in Elise Labott, our State Department expert, on this.

You know, the secretary of state, John Kerry, I believe has this trip planned to the Middle East to the deal with perhaps this latest bout of violence, among other things. But at this point, Elise, how much does the State Department really believe that America can have any influence on what's going on right now with regard to these - what seemingly are like lone wolf attacks without any kind of affiliation?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a great question, Ashleigh, and that's why the secretary is looking to plan a trip soon. I think it might not be imminent. It could be a little bit in the coming days or weeks, but certainly not imminently. And what he wants to do is see if there's anything the U.S. can do here.

Obviously, as Ben said, these lone wolf attacks are not something that Israel and its counterterrorism operations can really thwart. And we've seen this around the world with a lot of lone wolves attacks by ISIS supporters and other groups that these are not attached to one group, so it's hard to plan any type of intelligence or counterterrorism operations. What the U.S. is trying to do here is avoid that full intifada, that full interruption into violence.

And he - the secretary has a lot to say on both sides. For instance, on the Palestinians, he's very concerned that he's hearing calls for - by Palestinian leaders for incitement. He's certainly not hearing any calls for calm by Palestinian leaders and that's something he's been talking about. He gave a speech yesterday at Harvard where he was very clear that he wants Palestinian leaders, President Abbas, to cut the incitement and stop encouraging Palestinians to violence.

On the Israeli side, there is a concern. Obviously, some of these stabbings and some of these attacks, the Israelis need to take appropriate measures, but there is a concern that there is some heavy- handedness by Israeli forces on some of the Palestinian rock throwers. There's been live ammunition, according to the U.S., against some of them. So that's certainly a concern. And what the U.S. wants to do here is see if there's any way they can get back to an idea where they're talking about a horizon for a peace process. Obviously, they're not there yet, but they don't want to go even further away, which this violence is doing, Ashleigh.

[12:10:06] BANFIELD: All right, Elise Labott reporting for us live. Stand by, if you would. I just want to make sure people are aware, we've got some live pictures coming in of that bus station attack, the main bus station in Jerusalem. These are live pictures coming into us. You heard Ben Wedeman just report this only became, you know, known to us about 20 minutes ago or so. We don't have any indication yet of casualties, but we do know that this would be the second in just a matter of hours, attacks in Jerusalem. Continuing to watch this, as well as we watched the Israeli reaction to much of this violence and the increased security forces it is fanning out across that country. Not only that, but the blockades and the closures that it's causing throughout that country as well. We're back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:14:59] BANFIELD: It may have been a showdown on the Las Vegas Strip, but the Democratic presidential candidates emphasized substance over style at last night's CNN debate. By most accounts, Hillary Clinton dominated, pulling off a poised and polished performance that even Donald Trump had praise for this morning. Bernie Sanders also getting big applause for his views on Wall Street and income inequality. And a particularly memorable moment regarding Clinton's e- mail controversy. Take a look at a couple of these highlights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to talk not about my e-mails but about what the American people want from the next president of the United States.

ANDERSON COOPER, MODERATOR: Senator Sanders.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me say this. Let me say - let me say something that may not be great politics, but I think the secretary is right, and that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails. CLINTON: Thank you. Me, too! Me, too! Thank you.

SANDERS: We should look to countries like Denmark, like Sweden and Norway and learn from what they have accomplished from their working people.

CLINTON: We are not Denmark. I love Denmark. We are the United States of America.

SANDERS: That the only way we really transform America and do the things that the middle class and working class desperately need is through a political revolution when millions of people begin to come together and stand up and say, our government is going to work for all of us, not just a handful of billionaires.

CLINTON: It's always the Republicans or their sympathizers who say, you can't have paid leave, you can't provide health care. They don't mind having big government to interfere with a woman's right to choose and to try to take down Planned Parenthood. They're fine when big government when it comes to that. I'm sick of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: You know, it really makes you wonder what a senior media advisor for Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign would say about all of that. And look who we have, Tad Devine joining us now live.

Thanks so much, Mr. Devine, for being with us.

I want to ask you about that big a-ha moment that seemed to get the most reaction and the most headlines the day after the fact, and that is Senator Sanders basically backing up Hillary Clinton and announcing that everyone in the room and maybe everybody in the audience and certainly he is sick and tired about hearing about the Hillary Clinton e-mail controversy. Was that a kind gift but maybe not a wise gift?

TAD DEVINE, SENIOR MEDIA ADVISOR, BERNIE 2016: No, I think it was the right thing to do. You know, Bernie is someone who believes that the American people want a debate on the real issues that affects their lives. And Hillary Clinton's e-mail is not one of those issues. So I think he did, on that debate stage last night, what he has been doing for many weeks on the campaign trail, saying, listen, we don't - we need to focus on issue like that. We've got to focus on income inequality. We've got to focus on a political system which is corrupt, keeping a rigged economy in place. That's what he wants to talk about and that's what he did last night.

BANFIELD: All right, I want to - I want to replay one moment, because it seemed to me, and maybe you can correct me, it seemed to me that the candidate, Bernie Sanders, was caught somewhat off guard when Anderson Cooper came to him in a very quick staccato way. Let me play the moment. It was - I think it was - the question was something along the lines of how to deal with Vladimir Putin, but let's listen to it and then we'll talk on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANDERSON COOPER, MODERATOR: Senator Sanders, I want you to be able to respond.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Pardon me?

COOPER: I'd like you to be able to respond and get in on this.

SANDERS: Well, I think Mr. Putin is going to regret what he is doing. I think that when he gets into that -

COOPER: He doesn't seem to be the type of guy to regret a lot.

SANDERS: Well, I think he is already regretting what he did in Crimea and what he is doing in the Ukraine. I think he is really regretting the decline of his economy. And I think what he is trying to do now is save some face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: All right, so the momentum going there, Tad, but at the beginning, I thought, oh, dear, I think he doesn't know what the question was, and it didn't look super presidential. But the - I think a lot of other people are saying, does it show that perhaps he's weaker on foreign policy because he really tends to, you know, focus on the economy and income inequality?

DEVINE: I don't think he's weak on foreign policy at all. I mean I think he was describing a very complicated situation. I think what Bernie said last night was almost precisely what President Barack Obama said on "60 Minutes" on Sunday night, that Putin is going to regret what he's doing in Syria and also in Ukraine. And, you know, Bernie Sanders is very comfortable with his judgement when it comes to foreign policy. The largest - the biggest foreign policy decision I think in this generation is whether or not we should go to war in Iraq. He looked at the facts and so did Hillary Clinton. He came to the conclusion we should not. She came to the other conclusion. He was right. She was wrong. So, listen, we're happy to debate foreign policy or any other policy with her. He understands that's an important part of being president.

BANFIELD: Well, Martin O'Malley and Hillary Clinton both seemed to come out swinging regarding gun control and that's one of his soft spots in terms of, you know, his base. He definitely skews left and his gun control stance does not. Is this going to be his Achilles heel? Is he going to have to morph that, either now in the primaries, or if he becomes the nominee, will that be the gift that he brings with him into a general election?

[12:20:17] DEVINE: I don't think it's his Achilles' heel at all. You know, if Bernie Sanders had the record that Howard Dean, who was a governor of Vermont, had from the NRA of A rating after A rating, I think it could be a problem. But he doesn't. He has a D minus lifetime rating. That's because he has always stood up for common sense gun safety measures, like banning assault weapons, like closing the gun show loophole. He's got a long record of doing that. So, no, I don't think it's going to affect him. You know, in the debate last night, there were two opportunities to look big. One, when Bernie Sanders stood up and said, enough is enough with the e-mails for Hillary Clinton. The other one Hillary Clinton was asked by Anderson whether or not Bernie was strong enough on gun control, and she said, no, no, not at all. She could have been big at that moment. She chose to be political instead. And I think in the long run, frankly, that's going to -

BANFIELD: (INAUDIBLE).

DEVINE: That's going to help - I think that's going to help us. And we're prepared to have a debate about this issue. I think what Bernie's saying about it, about reaching across the lines, about getting something done, is a winning argument even in a Democratic primary.

BANFIELD: I'm glad that you want to have a debate about it, because there's going to be more debates you're going to have about it. So I hope you'll come back and join me and talk about it before and after the fact.

DEVINE: Look forward to it.

BANFIELD: Thank you, Tad Devine. Nice to see you. Get some sleep. It's early out there and it was a late night.

Coming up next, we're going to turn our attention to another story that sort of came out of the blue. NBA star turned reality star, Lamar Odom, is today fighting for his life after being found unconscious at a Nevada brothel.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:26:10] BANFIELD: We've got breaking news about Lamar Odom, the two-time NBA champion and ex-husband to the reality star Khloe Kardashian. He is in the hospital right now after being found unconscious at a brothel in Nevada last night. The 35-year-old is 6'10", and the reports are he was too tall to actually fit into a medical helicopter to evacuate, so he was taken by hospital - or taken to the hospital by ambulance instead. The reports are that Khloe Kardashian is by his side despite the fact that they divorced and that was finalized in July. Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom still speaking regularly. In fact, Khloe expressed her concern for Lamar Odom after he called to say that his best friend had died this year, and that phone call was captured in a recent episode of the program "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" on the E! Network.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is he OK?

KHLOE KARDASHIAN: He's as good as can be expected type of thing.

KARDASHIAN: I'm really on high alert for Lamar because I mean anything I think will set him to spiral, and that's kind of the last thing I want for him. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Lamar Odom has said the Kardashians were the only family that has loved him without expecting anything in return. Khloe's sister Kendall tweeted this out this morning, simply pleading, "please don't go."

I want to bring in Kyung Lah, who's live in Los Angeles, and CNN Sports anchor Rachel Nichols is with me here in New York.

Kyung, first to you. Do we know what the condition is right now of Lamar Odom?

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don't know his exact condition. We know he is being treated at that hospital and that, you know, according to the Kardashians they do appear to be trying to support him. What we do know comes from the owner of the brothel. A series of brothels in that area. And the owner says that Lamar Odom arrived at the establishment on Saturday. That his mood changed on Sunday, but he appeared to be in quite good health. Two of the employees left him yesterday morning. He appeared to be sleeping. And then they went to check on him later in the afternoon, and there he was found unconscious, still in that same room. Here's what the brothel owner told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENNIS HOF, OWNER, LOVE RANCH SOUTH: The management came in, called 911. 911 said put him on his left side. And they did. He started throwing up. He was still alive. Ambulance came, police came, took him to the Prump (ph) Hospital, Prump, Nevada. They immediately said this is not looking good and we need to get him air flight into Las Vegas, to Sunrise Hospital.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: But as you mention, Ashleigh, he was too tall to fit into that chopper, he's too tall, the former basketball player.

BANFIELD: Wow.

LAH: But he is, we understand, still being treated at the hospital, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: And, you know, to be really clear, whenever you're talking about someone connected to the Kardashian clan and the reality television programing, there is myriad rumor mongering going on and the web is just loaded with all sorts of rumors right now. What are the Kardashians officially saying about what's happening?

LAH: Well, we've heard from the Kardashians, from a source close to the Kardashians is this, this statement came out saying, quote, "Khloe Kardashian has been at Lamar's side at a Las Vegas hospital since Tuesday night. She asked that you continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers and respect his privacy during this time." But nothing official beyond that, Ashleigh. BANFIELD: So, Kyung, standby for one moment. I want to bring in Rachel

on this story as well. The sports angle of it. I mean this has been such an incredible unfolding drama. You know, the Kardashians aside, the L.A. Lakers career, the two championships. Where did the wheels fall off?

[12:30:08] RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS: Yes, I mean, look, I've covered Lamar for a long time, interviewed him quite often, gotten to know him outside of the cameras and