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CNN NEWSROOM

Ferguson Police Shootings: Man Arrested and Charged with Assault; Infamous Millionaire Linked to Cold Case; GOP Threatens to Delay Attorney General Confirmation; Aussie Teen Turns Suicide Bomber; High Stakes in Israeli Elections

Aired March 15, 2015 - 18:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Suzanne Malveaux, in for Poppy Harlow.

Topping this hour, police say they have arrested the man in connection with the shootings of the two police officers in Ferguson, Missouri. Twenty-year-old Jeffrey Williams is facing several charges, including first-degree assault for allegedly shooting the officers during a protest Thursday night.

I want to get straight to our correspondent Stephanie Elam who is on the ground there. She's at St. Louis County police headquarters in Clayton, Missouri.

And, what have we learned, Stephanie, about who this guy is, and what his motives were?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Suzanne.

Well, we know that they arrested Jeffrey Williams overnight. They said what was really instrumental in finding him were tips from people who were out on the street that night, people from the community, some of the people who were out there are demonstrating, and that led to finding this man.

Take a listen to what the prosecutor had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT MCCULLOCH, ST. LOUIS COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: Essentially what we've charged him with is firing shots. It's possible at this point that he was firing shots at someone other than police, but struck the police officer. So, the charge is still assault in the first degree, a class-A felony for striking those two officers. There was a weapon recovered which has been tied to the shell casings that were recovered there, the weapon recovered from him, and he has acknowledged his participation in firing the shots or he's -- that, in fact, he did fire the shots that struck the two officers.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ELAM: Now, they're saying that Williams says that he had an altercation, a dispute with someone who was out there demonstrating and that's who he was targeting, not the police officer, but they're leaving room for the fact that they're saying he could have actually been targeting the police officers.

I also spoke to one man who visited with Jeffrey Williams today. This man is also someone who has been organizing the protest and says that he knows Williams also through the religious community of just being in the St. Louis County area. He says he knows he hasn't been out there protesting and that Williams told him as such and stuck with the story that he believed someone had robbed him who was a demonstrator and that's who he was targeting -- although a couple of people I spoke with said that they don't believe that.

So, that's the twist right now is whether or not he was targeting the police. But I want to bring in Jeff Roorda who is with the St. Louis Police Association and the officers association.

And, Jeff, first of all, how are the police officers doing?

JEFF ROORDA, ST. LOUIS POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION: They're doing better and they're very relieved at this hour, the entire law enforcement family breathing a sigh of relief. But this is, for them in particular, very relieving.

ELAM: When did they find out about the arrest?

ROORDA: They found out before the news -- that they were notified by their chiefs early in the day.

ELAM: And I heard tell that there -- one of the officer's handcuffs that were used in the arrest, is that true?

ROORDA: In fact, both the officers. When they originally arrested the shooter, the Webster Groves officer's handcuffs were used, and then when they moved him to booking, they used the other officer's handcuffs.

ELAM: And what about this -- you know, I'm thinking about what we're learning today and we learned that the -- they believe that the shooter was in a moving vehicle, but the two officers that were shot were standing side by side.

ROORDA: Yes, they were. It was a case of shooting fish in a barrel, I think.

ELAM: And so, how hard is it to hit somebody in a moving vehicle?

ROORDA: Well, it's -- there's quite a distance there, too. As you saw from being out there, there is some distance, but when you're from an elevated position and -- and the officers are clustered as they were that night -- I mean, if your intent was to shoot into a crowd of officers, the shooter certainly succeeded.

ELAM: There is also the idea and we heard McCulloch talk about it today that he was in a car and while they believe that he may have been the only one who was doing the shooting, he may have had help. Is there any word on whether or not there were people with him in the vehicle?

ROORDA: I understood from talking to the sources close to the investigation early in the week that they believed that the car was occupied by at least two people and those other occupants may or may not still be at large.

ELAM: All right, all right. So, that's something we'll be hearing from. Jeff Roorda, I want to thank you for that.

ROORDA: You bet.

ELAM: So, obviously, at this point, the investigation. But whether or not he was targeting those police officers or somebody else, that is the point of interest that people want to clarify at this point, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Stephanie, thank you. Excellent reporting, as always.

I want to play more comments from the police conference about more evidence they have in this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCULLOCH: There was a weapon recovered which has been -- been tied to the shell casings that were recovered there, the weapon recovered from him and he has acknowledged his participation in firing the shots, he's -- that, in fact, he did fire the shots that struck the two officers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Joining me now, retired New York police detective, Harold Thomas, and CNN political commentator, Morehouse College professor, Marc Lamont Hill, and Kevin Jackson, founder of the Black Sphere, a network focused on ending racial identity in politics and the author of the new book "Race Pimping: The Multitrillion Dollar Business of Liberalism."

Harold, I want to start off with you here, because this suspect alleges that the police were not his intended targets, that he's after -- he's got a beef with somebody else. Does that pass the smell test to you, that there's a whole bunch of cops there and he decides to shoot into this crowd?

HAROLD THOMAS, RETIRED NYPD DETECTIVE: I find it hard to believe. You'd have to be a real fool to do something like that. But either way, it's a dangerous felon off the streets and I thank God that both of the police officers are going to be OK.

MALVEAUX: Do you think he should get something more than assault? I mean, something like attempted murder, you know? Clearly, was there a disregard for life. THOMAS: In New York, you know, we have something called depraved

indifference. He shot into a crowd. Whether it hit police or a civilian, you know, he had to know that there was a possibility someone could get killed. So I think so.

MALVEAUX: Kevin, I want to bring you into this conversation because you've reported a lot about the situation in Ferguson. I would imagine that the community here is scratching their head and wondering what was this about? Does this have anything to do with the relationship with police? Did it have anything to do with the community and what was taking place on the ground there?

Why would somebody from the community just kind of randomly shoot into the crowd like that? What are people saying?

KEVIN JACKSON, AUTHOR, "RACE PIMPING": Well, I think we probably got a pretty good understanding when we've got the president of the United States and the Department of Justice essentially putting a target on the backs of police. If they've come out more forcefully about things like this, I think we wouldn't be having this discussion.

If this guy was a Tea Party guy, I guarantee you, he'd be getting charged with attempted murder, anybody that would shoot into a crowd that maliciously and without any care in the world, we're not -- it's not even a matter of was he shooting at cops or was he shooting at regular people? He was shooting into a crowd and that should be attempted murder as far as I'm concerned.

But as far as the citizens of Ferguson go, I'm happy he's off the streets, but I don't believe justice has been served and I certainly don't believe it's been served for the city of Ferguson.

MALVEAUX: Marc, what do you think in terms of the relationship? What does this do for the relationship there on the ground in Ferguson between the black community, between those who have given up their positions -- there have been calls for others to resign, as well -- and the police officers, now that you have this individual who is at least in a county jail?

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think having some sense of closure or resolution to this phase of the crisis does help move things forward.

I have to disagree with Kevin. He says as far as he's concerned, shooting into a crowd means attempted murder. That might be his concern or his belief and that's not how the law works and there are legal standards for what constitutes first degree and second-degree murder, and simply having an indifference or reckless disregard for human life doesn't constitute first-degree murder, that's just a legal fact, that's not really something we should be debating, I would defer to some of the legal experts, but that is a fact.

But to the point here, I don't think President Obama and Eric Holder have put a target on police officers' backs. I think what they've attempted to do is address two issues at once, which is exactly what Brian Stelter was talking about earlier this morning on "RELIABLE SOURCES." We can have a conversation about protecting police. We can have a conversation about proper protests, we can also have a conversation about injustice from the perspective of the protesters.

We can talk about all of that, and we don't have to choose between defending protesters and attacking cops -- or not attacking cops. We can actually do both at the same time here. And I think the fact that it seems to turn out that this guy wasn't targeting police, that actually moves the conversation forward and help mend things here, because everybody was saying that the protesters had blood on their hands and Al Sharpton had blood on their hands because of what happened. It turns out maybe that's not true.

Police don't have a history of undercharging people when the police officers get shot. It's not like police tend to be gentle when they get shot. So, I'm inclined to believe the police when they say that's not what it was.

MALVEAUX: All right. We're going to leave it there, gentlemen. We're going to be watching. We certainly hope that this does bring a little bit more of a peace and some progress in dealing with the relationships in that community and the discussion that we're having across the country. Thanks again, Mark, Kevin and Harold. We appreciate it.

We have another high-profile arrest to tell you about. This is about a wealthy New Yorker who was suspected in several sensational murders. He's played a cat and mouse game with cops for decades now. Well, now, the subject of HBO's "The Jinx" is in jail.

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MALVEAUX: Three mysterious deaths in three states and a cold case that has really stumped detectives for decades now and there are now questions surrounding this documentary and if it actually played a part in the arrest of a wealthy New York real estate heir. Millionaire Robert Durst is sitting in a New Orleans jail cell today, arrested last night facing murder charges in the 2000 slaying of his longtime friend and crime writer, Susan Berman. Well, this after evidence in an HBO documentary gave authorities just the edge they needed.

CNN's Andy Rose has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY ROSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Authorities arrested Robert Durst in New Orleans Saturday on a Los Angeles County warrant. The real estate heir is the subject of the HBO documentary series "The Jinx" -- the show has looked into whether Durst is involved in the disappearance of his wife Kathy, and the 2000 unsolved slaying of his friend and crime author Susan Berman. She was shot to death in her home in Beverly Hills.

The Los Angeles County district attorney reopened the Berman case last week. "The Jinx" Web site suggests the show may have persuaded authorities to give it another look and connect the death to Durst. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you back him in a corner and if you threaten

his freedom, he'll kill you.

ROSE: "Jinx" producers say investigators believe Durst knows what happened to his wife. The documentary explores the possibility that Berman was murdered because she also knew Kathy Durst's fate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The jury find the defendant Robert Durst not guilty.

ROSE: Durst is no stranger to controversy. The millionaire was charged in 2003 for the murder and dismemberment of a neighbor in Galveston, Texas. Durst said he acted in self-defense and a jury acquitted him in that case.

A New Orleans extradition hearing is set for Monday. Durst's attorney says his client will fight the charges in Los Angeles as soon as possible.

I'm Andy Rose, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: I want you to check out the timeline here. In 1982, his wife goes missing. 2000 during the ongoing investigation over his wife, his friend is found murdered execution style in her home. 2001 his neighbor is killed. Now, Durst admits to that murder and he's later acquitted in the case by a Texas jury.

So I want to bring in our senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.

You've been following this for years.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: You can't make this up.

MALVEAUX: Oh my God. I can't believe this. This is -- it's kind of crazy. Just to be clear, so one of these cases where he chopped up his neighbor, but he said it was in self-defense.

He killed him first, right? Yes.

TOOBIN: Galveston, Texas. Correct.

And a jury in Galveston found him not guilty accepting his defense of self-defense, notwithstanding the fact that following killing the fellow in Galveston he chopped up the body and threw it into the sea. Very unusual self-defense case, but somehow the jury bought it.

MALVEAUX: So what --

TOOBIN: The murder of his wife and the murder of Susan Berman have never been solved and there's never been an arrest until today.

MALVEAUX: So what happened? What was it about the documentary, inside this documentary was that potentially was a smoking gun. TOOBIN: Well, I mean, you know, HBO, which is also owned by Time

Warner, which also owns CNN has done a six-part documentary by remarkable filmmaker Andrew Jarecki, the season finale is tonight at 8:00 p.m. I mean, talk about timing, but what happened was they persuaded Durst to give many hours of interviews and Durst is basically the major figure of this documentary. Much of what he said is highly incriminating.

MALVEAUX: So let's listen to him and let's take a moment and listen to what he has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not strange enough --

ROBERT DURST: I feel terrible for Susan. I was astonished that they were putting all this together that I did it or I caused it to be done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So -- I mean, so how likely is any of this of what he says going to be held up in a court of law, right? Whatever comes from the documentary, can they use it against him?

TOOBIN: Sure. Absolutely. I mean, it's a voluntary statement.

This is why criminal defendants and criminal suspects are told by their lawyers don't talk to the press. Now, we in the press we always try to get them to talk and Andrew Jarecki fortunately for the documentary got him to talk. But that is all completely admissible in court.

Now, that particular exchange we saw is not particularly incriminating, but much else that comes up in the story and it is very complicated murder mystery stuff. There is a misspelling of -- Beverly Hills that seems to be consistent with the way Durst misspells it. There are timing issues that appear to put Durst in California at the time of the murder.

Now, none of it is, you know, 100 percent dispositive of his guilt by any means and presumably, he'll have yet another trial. But at 71, maybe he'll finally be facing a jury that doesn't --

MALVEAUX: Now, he sits in a New Orleans jail and the process will continue. It will play itself out. Is it possible, Jeffrey, that if he had never participated in this documentary and if he'd never talked, he'd still be a free man?

TOOBIN: I'd say likely. I'd say almost certain.

I mean, there is no way, in my opinion -- and I know how prosecutors' offices work -- that they would have decided to reopen a 15-year-old murder case except for the fact that he participated in this documentary. I mean, it's completely clear.

MALVEAUX: Do you have any idea what's in the finale tonight?

TOOBIN: All I know is I'll be watching.

MALVEAUX: Now, I'm going to be watching, too.

TOOBIN: You should be.

MALVEAUX: All right.

TOOBIN: Sorry to turn this into a commercial, but it really is amazing.

MALVEAUX: It's unbelievable. Yes, he's behind bars now.

All right. Thank you, Jeffrey. Appreciate that.

TOOBIN: OK.

MALVEAUX: And moving on, we are going to go on to the next. She was once considered a shoo-in to become the next attorney general. Well, today's Republicans go on CNN to say not so fast. What the top Senate Republican wants in return if Loretta Lynch is to get an up-or-down vote.

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MALVEAUX: An ugly fight in the Senate delaying a vote now to confirm Loretta Lynch as attorney general. Appearing today on "STATE OF THE UNION", Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned Democrats that there will not be a vote on Lynch until they resolved a dispute over human trafficking bill that includes an anti-abortion provision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It sounds like you are threatening to hold up Loretta Lynch who has been in limbo for months and months.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNEL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: It's not a threat. We need to finish this human trafficking bill that came out of the Judiciary Committee unanimously. That's the next item. It's on the Senate floor right now. We need to be finished that, so that so we have time to turn to the attorney general, because in the next week, we'll be doing a budget, and two weeks -- and the next two weeks after that, Congress is not in session.

BASH: So, unless Democrats give in, Loretta Lynch's nomination will not be on the Senate floor next week.

MCCONNELL: We have to finish the human trafficking bill. The Loretta Lynch nomination comes next. And as soon as we finish the human trafficking bill, we'll turn to the attorney general.

BASH: But let's ask -- I want to ask you about the attorney general because she initially really had bipartisan praise, support and as the weeks and weeks and weeks have gone on since he's not gotten a vote. I believe maybe it was the longest in history for her post, she has lost support from many Republicans who say they don't like the idea that she agrees with the president's immigration plan. But what else would they expect? The president, of course, will nominate someone who agrees with his own plan. I mean, that's his prerogative.

MCCONNELL: Well, the nomination hasn't taken that long if you consider when it was actually taken up which was this year. The Democrat majority back in December had the chance to work on the nomination earlier and decided to delay it until this year, and the nomination is scheduled to be considered as soon as we finish the human trafficking bill.

I think the attorney general nominee is suffering from the president's actions. There's no question about it. The actions he took unilaterally on immigration, after the election enraged a number of members. Lots of members have voted -- have talked to the nominee. She had bipartisan support in committee. We'll take her up just as soon as we get through with this important human trafficking bill.

BASH: Would you vote for her?

MCCONNELL: I haven't made a decision yet.

BASH: What's holding you back? Is it that issue?

MCCONNELL: Well, I'm bringing her up. So, I'm not denying the administration an opportunity to have the nominee.

BASH: No, I mean you personally.

MCCONNELL: I'm going to announce what I'm going to do at a later time. But the first thing we need to do is finish this important human trafficking bill and then we can turn to the nomination of the attorney general.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Following that interview, Senate Minority leader Harry Reid released his statement saying, quote, "Senator McConnell should keep his word and bring Attorney General Nominee Loretta Lynch up for a vote this week. By continuing to stall Lynch's nomination, Republicans are failing yet another basic test of their ability to govern."

And Democrats are accusing Republicans of sneaking that anti-abortion language into the human trafficking bill, but Republicans say that Democrats should have just read the bill some months ago.

And Western teens facing terrorism charges, that's up next.

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MALVEAUX: Welcome back. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

Three teenage boys in Britain are in police custody now. British authorities say that they were trying to get to Syria to join ISIS. This is a story reminiscent of the three British girls who are believed to have already entered Syria to join ISIS. Well, today, the girls' families express great disappointment with the school, police, local authorities, as you can imagine, who they say, quote, "failed to act appropriately and to pass on vital information to us or indeed between each other."

This comes as we learn more about the journey these girls and other teens are making to join this terrorist organization.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): New video today shows the three British teens who fled their homes last month crossing into Syria. Backpacks on and luggage handed off. The teens are thought to be headed into a life with ISIS, but who is helping them?

Turkey's foreign minister says his country has detained this Syrian citizen. They say he is a spy from inside the U.S.-led coalition who helped the girls get into Syria.

MEVLUT CAVUSOGLU, TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER (Through Translator): He works for the intelligence services of a country that is a member of the coalition. It is a very complicated situation.

MALVEAUX: They are far from the only suburban teens to leave their families for the black flag of ISIS. The terror group says this Australian boy blew himself up Wednesday and that there are others patiently waiting to do the same. According to the group, 18-year-old Jake Belardi of Melbourne killed himself in an Iraqi suicide bombing.

TONY ABBOTT, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: This is a horrific situation. An absolutely horrific situation. And it shows the lure, the lure of this death cult to impressionable youngsters.

MALVEAUX: ISIS posted these photos of the fresh-faced teen behind the wheel of a van that they say were snapped just moments before it exploded.

Belardi is said to be the author of this newly discovered blog. In it he described his journey to becoming a jihadist. In a January post, foreshadowing his apparent suicide, he writes, "I put my trust in Allah and signed myself up for a martyrdom operation," adding that he is waiting for his turn to sacrifice himself.

Belardi describes his transition from an atheist to supporter of Islam, and finally to a radicalized jihadist, writing, "The invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan gave birth to my disdain for the United States and its allies including Australia." The more he learned about jihad, its benefits, its importance and the rewards for taking part in military operations to raise Islam in the land, the more I desired to join the mujahidin.

And he isn't alone. Just last week, two other Australian teens were arrested in Sydney's airport suspected of trying to join ISIS.

A CIA source estimates more than 2,000 Westerners from various countries have gone to fight in Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now back to the three teenage boys stopped in Turkey today, British authorities say they were on their way to Syria in an attempt to join ISIS. At least two of them are said to be British. One of the teens is 19, the others are just 17.

Want to bring in our CNN global affairs analyst Kimberly Dozier.

And Kim, good to see you. Let's first talk about the schoolgirls, the Australian teen, you got these three here. It appears that ISIS is going after folks that are younger and younger.

Why do you think that they feel that they're successful in targeting these young people and what is the appeal?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, I think it's a matter they will take anyone who heads their way. They're putting out something like 90,000 Twitter messages a day in addition to all sorts of different material on jihadist Web sites that is designed to draw people in including young people.

For the young women they have pictures of attractive jihadi males who will flirt in messages with them and tell them about the honor awaiting them of becoming an ISIS wife. And so for the young men, especially if they're from a community where they don't really feel part of society like some parts of Britain where you have Muslim communities that are sort of off by themselves, this becomes a draw, a place to become somebody important.

MALVEAUX: And Kim, I reported this week, at least a couple of these teens, one of them the mother died of cancer, the other one they had -- the other spouse, the parent was remarried, they felt like there was this -- you know, this phoniness of the world. Some of this seems like typical teenage angst stuff but others of it seems like they really are honing in on the vulnerable, those who have these experiences that really catch them at a bad time.

DOZIER: Well, perhaps honing in on the vulnerable or those are the people who are answering the call. It's also fairly simple for some of these Europeans to travel via Spain through Turkey to Syria. It was a real embarrassment for Turkey that it let the three British schoolgirls cross so this is a way of them capturing these three teens to say, look, we really are on top of this.

The message that's not getting out to the teens is the message that CIA chief John Brennan had last week that there is starting to be dissension within the ranks of ISIS, infighting. Some ISIS members being executed by the leadership for not towing the line.

That message isn't getting down to the teens who are being lured.

MALVEAUX: Yes. Clearly not.

Kimberly, I want to talk a little bit about what we heard from Secretary of State John Kerry today. He says now that the U.S. is going to have to negotiate potentially with the Syrian President Assad to remove him from power. Here's how he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: Everybody agrees there is no military solution. There is only a political solution. I am convinced that with the efforts of our allies and others there will be increased pressure on Assad.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And you'd be willing to negotiate with him?

KERRY: Well, we have to negotiate in the end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Kimberly, what would the U.S. offer him to step down? What do you suppose -- what are the -- you know, the carrots here?

DOZIER: Well, what a change ISIS has brought. Only a couple of years ago you had President Obama saying that Assad must go and now you had again, CIA chief Brennan last week saying they don't want the Assad regime to fall because ISIS and the al Qaeda offshoot al-Nusra are now the strongest military groups other than the Syrian regime inside Syria and they fear if Assad goes that one of those groups will take the majority of the territory.

What could the U.S. offer Syria at this point? Well, what it's wanted all along, Bashar al-Assad wants the U.S. to admit that he's facing a terrorist problem and that he belongs in power -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Do you think, Kimberly, that that's something that the United States would or could do? Make some sort of acknowledgement that there's is in his country, but there still needs to be some sort of dignified way for Assad to go?

DOZIER: Well, I think that's what you saw Kerry signaling earlier this year when he backed Russia's brokering of talks between Syrian rebels and some of Assad's officials. They want a way out of this that keeps some form of centralized government in power in Syria, and I think what we've seen is an opening that the Assad regime will probably seize upon.

MALVEAUX: All right.

Kimberly Dozier, thank you so much. We really appreciate your analysis.

And of course, the question being what is at stake in this week's Israeli elections? We're going to talk about that after a quick break.

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<18:41:00> MALVEAUX: In two days, voters in Israel will decide if they want to stay with Benjamin Netanyahu for another term. Election day will also reveal if Netanyahu's recent friction with the White House will pay off for him politically. That disagreement is over Iran's nuclear ambitions, but plenty of issues are going to guide Israeli voters' hands on Tuesday.

Our own Elise Labott has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: With an Iranian nuclear threat stalled peace talks with the Palestinians, deepening tensions with Washington, Israeli voters head to the polls facing stark choices that will shape Israel's fate on the world stage.

World powers are moving towards a nuclear deal with Iran. If that deal goes forward, many here fear Israel will find itself in the middle of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Without a deal, the Iranian nuclear threat grows. Either way the next prime minister may be forced to consider unilateral military action if Iran's nuclear ambitions continue.

With the Iranian threat and Islamic extremism engulfing the Middle East, Israel counts on the United States to help maintain its security which is why Israelis see close ties with Washington as one of their top foreign policy priorities.

Ties with the U.S. have grown increasingly strained under Netanyahu's tenure, most recently over his speech to Congress, criticizing President Obama's policy towards Iran. The U.S. has also voiced frustration with continued Israeli settlement activity, something that's also caused tension between Israel and Europe.

For six years under Prime Minister Netanyahu the peace process with the Palestinians has been gridlocked, and months of negotiations led by Secretary of State John Kerry broke down last April, leaving Palestinians to take unilateral moves at the United Nations and join the International Criminal Court.

The left has pledged to restart peace talks with the goal of a two- state solution, something many Israelis say they want. And economic issues, rising food and housing prices, health care and social welfare reform have emerged as key issues in this campaign despite the attention to international crises and Israelis say these domestic issues could be key factors in determining their next leader.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: CNN's Elise Labott in Jerusalem, thank you.

We are now joined by Peter Beinart. He's the CNN political commentator.

So, Peter, you know, a lot of people are -- as Elise mentioned, there are so many issues on the table. You talk about the negotiations with Iran, their own domestic economy, how bad things are for the Israelis themselves, but could this be about Benjamin Netanyahu? Could this be about the man himself? The referendum on who he is as opposed to many of the other things that people are talking about?

PETER BEINART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, there are certainly a lot of Netanyahu fatigue in Israel. He's been in office for six years, and I think there's clearly enough support, therefore, a change. The questions some ways in recent weeks in this election has been -- has his main opponent, whose name is Buji Herzog, met the kind of criteria so people can imagine him as prime minister.

But there's clearly -- I think there is definitely a majority of Israelis who are ready to try someone new.

MALVEAUX: And Tuesday, when they go to the polls, are they going to be thinking about his presentation before Congress? Do the polls actually play out and show that he got a bump, that he got something out of that visit that caused so much consternation here?

BEINART: He doesn't really seem to have gotten a bump. The domestic issues, especially the price of housing which is very, very difficult for Israelis to afford these days, I think has been the biggest issue in this election and I think that's been Netanyahu's biggest problem.

You know, Tip O'Neill, the Democratic speaker of the House, came and said all politics is local, we focus a lot on these international issues but it seems, at least at this stage, that these local issues, economic issues, housing in particular, is really the biggest thorn in Netanyahu's side.

MALVEAUX: Let's talk about the Iranian talks that are going to be taking place. The secretary of state, John Kerry, is going to be meeting with his Iranian counterpart tomorrow.

Where are we in the process here? There is a deadline that is looming, it is right around the corner, there's a lot of pressure from Netanyahu not to make that happen.

What do we expect out of that meeting?

BEINART: It's really hard to say if you're not in the room as I obviously am not. But I think one can say that John Kerry would probably not be putting his prestige on the line as secretary of state to the degree that he is doing unless he thought, unless the White House thought there was a significant chance for a deal.

Whether they'll succeed, we don't know. But I actually also think that if Netanyahu loses on Tuesday, that makes their work a little bit easier. Remember, a lot of the critics in the United States have been criticizing the deal, saying, the deal is a threat to Israel.

If the prime minister of Israel is no longer saying that then, I think, it actually puts the Obama administration in a slightly better position.

MALVEAUX: And finally, you mentioned Herzog as his main opponent, potentially the man who will, in fact, become the new prime minister.

How does that play in terms of U.S. relations? Is that a better thing for the Obama administration?

BEINART: Yes. I think the Obama administration would breathe a huge sigh of relief if not, you know, do something even more extroverted than that. They would be very, very happy to not have to deal with Benjamin Netanyahu again.

It's not to say they're going to -- they're going to agree with Buji Herzog on everything, but they're not going to have an Israeli prime minister who is publicly opposing them and making kind of deals with the Republicans behind their back.

MALVEAUX: All right. Peter Beinart, appreciate it.

BEINART: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: And this, adding 10 years to your life. All you have to do is move. That's what people are telling us. You're going to hear about that, as well, in a place where people forget to die.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Checking some of our headlines. There has been an arrest in connection with the shooting of two police officers in Ferguson, Missouri. Twenty-year-old Jeffrey Williams is facing several charges, including two counts of first-degree assault and one count of firing a weapon from a vehicle.

Prosecutors say they are still investigating whether Williams meant to shoot the officers or someone he was having an argument with Thursday night. Police say they have recovered a 40 caliber handgun linked to the crime.

New York millionaire Robert Durst is sitting in a New Orleans jail cell, that is today, facing murder charges in the 2000 slaying of his longtime friend and crime writer Susan Berman.

CNN has just learned from a law enforcement source that when Durst was arrested he was planning to flee to Cuba. Durst is jailed without bond and is waiting an extradition hearing Monday morning.

An HBO documentary on Durst's life is being credited with giving authorities the evidence they needed for an arrest.

And Ebola now back in the headlines. Right now 11 Americans are back in the U.S., rushed here from the West African country of Sierra Leone. One of those people who returned Friday does have the Ebola virus.

We are told that patient is in serious condition. The other 10 were potentially exposed and doctors are now monitoring them.

Emergency supplies are just starting to arrive in Vanuatu after a powerful cyclone damaged 90 percent of the buildings in the capital city of Port Vila. Tropical cyclone Pam pummeled the small island nation for nearly 24 hours. At least six people are confirmed dead, but it is feared that number will grow. The Red Cross says thousands are in need of food and shelter.

We are back right after this.

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MALVEAUX: What can we learn from a place where people live up to a decade longer than most Americans? Well, this has been called the island where people forget to die by "The New York Times."

Bill Weir takes us there tonight at 10:00 on "THE WONDER LIST."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN HOST, THE WONDER LIST": Like many of the Greek isles it is a lush, rugged rock, perched above the Azure Aegean Sea, but unlike the rest of Greece, the rest of Europe, heck, the rest of most of the world, Ikarians live really long and really well.

True story, a 140-year-old woman walked into a bank on this island, looking for a loan. The banker politely explained that financing is only available to those under the age of 103.

So how do they manage to thumb their nose at the grim reaper this way?

As the ferry gets closer to this intriguing island the first vital hint comes into view.

You'll notice that the shoreline of Ikaria is not exactly the most hospitable when it comes to docking a boat. Very rocky, very craggy, no real natural ports and then there are the winds around this part of the Aegean, notoriously squirrely. Sailors have been complaining about these winds going back to the Iliad. So that combination of factors made this island a really lonely place for a long time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: All right. You don't want to miss this. "THE WONDER LIST" tonight, 10:00 Eastern here on CNN.

And up next, "FINDING JESUS," catch up with every episode before tonight's premiere focusing on Judas, that's at 9:00 Eastern.

Here is a sneak peek.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know what you have here? This is something that's only been hinted at in antiquity. For the first time ever we're laying eyes on the actual gospel of Judas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But there's bad news. Restoration will cost a fortune. Chakas needs someone with very wealthy contacts, enter manuscript dealer Bruce Ferrini.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was told that Bruce Ferrini was a very reputable manuscript dealer and that he had Bill Gates as a client. That sounded good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seeing the chance to make a quick profit, Ferrini decides to buy the manuscript himself and sell it on. Ferrini writes two checks, totaling $2.5 million for the Gospel of Judas and they bounced.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chakas needs to reclaim her property.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ferrini has the documents, he's got the papyrus, and what does he do with it? He puts it in a bag in the freezer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is, in fact, recommended treatment sometimes for books, manuscripts made out of paper, but it's not conservation treatment for papyrus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Great stuff tonight. Stay with CNN and CNN.com for breaking news any time and March Madness kicks off soon. You want to fill out your bracket? Test them against our CNN anchors. Just go to CNN.com/brackets.

I'm Suzanne Malveaux, and thank you for joining us.