Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Controversy Erupts Over Trump's Mein Kampf-Inspired Rhetoric; GOP Candidates Tackle Trump's Extreme Language Ahead of Primaries; Trump Amplifies Hardline Stance on Border Crisis in 2024 Campaign; Republican Lawmakers Downplay Trump's Hitlerian Language; Trump's 2024 Strategy Raises Concerns: Echoes of Past Controversies. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired December 19, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, after weeks of seismic activity, warning and eruption was imminent. Volcano in Iceland is now spewing fountains of lava and releasing potential dangerous amounts of toxic gas. These are live images local time just after 5 a.m., 5.01. And the eruption has opened a fissure about three and a half kilometers long. The nearest town is the fishing port of Grindavik, where 4,000 residents were evacuated last month. So far, no reports of injuries, and officials say there will be no impact on international air travel, unlike past eruptions. Iceland's capital, Reykjavik, is about 40 kilometers away. The international airport there remains open. Also, no flight disruptions.

Hallgrimur Indridason is a journalist at RUV Broadcasting. He is with us this hour from Iceland's capital, Reykjavik, with more on the eruption. Thank you for being with us. So, you're in Reykjavik. What's the latest now on this eruption? How dangerous is it?

HALLGRIMUR INDRIDASON, JOURNALIST AT RUV BROADCASTING IN ICELAND: Well, that is quite uncertain. The eruption started with quite some force, more force than the previous eruption at the Reykjavik Peninsula. This is the fourth one in almost three years. But these last maybe two hours, the power of the eruption has diminished a bit. But that is kind of what has happened in the previous eruptions. The danger is still in the town of Grindavik. That town was, of course, evacuated a few weeks ago when the earthquakes took place. So, no one has stayed overnight, at least not with permission.

But as the latest information is that the southern end of the long crack, the four-kilometer crack that larva is still spewing out of, there is only three kilometers from the edge of the town. So, that is the main worry. But right now, the flow is more in the north than in the south. So, it's not, the lava is not flowing towards Grindavik as it is right now.

VAUSE: Is there any expectation or a timeline on how long this eruption is expected to continue? How long will we see these sort of spectacular images from this volcano?

INDRIDASON: Well, it is impossible to say. And the previous eruption kind of showed that. The first eruption lasted for some months, I think six months. We have also had eruptions that have only lasted three weeks. But this is the most powerful eruption yet. But that, -- but according to geologists, that really is no indication for how long this will stand. So, it's, it's unfortunately for the inhabitants of Grindavik, it's impossible to say how long this will last.

VAUSE: And there'd be these warnings leading up to this eruption. There'd be a lot of seismic activity. What can you tell us about that?

[00:05:09]

INDRIDASON: Yeah, well, the seismic activity, of course, started a few weeks ago. And then there were constant expectations that the eruption would start. That did not happen. And what has happened is that the town was evacuated. The inhabitants have been allowed for the last past two weeks, maybe, to go into the town from nine in the morning until nine in the evening. This eruption happened at 10. So fortunately, no one was in the town when that happened.

But the big question maybe is because there is a lot of infrastructure that is damaged, which is being repaired. But if this. If this activity goes on, then the big question is, will Grindavik be inhabitable in the long run? But still, that is something that we can't answer.

VAUSE: We'll wait and see. Hallgrimur there in Reykjavik. Thank you, sir. We appreciate you being with us.

INDRIDASON: Thank you for having me.

VAUSE: Well, China's northwest now, where an earthquake has left more than 100 people dead, nearly 600 injured. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 5.9 magnitude quake struck Gansu province just before. Midnight Tuesday, local time. Well, earthquakes are common in that region. Right now, though, temperatures are well below freezing. For more, let's go to Beijing. CNN's Stephen Jiang standing by. So, what do we know? I mean, what often happens in these cases, we get these initial reports, death toll of 100. And then as the hours go by, that death toll increases. What's likely to happen this time?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, John, as you say, this is on course to become the deadliest earthquake in China in nearly a decade because of the reasons you mentioned. And these capsules. As you say, figures, as you say, are very likely to climb in the coming hours as emergency responders reach more remote parts of the quake zone. That is the first challenge to face. That is the remote location of some of these villages and towns.

Even though on paper, the epicentre is only some 100 kilometres away from the provincial capital city of Lanzhou, where residents, by the way, also felt strong tremors overnight. But because this is geographically a mountainous area. Largely rural. We've already seen state media reports some of the some of the village roads being cut off from the outside by mudslides and other infrastructure, including a major bridge showing some cracks, prompting local authorities to issue warnings and restrictions.

So, all of that is going to hamper the speed of the search and rescue effort. And another factor, as you also pointed out, is the weather. Much of northern China, including that part of the country, has been facing a cold snap in the past few days with the overnight temperatures reaching minus 15 or minus 16 Celsius, that's only five degrees Fahrenheit. So obviously, this kind of bitter winter cold is also going to slow down the rescue efforts. And also, this is, according to experts, going to shorten the so-called golden window of 72 hours after a major quake for people to survive if they are trapped under the rubble.

And not to mention, this is also going to impact those who managed to escape, but who are now seeking shelter. So, we have seen some state media reports saying that some local authorities are able to set up shelter in some of the towns and villages and starting to hand out food and other supplies. And the central government here in Beijing also releasing some 30 U.S. million dollars' worth of emergency relief funds to the two provinces affected. But already we are seeing 1,600 firefighters being dispatched to the scene with reinforcement expected. So, because of the remote location of these areas and because of the temperature and the weather, time is really of the essence here. John.

VAUSE: Stephen, thank you. We appreciate the update. Stephen Chang live for us in Beijing. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has met with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv about ongoing concerns of Israel's military offensive in Gaza. Secretary Austin says he discussed pathways toward the future for Gaza, after Hamas, and for the protection of civilians in Gaza during his meetings on Monday with the Prime Minister. Austin also met with his Israeli counterpart who's both discussing the current military operations and military role in Gaza. and what might come next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: This is Israel's operation. And I'm not here to dictate timelines or terms. Our support to Israel's right to defend itself is ironclad. We also have some great thoughts about how to transition from high-intensity operations to a lower intensity and more surgical operations.

YOAV GALLANT, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER: We will continue to operate in different levels of intensity according to the situation in the region. So, all in all, there is no clock that is running.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[00:10:19]

VAUSE: The World Health Organization has demanded an end to Israeli attacks on hospitals and health care facilities in Gaza. But there's no indication when Israel will scale back its military offensive, which has left Gaza's medical infrastructure on the brink of collapse. CNN's Issa Suarez has details, but first a warning. Some of the images in her report are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sheer terror inside southern Gaza's Nasser Hospital. An artillery strike has just hit somewhere in the building. With a power cut, people inside rush with flashlights and mobile phones to try and find where and who has been struck. Here, they find her. Wrapped in a blanket is the body of 13- year-old Dina Abu Mohsen (ph). She had been recovering from an amputation at the hospital following a previous strike in Khan Younis, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza. Weapon remnants found by her bed were consistent with an Israeli illumination shell, a weapons expert told CNN.

CNN reached out to the IDF but has yet to receive a response. In the destroyed grounds of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, another heartbreaking goodbye. This hospital had been under siege for days by Israeli troops, who claimed it was operating as a command and control centre for Hamas. They withdrew from Kamal Adwan on Saturday, saying in a statement, their activity in the area was completed. And released video of a small amount of weapons, they apparently found there.

According to the UN's Office for Humanitarian Affairs, quote, an Israeli military bulldozer flattened the tents of a number of internally displaced persons outside the hospital, killing and wounding an unconfirmed number of people.

UNKNOWN (through translator): We have been displaced and today they demolished the building, killing doctors, leaving nothing behind. They haven't even spared the doctors. Look, my son is here, under the rubble, and I can't reach him.

SOARES: The IDF has not yet commented on this allegation. Over the weekend, the WHO chief said that, quote, attacks on hospitals, health personnel and patients must end, as medical facilities and those inside continue to bear the brunt of this war. Isa Soares, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Authorities are warning of a growing threat to commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Suez Canal from Houthi rebels in Yemen. U.S. Central Command reports on Monday, a U.S. warship responded to a distress call from a chemical oil tanker, the Swan Atlantic, which was being targeted by an attack drone and anti-ship ballistic missile. Around the same time, a second commercial ship, the Clara, also came under attack. There were no injuries reported in either incident.

Houthi forces claimed responsibility, saying both vessels were attacked because they're linked to Israel. In the days after, Israel declared war on Hamas, Iran-backed Houthis declared their support for Palestinians in Gaza. And now to counter these attacks on shipping, the U.S. announced Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new multinational task force aimed at securing these key waterways.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AUSTIN: Regarding the Houthis, these attacks are reckless, dangerous, and they violate international law. And so, we're taking action to build an international coalition to address this threat. And I would remind you that this is not just a U.S. issue. This is an international problem, and it deserves an international response.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: BP is the latest major company to pause operations in the Red Sea. Others include shipping giants Maersk and Evergreen. In 11 days, U.S. financial aid for Ukraine will run dry, according to the White House, unless Congress approves a new funding package. In a letter to lawmakers, the Defense Department wrote, saying, additional aid would be in America's best interest, and that the assistance is vital for Ukraine to continue its fight for freedom.

Critical funding from the EU is also on the line. They announced a special summit will be held in February to address the budget after a European aid package for Ukraine was blocked last week. So, with the additional funding stalled, Ukraine's counteroffensive in the east is also going nowhere. And the mood on the battlefield has changed dramatically as a result. CNN's Nick Paton-Walsh is on the front line out of warning. Some of the images in his report are graphic.

[00:15:09]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): This was where the billions were meant to spell a breakthrough, but where the counter-offensive was supposed to have kicked Russia to the sea this summer, now it is mud, death, deadlock, and the remnants of American help vanishing.

WALSH (on-camera): It's a notably different mood here, dark, frankly. In the summer, they were buoyed, feeling like they had the world at their back, moving forwards. Now, it's slow, dangerous, and a real sense of despair, to be honest.

Forty Russian drones swarmed one Ukrainian trench here in a day. Down here, in this tiny basement, the rule is do not get seen. The other side are not so lucky. Two Russians spotted moving a load. They guide in a mortar strike. There are just so many Russians now.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Usually more meat means more mints, the commander says, but sometimes their machine struggles to handle it, and sometimes they have success.

WALSH (voice-over): Batteries die fast in the cold, and Russian jamming seems to damage them too. This is Orakhiv, whose streets reek of crushed lives, and how much horror Moscow is willing to bring to be seen to win.

WALSH: It's been a matter of months since we were here in the summer. How much more damage has been done? If you've stopped thinking about Ukraine, be sure Putin hasn't. At command, they watch a wasteland, tree lines now bare. The dead, the injured. It's unclear if Russia treats them differently. Another Ukrainian drone aims for a foxhole. What they've struggled with are the waves of Russian assaults.

Dozens of Russian prisoners, well-trained and equipped, backed up by armor, who they say are given a mix of drugs. They show us this graphic video of a wounded Russian, his legs severed, seemingly high enough to smile through his fatal injuries. Still, they claim they have held hard-won ground, but at a huge cost.

UNKNOWN (through translator): As we say in the army, he says, the counter-offensive was smooth on paper, but we forgot about the ditches. Colossal changes are taking place. They started making their own attack drones and outnumber ours, but they use them badly, like a kid's toy. I'm sorry. What's there?

UNKNOWN: Heavy injuries!

UNKNOWN: From what?

UNKNOWN: Dexter, Dexter. Im Bremya, do you copy?

WALSH: They say a drone has hit a trench and blown up a gas heater.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Begin the evacuation, begin the evacuation! Evacuate in a small car. Did you move already?

UNKNOWN: No we didn't.

UNKNOWN: Why not? Why not?

UNKNOWN: No transport, no transport.

WALSH: The silence, the wait for news, agony.

UNKNOWN: Already dead.

UNKNOWN: Copy, is he dead?

UNKNOWN: Yes.

UNKNOWN: It's over, evacuate him, no rush. We can't help him already.

WALSH: Does it feel like the casualties are getting worse? Every casualty makes a difference, he says. It affects everyone's morale. It's very painful for him. Sergei, aged 48, was one of four Ukrainians to die in that area that day and about 50 that week. They haven't had to really talk about losing in this war, but this is what it looks like. It's not just drones. This Russian video seems to show a new threat, gas, caustic, flammable. The Ukrainians have had nine incidents on this front, killing one. Here are two survivors.

UNKNOWN (through translator): At first I saw smoke. We ran out from the trench and the gas suddenly caught fire. The trench was in flames. This gas burns, blinds you, you can't breathe, shoots down your throat immediately. We didn't even have a second.

UNKNOWN (through translator): You inhale it twice. Then you fail to breathe.

WALSH: Medical reports confirm they're poisoning, and Ukrainian official told CNN a form of a gas. And there was injuries inside your mouth, where?

UNKNOWN (through translator): On my cheeks, everywhere, inside the mouth. My face is swollen and covered in red marks.

WALSH: It is an ugly, savage world, even on a TV screen. Where there seems little, Moscow won't do. But too much, the West won't. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kvie (ph), Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[00:20:09]

VAUSE: When we come back here on CNN, quoting Putin and echoing both Hitler and Mussolini, Donald Trump's warm embrace of dictators. We'll explain why in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: In the U.S., the first vote in the Republican race for the party's presidential nomination is less than a month away. The Iowa caucus is seen as a must-win. And now Donald Trump is ratcheting up his rhetoric against immigrants. Some are comparing his remarks to Hitler because they sound like Hitler. CNN's Omar Jimenez has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, US. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They're poisoning the blood of our people. The blood of our country. That's what they've done.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former President Donald Trump is talking about undocumented immigrants in more extreme terms, echoing language used by white supremacists and promising unprecedented action if he's elected.

TRUMP: It is only common sense that when I'm re-elected, we will begin, and we have no choice, the largest deportation operation in American history.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): With just four weeks until the Iowa caucuses, the GOP frontrunner is leaning in. He's leaning into rhetoric that has traces of Adolf Hitler's writings, foreigners poisoning the blood of a nation. But it's just among the themes the Trump campaign appears to be focusing on in the final weeks to Iowa and New Hampshire.

TRUMP: Joe Biden is a threat to democracy. He's a threat.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Over the weekend, Trump quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin approvingly to attack President Joe Biden.

TRUMP: Vladimir Putin of Russia says that Biden's, and this is a quote, politically motivated persecution of his political rival. I think that this is a very good example of his political rival is very good for Russia because it shows the rottenness of the American political system.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): The Biden campaign responded. Donald Trump channelled his role models as he parroted Adolf Hitler, praised Kim Jong-un, and quoted Vladimir Putin while running for president on a promise to rule as a dictator and threaten American democracy. Trump's rhetoric, an evolution of his 2016 message on immigration.

TRUMP: They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): So far, no signs that such talk will have a negative impact on his standing with GOP voters, even as his Republican rivals campaigned to stop his march to the nomination.

NIKKI HALEY, US. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have to leave behind the chaos and drama of the past with a new generation and a new conservative president.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Nikki Haley has been rising in new polling, with a new CBS YouGov survey showing her in a solid second place in New Hampshire at 29 percent behind Trump's 44 percent among likely GOP primary voters. That same poll has DeSantis at second place, but in Iowa, behind the former president. DeSantis has been critical of Trump's recent rhetoric, saying it distracts from the real issues at the border.

RON DESANTIS, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To give them an ability, the opposition an ability, to try to make it about something else with some of those comments, I just think it's just a tactical mistake.

[00:25:19]

JIMENEZ: Now, both DeSantis and Haley still trail Trump significantly, according to the polls. But the dynamic between DeSantis and Haley and between Chris Christie, if you can search, and New Hampshire will be interesting to watch because a strong second place could send a message that the type of rhetoric, we've been seeing from Trump is at the very least vulnerable politically. That said, we're four weeks out to Iowa, and the poisoning the blood type phrasing is something the former president has doubled down on, even on social media, so clearly, he feels it's a winning message. Omar Jimenez, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Ron Browsing is CNN's senior political analyst and senior editor for The Atlantic. He's with us this hour from Los Angeles. Good to see you, Ron.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, John.

VAUSE: Okay, so here's a little more of what can be expected from a Trump presidency 2.0. Here he is. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We must use any and all resources needed to stop the invasion of our country, including moving thousands of troops currently stationed overseas in countries that don't like us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, the level of racism and bigotry and all the rest of it has been dialled right up. This is typical Trump. And right now it seems a large part of the country likes what they're hearing. They like what he's saying.

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, look, I mean, you know, there used to be a saying in American politics. I remember for really decades of covering American politics, people used to say on both sides of the aisle that you never win by comparing anyone or anything to Nazi Germany. Like it's always it always seems like a bridge too far to borrow a World War II analogy.

But in this case, Donald Trump is directly quoting Mein Kampf on the American campaign trail, you know, talking about poisoning the blood of the country. Is an argument that Adolf Hitler specifically used in his rise to power. And there is an audience for it. And there is a broader audience for a redirection of policy at the border.

And this really goes to, I think, the central issue from all the extremism, authoritarianism, open racism that you're hearing from Donald Trump. There are a lot of Americans unhappy with the way things are going in the country. There are a lot of Americans unhappy about the economy. Unhappy about crime. Certainly unhappy about the border. And a question whether Joe Biden can, you know, do his job for another term at his age.

But it is another issue, another question, whether there is ultimately a majority that is willing to put in power an American president who is approvingly quoting not only Vladimir Putin, but Adolf Hitler. And in many ways, Donald Trump every day is throwing Biden lifelines because we saw in 2022 that there were a significant, significant slice of voters who are disenchanted with Biden, who still would not vote for Trump shaped Republican alternatives because they viewed them as too extreme. And that is the door that he is leaving open if he becomes the GOP nominee.

VAUSE: Well, here's how Republican lawmakers are responding to questions about Trump's Hitleritarian type language. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): We're talking about language. I could care less what language people use as long as we get it right.

SEN. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): It's campaign bravado. You get up on stage, you're feeding off the audience and you just let it rip. And that's that's exactly what he does. And that's that's frankly, that's why a lot of people like him. MARC SHORT, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF FOR MIKE PENCE: I think it's highly unlikely that Donald Trump's ever read High Mein Kampf.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, maybe not Mein Kampf, but in 1990, his ex-wife Ivana told Vanity Fair that from time to time, her husband reads a book of Hitler's collected speeches, My New Order, which he keeps in a cabinet by his bed. You know, it seems, you know, what we just heard then. But the same excuses that we heard back in 2016, you know, don't take him literally, take him symbolically, that kind of stuff. This time, we know what we're getting. We know who Donald Trump is.And we're going into this election with eyes wide open in many ways.

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, look, I mean, Donald Trump long ago recognized, took the measure. If nothing else, he, you know, has kind of a feral sense of human weakness and vulnerability. And he took the measure of the leadership of the Republican Party and recognized there was no line he could not cross. That would cause a critical. Mass of them to oppose him because they both feared him in terms of his ability to turn his base against them.

And also, because they thought that he helped them gain the power they needed to do other things they want to do, primarily appoint justices, ban abortion, cut taxes. So, you know, what we have seen from almost everyone, again, other than Chris Christie, who on CNN yesterday not only called out this language but called out Nikki Haley in particular for dodging it. But the clip - Omar ran from Ron DeSantis opposing this on sort of tactical grounds. This kind of, you know, is a distraction rather than this is, you know, a moral offense.

[00:30:15]

That is a destruction rather than a moral offense. That is where we are. And, you know, to some extent, you know, it's a circular logic, Republican leaders say they can't oppose -- they can't stand up to Trump because the base supports him, so unwaveringly.

But one of the reasons that is the case, because they're not hearing from anyone that they truly trust that this is objectionable behavior. So in many ways they have painted themselves into the corner that they are now experiencing.

VAUSE: So with that in mind, here's Nikki Haley, fellow Republican running for the party's nomination, talking about -- answering a question about Trump's rhetoric. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's running on retribution. He wants to go out, and he talks about annihilating his enemies and using the criminal justice system to do so. What do you -- what do you think of that?

NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You guys are exhausting. You're exhausting in your obsession with him. The thing is, the normal people aren't obsessed with Trump like you guys are. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: I don't know how -- what to make of that. Normal people are not obsessed, but you know, the media is, but isn't it sort of the media's job to be obsessed when someone goes out there and talks like Hitler on the campaign trail?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, it's a dodge. I mean, Nikki Haley is on a track to, in all likelihood, eclipse Ron DeSantis after the first two states as the premier alternative left standing to Trump.

I mean, it is -- it is likely that, after Iowa and New Hampshire, she will be seen as a more viable alternative. She is ascending in New Hampshire by consolidating the parts of the party that are the most intrinsically opposed to Trump, and there are more of them in New Hampshire than just about anywhere else. Moderates, independents, suburban college-educated voters.

But to truly threaten Trump for the nomination, she is going to have to win a bigger share of voters, Republican voters, who are at least ambivalent enough about that, about him.

She is not going to do that without making a stronger case against him then she has been willing to do so far. And as you see in that clip. What offended her is not Trump's actions and language, but being asked for her opinion about them.

And when you are that deferential, you again raise the question, based on the earlier candidates. Are you really running to beat this guy? Or are you running to audition for vice president? Are you running to be the frontrunner in 2028?

If you want to win, you have to tell Trump-oriented voters why they shouldn't, you know, be with him again. And as far as she's been willing to go is a kind of passive tense construction that chaos follows him.

You know, like dust behind Pig Pen, in Peanuts, as if it does not -- it is not -- you know, it is not attached to him, or his -- he is not instigating and triggering it. That's where we are.

You know, by the way, I will just say again, I believe that Trump is going this far in this direction not because he feels like he needs to, but because he feels like he can. I mean, that he feels that Biden is weak enough at this point, that he can kind of let all of this rip, and he will still be fine.

And that may be true in the end. There may be enough voters who are dissatisfied enough with the way things are going that they are willing to empower this. But he is making this vastly more complicated and difficult than it could be for someone who was laser-focused on the economic discontents of voters, three years into the Biden presidency.

VAUSE: Ron, great to have you with us. Ron Brownstein there in Los Angeles. Good to see you. BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me, John.

VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we get back, Israelis are demanding the government bring the hostages held in Gaza home right now. More on that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:36:13]

VAUSE: Hamas has released video of three Israeli hostages being held somewhere in Gaza. CNN is not airing those images, because it's fearing the men were speaking under distress. All three were kidnapped from the Nir Oz kibbutz.

In the video, one of them is seen pleading for their release. He describes their suffering in Gaza and their fear of airstrikes. Many Israelis think the government, though, is not doing enough to free the remaining hostages. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The pleas are only growing more desperate.

RAZ BEN AMI, FORMER ISRAELI HOSTAGE (through translator): I begged the cabinet, and we all warned that the fighting would likely harm the hostages. Unfortunately, I was right.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Recently-freed hostages and the families of those still captive are ramping up the pressure on the Israeli government to reach a deal for their freedom, after Israeli soldiers mistakenly shot and killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Their desperate pleas smeared onto a white sheet on the building adjacent to where they were killed. "Help, three hostages," read the Hebrew letters, stained with red sauce.

Former hostages, like Doron Katz Asher, who was shot as she was whisked into Gaza, now beginning to share their stories of captivity.

DORON KATZ ASHER, FORMER HOSTAGE (through translator): The first day was foggy, because I lost a lot of blood. And they stitched my wounds on a sofa with the girls next to me. Easy to understand that it was without anesthesia.

DIAMOND (voice-over): In an interview on Israeli TV, she revealed that she and her two daughters spent part of their captivity not in a tunnel but hidden in a hospital.

ASHER (through translator): We were in a 12-meter room. Ten people, no beds, only a sink. And to go to the toilet, we had to knock on the door. They could open it after five minutes, or after an hour and a half. Small girls couldn't hold it.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Cramped conditions, but also unending fear. ASHER (through translator): Fear. Fear that because my girls were

crying, or making a noise, they would get an order from above, be taken from me. Fear, always fear.

DIAMOND (voice-over): For 49 days, Katz Asher shielded her daughters from that fear until the moment they were handed to the Red Cross on the streets of Gaza, where hundreds of people crowded their vehicle.

ASHER (through translator): It was the first time after a month and a half that Raz said, "Mom, I'm scared."

DIAMOND (voice-over): Multiple former hostages also describe the terrors of living under Israeli bombardment in Gaza.

OFIR ENGEL, FORMER ISRAELI HOSTAGE (through translator): There was some bombardment on the adjacent house. It sounded like it was going to hit us. One of the guards was notified that his family member was dead. You tell yourself, I hope he doesn't turn against us.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Nearly every farmer hostage spoke of feeling abandoned by their government while in captivity, now channeling that feeling into action.

SHARON ALONY-CUNIO, FORMER ISRAELI HOSTAGE: I think that everyone needs to understand that not enough is being done in order to free the hostages from the Gaza Strip. We need them to come back now. You have to do everything you can to bring them back now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, still to come here on CNN, welcome to the 21st Century, Catholic Church. The landmark decision from the Vatican about same-sex couples.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:41:41]

VAUSE: Well, it's long been expected, and now it's official. The Vatican announcing Monday that priests can offer informal blessings to same-sex couples. CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: A Vatican ruling signed off by Pope Francis has given priests --

LAMB (voice-over): -- permission to offer blessings to same-sex couples.

This is a significant development, given that two years ago, the Vatican had said that it was not possible to offer blessings to same- sex couples, because the church cannot bless sin.

LAMB: However, in this ruling, the Vatican says that it is possible to offer informal blessings to same-sex couples, and unmarried couples --

LAMB (voice-over): -- provided that they take place outside of formal church services and do not confuse the church's traditional teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman.

This ruling is part of the pope's long-running attempts to offer a more pastoral, a more sensitive, a more compassionate approach by the church to same-sex couples.

LAMB: And it marks a significant and important development in the church's ministry in this area.

Christopher Lamb, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: I'm John Vause, back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM, but first, WORLD SPORT starts after a short break. See you in 17 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:45:49]

(WORLD SPORT)

[00:58:19]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)