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Bill Cosby Booked, Charged with Sexual Assault; Clintons Remain High on Trump's List of Political Enemies; Europe on High Alert on New Year's Eve; Local Leaders: ISIS Using Human Shields in Parts of Ramadi; Kim Jung Un Near Tears at Top Official's Funeral. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired December 31, 2015 - 00:00   ET

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


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[00:00:08] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.

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VAUSE (voice-over): Ahead this hour, Bill Cosby booked, formally charged with sexual assault.

With New Year's Eve around the corner, terror threats cancel some festivities around the world, leaving many others on heightened alert.

Donald Trump holds his last campaign rally of the year, much like his first, with bluster, and boasts and promises of a whole lot more to come.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

VAUSE (on camera): Hello, everybody. Great to have you with us. We'd like to welcome our viewers all around the world. I'm John Vause. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.

The rumors and accusations have been around for decades. Now for the first time, comedian Bill Cosby is facing criminal charges for sexual assault. His attorneys say the case is unjustified. They plan to mount a vigorous defense. CNN's Debra Faye (sic) begins our coverage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby stumbled, walking with a cane and noticeable limp as he arrived at his arraignment amid a crush of reporters. Cosby was released on $1 million bail, charged with aggravated indecent assault for the alleged 2004 sexual assault of a woman 37 years younger than the comedian.

After denials and claims that the encounter was consensual, Bill Cosby is now facing criminal charges for the first time. Andrea Constand, who worked with Temple University women's basketball team accused Cosby of drugging then assaulting her when she visited the comedian who she considered a friend and mentor at his Pennsylvania home. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Cosby made two sexual advances at her that

were rejected. On the evening in question, Mr. Cosby urged her to take pills that he provided to her and to drink wine, the effect of which rendered her unable to move, respond to his advances.

FEYERICK: Though Constand came forward in 2005, the district attorney at the time did not file charges. That same year, Constand sued Cosby, the comedian then settling for an undisclosed amount. Legal documents in that case were unsealed for the first time this past July, and the deposition made public.

In it Cosby admits giving women quaaludes, but never without their knowledge. Constand's lawyer asks Cosby, when you got the quaaludes, was it in your mind that you were going to use these quaaludes for young women that you wanted to have sex with? Cosby replies, yes.

That deposition and other evidence unsealed in the civil case paved the way for a new district attorney to reinvestigate the allegations. In the criminal complaint, Constand says Cosby told her the pills were herbal, and after taking them she lost her strength, but was aware of Cosby, quote, "fondling her breasts" and of his hands into her pants.

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

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

Cosby has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and even filed a countersuit against seven women earlier this month. Cosby says their accusations hurt his reputation and derailed his plans for a new comedy show. Prosecutors are right up against the expiration of the 12-year statute of limitations for sexual assault cases in Pennsylvania, which will close early next year. Cosby could get up to ten years in prison if convicted.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Joining us now is Attorney Gloria Allred. She is representing 29 of the women who accuse Mr. Cosby of sexual assault.

Gloria, thank you for being with us.

GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY: Thank you for inviting me, John.

VAUSE: I guess legally the big question right now for you is will the other allegations against Mr. Cosby be admitted into this case? Is that legally possible under state law here?

ALLRED: Well, it appears that the prosecutor has indicated that if there are other alleged victims of Mr. Cosby, that they should contact law enforcement in Montgomery County. And that says to me that they're interested in other potential witnesses who might allege similar prior bad acts.

Now of course, the decision is going to have to be made by the DA as to whether he is going the call those individuals as witnesses. And then it's going to be up to the judge to decide if their testimony is relevant and if it's admissible. My guess, it's just a guess, is the defense will not want any other witnesses called who might allege prior similar acts.

[00:05:06] VAUSE: Because if they are admitted into evidence, this is going to be a very steep hill to climb for any defense lawyer.

ALLRED: It would be tough and, you know, they might be able to testify and support a theory of motive or opportunity or planning. And so, it will be very interesting to see what happens.

VAUSE: It's one thing to have charges, which are you surprised we got to this point?

ALLRED: Well, the burden of proof in a criminal case is very high. It's beyond a reasonable doubt because of course, the defendant, if convicted, is going to be deprived of his liberty. In this case, could face many years in prison.

VAUSE: Up to ten years, I think for this crime.

ALLRED: Yes. And so, it's a very high burden of proof. In the civil lawsuit, which we are litigating on behalf of Judy Huth who alleges she was 15-years-old when she became the victim of sexual misconduct by Mr. Cosby at the Playboy Mansion, that burden of proof is much less. It's only - we only have to prove our case by a preponderance of evidence or by clearing convincing evidence if we're seeking punitive damages.

Both of those are less than beyond a reasonable doubt. Because in this case, we would be seeking damages. In other words, an a amount of money to compensate our client for the harm if she can prove it that was inflicted on her by Mr. Cosby.

VAUSE: But looking at this criminal case, does the time frame here make it much harder, all of this allegedly happening what, about 12 years ago?

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

ALLRED (voice-over): Well, the statute of limitations in Pennsylvania is 12 years, which means that a criminal case on these charges could be brought any time within that 12-year period. And so, that's what happened.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ALLRED (on camera): Now, of course, it may be the defense attorneys are going say oh, it's too old, and why did she wait so long, and, you know, sing that song. But the fact is the DA can proceed because he is within the statute of limitations. And now it's going to be a question of evidence and it's going to be for the jury to decide if there is sufficient proof.

VAUSE: A lot of people have a lot of opinions about this case. A defense attorney told Mesereau, who you know well, he is very famous for defending Michael Jackson. He is sort of making this allegation out there that Ms. Constand, you know, the person who is making the complaint, the allegation here, is possibly motivated by money. This is what he had to say.

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THOMAS MESEREAU, ATTORNEY: Many celebrities are victims of false accusations and they'll pay money to end the ordeal and spare their family having to go through all this. Michael Jackson freely admitted that he paid almost $20 million to spare his family, an OJ Simpson type situation. He went to trial and he was exonerated of every allegation, ten felonies and four misdemeanors. He was completely cleared.

And I would like to know who Ms. Allred's clients were 40 years ago. What were their morals? What was their behavior like? Did they go to parties where the drugs were handed out? Did they bring drugs to those parties? Why did they approach Mr. Cosby? What did they want to get out of the relationship?

This is 40 years later, and suddenly they're all coming out, making these accusations. Something seems wrong to me.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

VAUSE: Is that the kind of stuff which defense attorneys are likely to come up with in this kind of case?

ALLRED: Absolutely. And, you know, it's kind of a standard old script line. I could have predicted that pretty easily by defense attorneys as one of their theme songs for the defense. But the reality is that in the United States, victims have a right to both file a civil lawsuit seeking damages, that's their lawsuit where they are the plaintiff, and/or also go to law enforcement, which Andrea did, and seek to have the case criminally prosecuted. That would not be their case, it would be the case of the people of the state of Pennsylvania or whatever state it's going to happen in versus the defendant, Bill Cosby.

So, they have a right to go in both directions and I don't think that a victim who seeks compensation for herself in a civil case, where she can be empowered where it's her case, she still has to prove it. I don't think she should be criticized for seeking compensation. She's only going to get it if she can prove liability, in fact, that he did it and then can prove her damages.

VAUSE: Quite quickly, is this tactic essentially to turn Cosby into the victim?

ALLRED: Yes, I think it is. And it's to try to make Mr. Cosby the victim. And, you know, oh he is old. Oh, he is having trouble walking. Oh, whatever else they're going say, why do people wait so long and we're going to look at every, you know, skeleton in everybody -- all the alleged victims' closet.

Well, why do you think the victims haven't come forward in many cases for many years? Because they are afraid of the power, the wealth, and the fame of a celebrity. Mr. Cosby has hired a law firm with 700 attorneys to fight our civil lawsuit. And I don't know whether any of them will be working on the criminal case as well. But yes, they'll go after each alleged victim who might be a witness and they will go after them in a very strong way. And that's why I admire the courage of the alleged victims. And many of them have told me they understand the rigors of what might come. They're ready for it. They're going to tell the truth. And they are going to take the witness stand if they are called to testify.

[00:10:14] VAUSE: Gloria, thanks for being with us.

ALLRED: Thank you.

(EBGIN VIDEOCLIP)

VAUSE (voice-over): Now Bill Cosby has been a star in the United States and around the world for decades. Comedian and actor, celerity pitchman. He is best known for his role as the lovable family doctor in the 1980s sitcom "The Cosby Show." He is the winner of multiple Emmys as well as Grammy awards throughout his career and Cosby was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Television to film, from stand-up comedy to best- selling books, Bill Cosby's good-natured humor has always appealed to our common humanity, helping to bring people together through laughter. The United States proudly honors this truly outstanding American.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

VAUSE (on camera): Joe Cammarata is an attorney representing seven women who have come forward to say they were sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby. He joins us now from Washington.

So, Joe, just first up, what has been the reaction from your clients to these charges against Bill Cosby?

JOE CAMMARATA, ATTORNEY: Well, I can't tell you specifically what their reaction is because I don't want to violate any attorney-client privilege. But as members of the public who have an interest in the justice being brought, they were -- the public that is, were pleased with today's developments. It's a significant step towards holding Mr. Cosby accountable, and for justice being done for victims, alleged victims of Mr. Cosby's sexual assaults.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

VAUSE (voice-over): What did you make of Cosby's physical appearance today? I mean, this may sound minor, but, you know, he was wearing the Dr. Huxtable sweater, he had the cane. Do you think this was all stage managed in some way?

CAMMARATA (voice-over): You know, it may be. That's the cynical side of life. But the man is 78 years old.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

CAMMARATA (on camera): For years he has been complaining about he has bad eyesight and, you know, this is what it is. What it points to is that frankly, this is a tragedy. It's a tragedy for the Cosby family. It's a tragedy for each of the women that have had to allegedly endure his sexual assaults and his advances, and it's a tragedy for each of their families. But here we are in our system of justice, both the criminal and the civil side. We have an opportunity to have our day in court and for the truth to be tried.

VAUSE (on camera): One of the reasons why these charges were brought against Mr. Cosby is the election of a new district attorney in Montgomery County. He even campaigned on the issue. This is one of his ads.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): For district attorney in Montgomery County, Kevin Steele. First assistant DA with a 98 percent conviction rate and tough sentences for sexual predators. Or Bruce Castor, a former DA who refused to prosecute Bill Cosby. Castor said we don't charge people for making a mistake or doing something foolish.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

VAUSE: Does this in any way play to Cosby's defense? Could this get him a change of venue at the very least?

CAMMARATA: I don't think so. It's just campaign rhetoric. If you look at Steele's opponents, he says supposedly Cosby made a mistake. That's not what it's about. It's about Cosby's own admissions that he made in a sworn deposition he gave in the Andrea Constand civil litigation. It's about the evidence that the prosecutor has obtained from Andrea Constand, her mother.

And when you look at the totality of the evidence, the prosecutor, Mr. Steele, is determined that in keeping with his 98 percent conviction rate, that this is a case that he can and intends to win. From having a 98 percent conviction rate, this is a prosecutor that clearly has identified cases and only brings cases in which he can win. And so, if you're on the side of being charged by this prosecutor, that's going to be some cause for some concern.

VAUSE: Joe, thanks for being with us. And again, you know, appreciate your insights and spending some time with us. Thank you.

CAMMARATA: Well, I appreciate your wanting to have me on and your discussion of this very important topic. Thank you.

VAUSE: Well, another story here we have been following, the mother of the so-called "affluenza" teen is on her way to Los Angeles after allegedly helping her son flee to Mexico.

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[00:15:06] VAUSE (voice-over): Tonya Couch will be charged with hindering the apprehension of a juvenile. If convicted she could serve up to ten years in prison. Her son, Ethan couch, was sentenced only to probation for killing four people while driving under the influence. The defense blamed affluenza, saying the teen was too spoiled to know better. Ethan Couch is currently fighting deportation from Mexico. That process could take months.

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VAUSE (on camera): A short break. When we come back, Donald Trump is calling the race for the White House war. He is naming who some of his top enemies are. We'll have more on that coming up.

Plus, Europe is on heightened alert and a major city council's New Year's Eve fireworks over terror fears.

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VAUSE: U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump is taking no prisoners. In fact, he is declaring war, and he is making it clear that the Clintons are still high on his list of political enemies. Here is CNN's Sara Murray reporting in from Trump's last campaign rally for the year.

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SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump rounding out the year with a warning to his political rivals: 2016 is going to be a battle.

[00:20:05] DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I consider them enemies. We view this as war.

MURRAY: On his last day of campaigning before the new year, Trump is coming out swinging.

TRUMP: Hillary is a disaster.

MURRAY: Doubling down on his jabs against the Clintons and dredging up Bill's past indiscretion.

TRUMP: We had to respond to Hillary. She came out with that -- she came out, remember, she wrote, she said he's got a -- he's demonstrated a penchant. I demonstrated a penchant for sexism. Can you believe it? Me. I did have to mention her husband's situation, okay? And that is now the biggest story on television.

MURRAY: When asked Tuesday about his own personal life, Trump told a reporter it would be fair for the media or rivals to investigate his background as well. Trump is also boasting about the first ad blitz of his campaign, saying he'll spend $2 million a week in advertising in early voting states beginning next month. TRUMP: I'm going to be doing big ads in Iowa, New Hampshire, South

Carolina, and they're going to be very substantial. And I think they're very well done.

MURRAY: With the rest of the field tearing into each other, Trump is using his iconic hairdo to tear into President Obama's environmental agenda.

TRUMP: You can't use hairspray because hairspray is going to affect the ozone. I'm trying to figure out, let's see, I'm in my room in New York City and I want to put a little spray so that I can -- right? Right? But I hear where they don't want me to use hairspray. They want me to use the pump. Because the other one, which I really like better than going bing, bing, bing, and then it comes out in big globs, right, and it's stuck in your hair and you say oh my god, I have to take a shower again. My hair is all screwed up.

MURRAY: And ending 2015 with a parting plea: voters better not let him down.

TRUMP: Don't sit back and say oh, Trump is going to do well, he's a -- the more we can win by, you know, the more power we have in a sense because it's like a mandate. But you got to go out and vote.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY (on camera): Now, in addition to warning voters they actually need to turn out for him next year, Donald Trump also says he is getting ready to spend a lot of money in these early nominating states. That's a different tactic than what we're seeing from former Florida governor Jeb Bush. His campaign says he is pulling back on a $3 million ad reservation. Instead he is pumping those resources into staff on the ground, particularly in New Hampshire, hoping to improve his odds there.

Sara Murray, CNN, Hilton Head, South Carolina.

VAUSE: Well, CNN's senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein, joins me with more now on Donald Trump's war. Okay, he has declared war, and I guess he means it. The one thing which I find interesting about what Trump is saying, he is saying I only responded to Hillary. Essentially, I didn't fire the first shots here. So, from Hillary Clinton's point of view, was it silly? Was it a misjudgment to respond, to put Trump on the same level as she is to elevate him up to her level? Should she maybe had someone lower on the campaign deal with it and move on?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, you know, there are so many interesting things and revealing things about this exchange. I think the first point is the use of the phrase war, because I do think that a core appeal of Trump - I think if you look at the voters that he is appealing to, it is the most disaffected elements of the Republican party, primarily but not exclusively blue collar whites who feel both economically marginalized and culturally eclipsed (ph). And they really do feel as if they are at war, and I think a key to

his success is that they view him as willing to do and say almost anything.

VAUSE: Which he is.

BROWNSTEIN: Which is - and again, and that's what he does time and time again. He says things that the most disaffected elements of the Republican party want to hear somebody say, but that nobody has been willing to say. And I look at these Clinton comments really in that vein, as a continuation of what he has said about undocumented immigrants, or about Muslim Americans. It is simply giving voice to the kind of the unconstrained id of the Republican party.

Now whether...

VAUSE: A really great point.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

VAUSE: So, then should Hillary Clinton have responded to that knowing that this is just, you know, Trump hyperbole, if you like?

BROWNSTEIN: You know, I think Democrats overall, almost to a person, would relish the chance to run against Donald Trump because the same actions that he is taking that is deepening his hold on this disaffected piece of the Republican party is making it tougher for him to reach out beyond that if he became the nominee. So in that sense, elevating him isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world from a Democratic perspective.

VAUSE: What I've noticed, though, about this attack, and it's not really coming from Trump just yet, it's coming from other Republicans, but it's morphing into Hillary Clinton's husband, Bill, cheated to now -- and she didn't know about it, to now she turned a blind eye, she was an enabler.

BROWNSTEIN: Right.

VAUSE: She discredited these women. That -- I remember 20 years ago probably pieces of whispers about that, but no one ever talked that, that now seems to be in this conversation.

BROWNSTEIN: Again, it is - it is a kind line of argument that has been percolating in conservative circles, and what Trump does is give validation to it by saying it.

(CROSSTALK)

[00:25:09] BROWNSTEIN: You know, I think very limited. I think in the end it is very hard for a male candidate with three marriages and his own history of infidelities to be able to make the case that the wife is at, you know, is the guilty party in the husband's behavior. And also, we kind of litigated all this 20 years ago in this country when Donald Trump, among others, said it was kind of hypocritical. You know, he criticized the House Republicans from impeaching him. I

mean, what we learned about in the Bill Clinton episode the first time, which I covered intently in Washington, is that most Americans recognize that everybody has something in their life that they don't want to read on the front page of the "Washington Post," and that they - and that they separated that from the ability to do the job.

So yes, with some conservative audiences is this going to strike a chord? Absolutely. But Donald Trump is looking at a 33 percent favorable rating among women in the latest CNN/ORC poll. And by the way, that includes his numbers among Republican women. If you look at his numbers among women who are not Republicans, 12 percent favorable, 12.

VAUSE: Very quickly, prediction, who wins Iowa, who wins the nomination for both parties?

BROWNSTEIN: Wow.

VAUSE: Very quick.

BROWNSTEIN: I think Ted Cruz wins Iowa.

VAUSE: Yes.

BROWNSTEIN: I think Hillary Clinton wins Iowa. I think Hillary Clinton wins the nomination. And I don't think you can predict the Republican nominee. We've assumed it will be Cruz, Trump, or someone from the centrist lane like Marco Rubio. That centrist lane may or may not ever get filled.

VAUSE: I think it will be Trump.

BROWNSTEIN: Wow. All right, there you go.

VAUSE: Thanks for coming in.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

VAUSE: Thanks, Ron.

We'll take a short break now. Still to come here, fears over terror attacks with New Year's celebrations just hours away. We'll look at the heightened alert which is in Europe.

Plus you'll hear from some of the families who escaped ISIS in Ramadi and why they say the nightmare may not be over.

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[00:30:15] VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause. The headlines this hour.

(HEADLINES) VAUSE: Much of Europe is on high alert for new year's eve over terror concerns. Officials in one major city have even canceled celebrations. Authorities say they're doing everything they can to make sure people are safe.

Nic Robertson has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

ANDRE VANDOREN, OCAM DIRECTOR: We cannot exclude it. We will be obliged to wait the evolution of the investigation. But we cannot exclude it.

ROBERTSON: In Rome, the heart of Christendom, security is tighter than ever. Police in London issued their own warnings of caution around new year's eve parties.

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

ROBERTSON: Germany, the same. New year's eve celebrations amidst unprecedented security.

ARJA MARS, EVENT REPRESENTATIVE (via Translator): After recent events we have again adopted raised surveillance video, more security guards, stricter entrance inspections, more fences -- already adapted, yes.

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

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

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

Restaurants here quieter than past new years. Bookings are down. Same in Paris too. People now familiar with the threat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What should I do? There is nothing to do. There is police and military everywhere. I think we're safe here. But everything can happen in anywhere. In London, in Paris, everywhere. If somebody can get a bomb and then explode someone one. So.

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

Nic Robertson, CNN, Brussels, Belgium.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, Iraqi force says they have retaken Ramadi from ISIS. Local leaders and families say the terrorists still control some districts in the city and are using human shields. Here's our Nima Elbagir.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sibling squabbles. Some semblance of normal life.

(on camera): Just a day ago, these families were still inside Ramadi, uncertain what the future would hold. Today they are tired, they're cold, but they're finally somewhat safe. These few hundred families, though, are amongst the lucky ones. Iraqi officials tell us that they believe there are still at least a thousand families still inside Ramadi being used, they say, by ISIS as human shields to block off the eastern district of the city and slow the government's offensive.

[00:35:15] This camp in Anbar Province was built to hold all of the families that they were hoping to rescue from inside Ramadi. For now, so many of these tents, too many, Iraqi officials tell us, are standing empty. But they're hoping that soon they'll be rescuing more families and bring them back here.

(voice-over): Neda al-Zali (ph) says she and her six children watched as her husband stared down the militants, refusing to allow them to take his family.

(on camera): Neda (ph) says that her husband was taken away by ISIS fighters with a sword held to his neck. She says he managed to save them from being amongst the families that were taken to the east of the city and used as human shields.

(voice-over): Neda's (ph) husband managed to escape ISIS, but now like many of the men evacuated from Ramadi, has been taken in for government questioning. Until she returns, she says she won't believe their nightmare is truly over.

Night falls, and the men gather around the fire. The winter nights are bitter, and many fled with only the clothes on their backs. But for now, to be here, to be safe, is enough.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, Habbaniyah Camp, Anbar Province, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: A short break here. But when we come back, we'll head to the Korean Peninsula where there has been a state funeral for a high- ranking official attended by the No. 1 leader himself, Kim Jong Un. And he was close to tears. A live report in a moment.

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(WEATHER REPORT)

VAUSE: A top North Korean official is being laid to rest in a state funeral.

[00:40:03] According to official media, Kim Yang Gon died in a car accident on Tuesday. None of the details have been released. Experts, though, are raising questions about the circumstances of Kim's death, pointing out his successor (sic) died exactly the same way.

Alexandra Field joins us now from the South Korean capital of Seoul. So Alexandra, if you look at that image which was put out by state media of Kim Jong Un, the leader, next to the casket, next to the body, pretty much close to tears. This is a country which always controls the image and the message. What can be read into that?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, certainly there is good reason of course that they're putting out these images. They put out very few details about the death of Kim Yang Gon, but they are certainly trying to put out these three very powerful images that give us a somewhat rare view of what a state funeral in North Korea looks like, with all of the attendant pomp and circumstance. And you see the leader Kim Jong Un taking this very deep bow in front of the coffin. You also see him approaching a body at one point, nearly tears in his eyes.

And if the pictures didn't speak for themselves in the way that the regime would want them to, well, there is also this accompanying news report from the state news agency, which places its own description on the pictures, letting everyone know that Kim Jong Un is in bitter grief, that he is bitterly sorrowful, that this is a faithful helper, a close comrade in arms, a man who was so loyal to Kim Jong Un, they say, that if Kim Jong Un had called him and ask him to wake up from the dead, it seemed that this man would have.

So really, a very elaborate description from the state news agency of the grief that Kim Jong Un was feeling. So why put this kind of message out? Well, it seemingly would seem to counter suggestions that are of course being made by some skeptics here, people who closely watch North Korea, who are wondering if Kim Yang Gon could be part of a purge that has taken place since Kim Jong Un came to power. Again, the only thing that state news is saying about the death of Kim Yang Gon is that he died in a car accident. And a lot of people are quick to point out that this is the same way that a number of other high-ranking North Korean officials are said to have died, including Kim Yang Gon's predecessor. So it has raised questions for people who are perhaps not entirely confident that this car accident was in fact an accident. John?

VAUSE: Yes. But I'm sure if he could get up from the dead, he would. And when that happens, let us know. Alexandra, thank you. Alexandra Field is live in Seoul. FIELD: Certainly.

VAUSE: Historic flooding in the U.S. state of Missouri has killed at least 14 people, and it's expected to get worse. Hundreds of people have been trying to get through flooded highways. The state's rivers will likely have recorded crests over the next several days. Many people who are forced to leave their homes are afraid they don't have a home anymore. Right now, more than 12 million people in 19 states are under flood warnings across the Midwestern and southern U.S.

Well, thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause. "WORLD SPORT" is up next. And I will be back with another hour of news from around the world. You're watching CNN.

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(WORLD SPORTS)

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[01:00:09] VAUSE: This is CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles.