we will ask former assistance secretary of state jamie rubin next on "now." [ heart beating, monitor beeping ] woman: what do you mean, homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods? [ heart rate increases ] man: a few inches of water caused all this? [ heart rate increases ] woman #2: but i don't even live near the water. what you don't know about flood insurance may shock you -- including the fact that a preferred risk policy starts as low as $129 a year. for an agent, call the number that appears on your screen. >>> no government would tolerate a situation where it nearly a fifth of its people live under a constant barrage of rockets and missile fire. and israel will not tolerate this situation. i hope that hamas and the other terror organizations in gaza got the message. if not, israel is prepared to take whatever action is necessary to defend our people. >> that was israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu in a press conference yesterday as bombings continued between israel and hamas in gaza. today the conflict is rapidly escalating. a hamas rocket struck north of jerusalem this mo

jamie rubin always nice to have you with us.ing up at the top of the hour we're going to talk more about what's happening in the middle east with dr. hanan ashrawi of the palestinian liberation organization. >>> still ahead on "starting point," you know all that confetti that was raining down on thanksgiving day parades. wasn't that fabulous? well, actually, it was very sensitive information. oops. social security numbers, things like that. >>> also, the man who played one of the most beloved characters in movie history, peter billingsley, ravel if i, ta ral, talks about the new musical. we're back in just a moment. ti . because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. buy now. save

just another way we're engineering a better world for you. >>> we're back with jamie rubin and our panelnumber of people injured thon bus bombing is 22 people. nobody is reported dead there. we heard from the police chief saying they're going to work to prevent these kinds of activities. realistically, how can they? it's been a while since we've seen the bus bombings and cafe bombings. it is difficult to prevent. >> it is difficult. you're absolutely right. single individuals using small explosives are very difficult to prevent. but i think israel has gotten better. and the putting up of this famous fence along the west bank, increased security measures and importantly, as everybody forgets, the fact that the palestinian authority in the west bank is now much more secure than it used to be, has its own police force working with the israelis to prevent people from going from the west bank into jerusalem and launching these kinds of attacks. israel is safer when it has a relative partner to work with in the palestinian territories. in gaza, it has no partner. it has an enemy. that's why mo

insight from jamie rubin, president clinton's former assistant secretary of state.orld. sophomore jack taylor joins us to talk about his record breaking 138-point basketball game. >> it was insane. >> it was insane. the next game after that, though, not so much. we'll talk about that, too. and he's a living legend who really needs no introduction at all tony bennett will talk about his new album, his new memoir, his new documentary and his hobby which is painting. >> as if he had to be any cooler. now he's taken up pointing. >> he started his career as a painter. never thought the music thing would work out. high school teacher told him he would go into music. >> all that and much more when we see you right at the top of the hour, 7:00. >> thanks, soledad. we'll be tuning in. 42 minutes past the hour. looks like snow might be in the forecast for the middle east. i know berman is freaking out about this. let's get to karen maginnis for the very latest. say it ain't so. he's stressed. >> well it could be a rain/snow mix. you still without power? >> no, he has power. b