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Gaza Faces Man-Made Famine as International Aid is Blocked; Trump Dismisses Former VP Pence's Refusal to Endorse Him for Re- election; RSF Forces Accused of Forcibly Recruiting Men and Children in Sudan's Civil War; US Generals Blame State Department for Delay in Afghanistan Evacuation; Hong Kong Passes Sweeping New National Security Law, Sparking Fears of Increased Crackdown; Argentina Battles Rising Poverty Despite Slowing Inflation; Questions Over Catherine's Absence from Royal Duties. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired March 20, 2024 - 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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JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello everyone, I'm John Vause coming up this hour on CNN Newsroom.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S SECRETARY OF STATE: 100% of the population in Gaza is at severe levels of acute food insecurity.
VAUSE: Gaza's entirely preventable man-made famine. The babies and the children will die first. Some already have.
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I couldn't care less. I couldn't care less.
VAUSE: Donald Trump kicks another loyalist to the curb, attacking his former vice president Mike Pence for refusing to endorse his old boss. And how gossip became scandal and scandal became crisis for Catherine, the Princess of Wales.
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VAUSE: When famine comes, the children usually die first, especially the newborns. Emaciated, vulnerable, left weakened. And the World Health Organization is now warning that a growing number of infants are on the brink of death in Gaza from hunger. Just a day earlier, the UN warned that, unless there is a humanitarian ceasefire right now, not tomorrow, but now, famine will take hold in northern Gaza within weeks. And this is a man-made, entirely preventable crisis.
Convoy after convoy of trucks filled with life-saving food and medical supplies are waiting to enter Gaza. But a parking lot filled with good intentions will do nothing unless those trucks are allowed over the border and to deliver their aid supplies to the people who need it most. According to the US Secretary of State, the entire Gaza population, is at severe levels of food insecurity. And a warning for Israel from the UN Human Rights Chief, continued restriction of aid into Gaza may amount to a war crime.
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VOLKER TURK, U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS : The extent of Israel's continued restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza, together with the manner in which it continues to conduct hostilities, may amount to the use of starvation as a method of war, which is a war crime.
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VAUSE: The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, seems unmoved by all of the pleas and demands from around the world. He says he's determined to fulfill the military objective of his five-month long offensive on Hamas, especially in the southern city of Rafah.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We have an argument with the Americans regarding the need to enter Rafah. Not regarding the need to eliminate Hamas, but rather the need to enter Rafah. We do not see a way to eliminate Hamas militarily without destroying those remaining battalions. We are determined to do so.
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VAUSE: Those comments from Benjamin Netanyahu come despite warnings from the US President Joe Biden about this looming offensive on the southern city of Gaza. The White House says that Netanyahu's confidant, and another delegate from Israel, is a security adviser, who is expected in Washington next week to discuss this looming offensive on the southern city. More now from CNN's Jeremy Dimond, reporting in from Jerusalem.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Following a call between the Israeli Prime Minister and the American President, an Israeli delegation is set to travel to Russia. to Washington in the coming week to discuss the potential for a major Israeli ground offensive into Rafah. The Israeli prime minister spoke with President Biden on Monday about that potential ground offensive, and President Biden asked Netanyahu to send that delegation. And so this sets the stage now for a major discussion about the merits of that ground offensive.
The Israeli prime minister has said that Israeli troops must enter that city of Rafah, where some 1.5 million Palestinian civilians are currently sheltering, calling it Hamas's last bastion. But American officials have been raising increasing concerns in recent weeks about the potential for that major offensive, talking about the concerns of the impact that it will have on the civilians who are sheltering there, but also on the entry of humanitarian aid via that Rafah crossing from Egypt into the Gaza Strip. Now, as these officials are set to meet to discuss that potential offensive and what Americans intend to present as potential alternatives to that ground offensive. There are still these ongoing negotiations to try and reach a temporary ceasefire and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages. An Israeli delegation had travelled to Doha, Qatar. After a day, though, they returned to Israel for further consultations. That doesn't spell the end of these negotiations, though. There is clearly momentum behind these talks. There is clearly movement heading in the right direction, according to the key negotiators.
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The next steps now is for Israel to submit a counter proposal to Hamas's latest proposal that has been put on the table. Qatari mediators for their part say they are cautiously optimistic. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
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VAUSE: Five U.S. states have been voting on this Tuesday in the presidential primaries even though that race is decided. As you well know it is now a contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden come November which means that down ballot races are receiving some attention. In Ohio, CNN projects Cleveland businessman and businessman, Cleveland businessman rather, Trump supporter Bernie Marino will win the Republican Senate primary and he will face incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown in November in a race that could be critical to determining which party actually controls the upper house.
Former president voted Tuesday in the Florida Republican primary. Trump responded to recent comments by his vice president, Mike Pence, who said he could not in good conscience endorse Trump's campaign for president.
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TRUMP: I couldn't care less. I couldn't care less. We need patriots. We need strong people in our country. Our country is going downhill very fast, very rapidly. Millions of people coming across the border, coming from jails, from prisons, coming from mental institutions and insane asylum terrorists. We need strong people in this country. We don't need weak people.
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VAUSE: President Biden making his pitch on the president's campaign. He's been in the states for a second term in the battleground states of Nevada and Arizona. He won both states in 2020, but polls show tight races there come November. Biden is hoping to shore up support among Latino voters who were a key part of his 2020 coalition, which sent him to the White House.
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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: We have a lot more to do, a lot more to do. The reason this election is so important is not about me. It's about the future. It's about the future. He wants to undo every single thing we've done if he gets elected. He stated it straight up. But there's so much more to keep and to do.
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VAUSE: Larry Sabato is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, as well as editor of Return to Normalcy, the 2020 election that almost broke America. Normalcy didn't really last that long. Larry, thanks for being with us.
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR POLITICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Nice to see you, John.
VAUSE: Okay, so it seems the Republican presumptive presidential nominee has softened his previous policy position on NATO, which was, quote, letting Russia do whatever the hell they want to NATO members, which are not fully paid up, to this.
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TRUMP: I believe the United States was paying 90% of NATO, the cost of NATO could be 100%. It was the most unfair thing. And don't forget, it's more important to them than it is to us. We have an ocean in between some problems. Okay, we have a nice, big, beautiful ocean. And it's more important for them. They were taking advantage. And they did. They took advantage of us on trade, and they took advantage on -
UNKNOWN: So, if they play fair, if they start to play fair, America's there.
TRUMP: Yes, 100%. 100%.
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VAUSE: Not exactly reassuring for Europe. But one more time here. NATO is not like a private golf club or a resort. Members do not owe dues each month. Member states are expected to maintain defense spending at a minimum of 2% of GDP. So still, what Trump said was kind of a walk back in a way. But why?
SABATO: You've got to remember the new Republican Party, which is really the Trump Party, is an isolationist party. Isolationism has taken over. It's a good piece of the Republican base, which is the Trump base. So, first of all, they love this. They want him to pick a fight with various European allies. They'd love to see us save money or maybe even exit NATO, which would be a disaster, not just for Europe, but for the United States.
And second, Trump has never learned, even after having held the presidency for four years, that presidential words matter. And it applies to presidential candidates, too. You can't just take one position one day and another position the next day and then a third position the following week because it upsets our allies, not our enemies, our allies. VAUSE: And that seems particularly surprising, given the fact, as you say, he was president for four years and he still seems to struggle with this idea of alliance building around the world, as well as just simple traditions and norms of the office of the presidency.
SABATO: I don't think he could pass a basic test in modern history or civics. And I'm sorry to say that. But I think there's plenty of evidence that he couldn't pass it even after a term as president.
VAUSE: Okay, well, Thomas Al submitted his brief. This is another issue of history, I guess, in many ways. He submitted the brief to the Supreme Court in the immunity case. In that brief, he argues that future presidents could be vulnerable to de facto blackmail and extortion while in office if the Supreme Court does not accept his sweeping view of immunity from special counsel Jack Smith's election subversion case or charges, rather. So as far as we know, the 44 presidents before Trump, and the current one right now didn't really struggle with this issue. But this appeal, it seems, isn't really about settling a matter of law. It's more about the calendar right now.
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SABATO: That's exactly right. It's delay, delay, delay, stretch out the legal calendar, try to get all the trial verdicts and maybe even the beginning of most of the trials after November 5th, which is Election Day. That's what it's really about. And it's an absurd assertion, an absurd suggestion by Trump that somehow presidents should be protected almost completely. Even this very, very conservative Supreme Court with three of his own appointees on and six conservatives, I don't think they'll go along with it because they would be lampooned for it.
VAUSE: And the Supreme Court on Monday did turn down an emergency request by former Trump advisor Peter Navarro. He wanted his jail sentence to be put on hold while he appealed one of his convictions. Still, it seems he now heads off to prison and is now there content. Listen to this.
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PETER NAVARRO, FORMER TRUMP ADVISOR: I will walk proudly in there and do my time. I've had the greatest amount of support from Donald Trump and his team.
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VAUSE: He's the first former Trump White House staffer who will be inside a jail cell for any crime related to the January 6th insurrection on the Capitol. The first of many.
SABATO: Yes. There may be others. So, in a sense, he's blazing the trail. And I kind of think he likes that. But it's just a very odd position to take for him. He knew better. All he had to do was to go into Congress and give testimony or even take the fifth, which is what some of the others did. But he was so obstinate about it and arrogant that he's ending up in prison. Good luck to him.
VAUSE: Yeah. Good luck to him. He'll need it. Thank you so much for this. Nice to have you there from the University of Virginia. Thank you, sir. Well, a contentious immigration law from the state of Texas is now once again on hold after a decision by a federal court of appeal just within the last hour or so. Just hours earlier before that, the U.S. Supreme Court actually ruled in favor of this Republican-backed legislation. But the Federal Appeals Court will now hear arguments in the coming day about this law, which allows Texas state officials to detain and arrest people they suspect of entering the country illegally. We'll take a short break when we come back here on CNN.
A new national security law in. Hong Kong. It's fuelling fresh concerns over what this will mean for the city. Details in a live report in a moment. Also had hundreds of men and children forcibly recruited into Sudan's civil war. A CNN exclusive in a moment.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. The U.N. says the situation in Haiti remains tense and volatile. But still, aid deliveries have continued. More than 242,000 gallons of water were sent into Haiti this month. And the World Food Programme has provided more than 146,000 hot meals. And the World Food Programme has provided more than 146,000 hot meals.
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The surge in gang violence has forced many schools, hospitals and government buildings to close. Haiti's public electricity company says several substations in the capital, Port-au-Prince, have been destroyed, leaving some parts without electricity. Haiti's neighbour, the Dominican Republic, tells CNN the best way to try and control the gang violence in Haiti is to provide Haitian police with well-armed international assistance. Here's more now from the Dominican Foreign Minister.
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ROBERTO ALVAREZ, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FOERIGN MINISTER: Armed intervention by itself does not solve the Haitian problem or any country's problem for that matter. It's only the Haitians themselves that will eventually, they will have to pull themselves by the bootstraps eventually. And they are the only ones who can do it. However, in order to get to that point, where you can have certain level of peace, security -- Some -- basic law and order for that today international assistance is required.
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VAUSE: A new CNN investigation now has found that Sudan's paramilitary rapid support forces have forcibly drafted hundreds of men and boys into their war against the Sudanese armed forces. In this exclusive report, Nima Elbagir reports on the RSF at weaponizing food amid a looming famine and grave and gave civilians a deadly ultimatum.
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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION (voice-over): Propaganda video from the paramilitary rapid support forces the RSF. For much of the last year they have slashed and burned their way through the country. This video shows them triumphant and entrenched in the very heart of Sudan, Al Jazeera State. And they are recruiting local men in the hundreds.
UNKNOWN (through translator): I declare joining the RSF.
UNKNOWN (through translator): I declare joining the RSF.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): But it's impossible to tell who here is a willing soldier and who has been forcibly conscripted. Eyewitnesses have told CNN that RSF soldiers are giving civilians an ultimatum: enlist or starve. Our investigation shows how almost 700 men and 65 children have been forcibly recruited to swell RSF ranks, and that's just what we've been able to verify in Jazeera.
Across Sudan, reports and images like this one are emerging: children in RSF uniform. As across Sudan, millions forced from their homes by violence now face famine. CNN spoke to three dozen eyewitnesses, survivors, and the families of victims. The RSF, they say, is weaponizing hunger, denying food to those who won't join. Aid groups say almost four million children in Sudan are already malnourished, as the country faces mass starvation. If aid agencies can't get food to those in need, almost a quarter of a million children could die. Jazeera is Sudan's breadbasket, its heartland. To control this part of Sudan is to exert control over who lives and who dies.
The RSF denied they are responsible for the hunger gripping the country, yet they control every aspect of farming this land. They control the warehouses of food and aid meant to support the most vulnerable. They control the seed supplies, fertilizer, pesticides, agricultural machinery, and irrigation channels. And it's not just the infrastructure; farmers are being targeted, brutalized, degraded, and killed.
Not just to control food, but to force allegiance. You hear shots off- camera as six of the men are executed, according to survivors who spoke to CNN. Those who were spared say the RSF threatened to starve their families if they didn't join. The RSF sit in the heart of Sudan, hoarding food meant for millions. From here they can wait out, starve out Sudan's people and its army. Fear, uncertainty, despair cascade as the months of war drag on and the world looks away.
ELBAGIR: The RSF did not respond to CNN's request for comment. We shared our findings with the U.N. special rapporteur for contemporary slavery, who says that the evidence we uncovered, the evidence you saw there of forced enlistment, is tantamount to contemporary slavery. Nima Elbagir, CNN, New York.
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[00:20:09] VAUSE: During a hearing on Capitol Hill over how the Afghanistan war ended back in 2021, two senior U.S. generals have thrown the State Department under the bus. Retired General Mark Milley and retired General Kenneth McKenzie both blamed the State Department for not acting sooner and ordering a non-combatant evacuation operation for remaining U.S. citizens in Afghanistan.
Hong Kong has now passed a second national security law with sweeping new powers, which the officials or critics say will closely line the city with the mainland. The bill was approved Tuesday after being rushed through Hong Kong's Legislative Council and debated over just 11 days. The law, which introduces dozens of new national security crimes, is sparking fears that an ongoing crackdown on dissent will simply get worse. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout out live for us now in Hong Kong. So, this is the second national security law? They really needed one? The first one wasn't tough enough?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and this is what it looks like. A hefty 212-page security legislation that was fast-tracked through Hong Kong's Legislative Council at the request of its top leader, John Lee. It was debated over just 11 days. Since March 8th, it introduces 39 new national security crimes and adds to the already powerful national security law that was imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020. Watch this.
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STOUT (voice-over): On the streets of Hong Kong, we ask a simple question. Do you support or not support Article 23?
UNKNOWN: I have no idea.
STOUT (voice-over): No idea? Yes or no?
UNKNOWN: Yeah, no, I have to go. I'm really sorry.
STOUT (voice-over): We ask in English. We ask in Cantonese. No comment.
STOUT: Article 23 is Hong Kong's controversial new homegrown security legislation. It includes a range of new national security crimes, including treason, espionage, external interference, and disclosure of state secrets.
It carries sentences of 10 years for crimes linked to state secrets and sedition, 20 years for espionage, and up to life in prison for treason, insurrection, sabotage, and mutiny. Officials point out that many Western countries have similar legislation and say it will fill loopholes in the sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 after mass and mass protests.
UNKNOWN: We still have to watch out for potential sabotage, undercurrents that try to create troubles.
STOUT (voice-over): In 2003, Article 23 was shelved after an attempt to enact it drew half a million residents onto the streets in protest. No such scenes of opposition are expected this time around. Beijing's national security crackdown has transformed Hong Kong. Dozens of political opponents have been arrested. Civil society groups disbanded. And outspoken media outlets shut down. Former opposition lawmaker Emily Lau was among the protesters in 2003. She's no longer marching but has a message for Beijing.
EMILY LAU, FORMER OPPOSITION LAWMAKER: I just want to tell Beijing there's no need for such stern treatment. I don't think Hong Kong will go back to the turbulent past. And I think people want to look forward to a safe, and peaceful, and free future. We want Hong Kong to prosper. We are part of China. I've never disputed that. But we are different from the rest of China. But the difference is getting less and less, which is very sad.
STOUT (voice-over): Critics say the law could have deep ramifications for the city's status as a global business hub. The U.S. State Department says it is concerned by the, quote, broad and vague definitions of state secrets and external interference, that could be used to eliminate dissent through the fear of arrest and detention. The Hong Kong government rejects that criticism as biased and misleading, with Security Secretary Chris Tang pointing out there is strong public support.
CHRIS TANG HONG KONG SECRETARY OF SECURITY: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
STOUT (voice-over): But on the streets, it's hard to tell.
UNKNOWN: We don't discuss these things, very sensitive.
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STOUT: The U.S. State Department expressed alarm about the legislation's vague wording. And according to the deputy spokesperson, Vedant Patel, it has, quote, the potential to accelerate the closing of Hong Kong's once open society. Now, the top leader of Hong Kong, John Lee, says that these laws meet international standards, that they protect rights and freedoms in Hong Kong. And he called the passage of this, a, quote, historic moment. And it all comes into effect this Saturday, March the 23rd. John.
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VAUSE: How many trees had to die for that piece of legislation, I guess, is one of the issues. But why was it fast-tracked? Why 11 days? Why the need for speed?
STOUT: Yeah, it was fast. It just took over a week to pass these new laws. We heard from John Lee that he said passing it quickly would allow the government to focus on reviving the economy. Let's bring up what he said. He said, quote, we will be able to effectively safeguard national security, allowing Hong Kong to move forward without worry or burden and focus on developing the economy and improving people's livelihoods, unquote. But legal scholars and business figures that we've been talking to, CNN, they're worried.
They're worried about the harsh penalties and also worried about the broad definitions in this new law. What constitutes a state secret? Are economic affairs, are risk assessments, are works of journalism, potential disclosures of state secrets? You know, we know in mainland China, national security laws there have broadened. They've targeted both local and foreign businesses. You may recall those raids on U.S. consulting firms last year. So, John, many people here in Hong Kong are wondering, could businesses in this city be next?
VAUSE: Back to you. Yeah, Kristie, thank you. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout there for us in Hong Kong with very latest. Thank you. With that, we'll take a short break here on CNN. Back in a moment.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN Newsroom. Argentina's new president has now been in office for 100 days. Javier Milei was elected on a promise of a new era. Already, he's pushed through cuts in public spending, entered food and fuel subsidies, and adopted the U.S. dollar. And he warned the economy would get worse before it gets better. Now, more than three months in, his critics point to spiking poverty and record inflation, the highest anywhere in the world. For your details now from CNN's Stefano Pozzebon reporting in from Argentina.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's still the afternoon when the soup kitchen in Buenos Aires opens for dinner. And for many, including children, this is their only meal of the day. Valter Torres (ph) is a regular. He comes here every night, he says, since he lost his unemployment benefit last year. Look how many we are. These people had a job or some plan and now they're queuing for food. Our salary is worth nothing.
This charity was born as a shelter for the homeless with the capacity for 50 people but most of the over 200 meals handed out today are taken away and eaten at home. Volunteers are asking for IDs to make sure nobody hoards on food which is scarce for everyone. Inside the kitchen is in full motion. Some of the guests are our own neighbors who would have never imagined they would need a charity, says this volunteer.
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And next to the kitchen, a clothing bank.
POZZEBON: This is another aspect of the new poverty crisis here in Argentina. When this service was started, it was mostly for homeless people, adults, while instead here, you see the sizes of four years old, four, five, six, seven, eight years old, meaning that the families can no longer afford to buy the clothes for the little ones.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Argentina's poverty rate was already rising before President Javier Milei took office in December.
JAVIER MILEI, ARGENTINIAN PRESIDENT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: There is no money.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Since then, his focus has been on an austerity drive, to bring inflation down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Argentine economy --
POZZEBON (voice-over): His reforms, like devaluing the Argentinian peso, over 50 percent, were applauded abroad, but punished many in Argentina, who have seen their salaries collapse and can no longer afford to pay for food. Getting today's fare at the supermarket out of the question for these workers.
While the analysts' verdict is still open --
MACARENA MICHIENZI, LEAD SPECIALIST, CEFEIDAS GROUP: I think we have to see how much the people is winning to -- to, like, give him the benefit of the doubt and to -- and to maybe adjust their budget.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Milei's interior minister pleading for patience in an interview with CNN.
GUILLERMO FRANCOS, ARGENTINE INTERIOR MINISTER (voice-over): What we want is for people to receive their benefits themselves and stop relying on food kitchens. But changing the system takes time.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Who doesn't have time is Turis (ph), who was able to eat today, but he's not sure about tomorrow. For him, change couldn't come soon enough.
Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Buenos Aires.
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VAUSE: According to the U.S. state of the global climate report, climate crisis not just getting worse, but it's getting worse at a record rate.
The World Meteorological Organization says every major global climate record was broken in 2023. Many were smashed. Average temperatures have reached the highest level in 174 years, nearly 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. And the WHO's climate monitoring chief says it's likely this year will set even more records.
U.N.'s secretary-general is demanding the world's attention. Again.
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ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Fossil fuel pollution is sending climate chaos off the charts. Sirens are blaring across all major indicators. Last year saw record heat, record sea levels, and record ocean surface temperatures. Glaciers likely lost more ice than ever before. Some records, are just chart topping. They are charts- busting, and changes are speeding up.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: Climate scientists are particularly worried about rising ocean temperatures, saying they're experiencing heat wave conditions which are almost irreversible. It could take millennia before they return to normal.
With that, we'll take a short break. In a moment when we come back here on CNN, the scandals, they keep coming. And the Photoshop keeps going for Princess Catherine, Princess of Wales. More dodgy photos from the wife of William.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I admire your luck, Mister --
SEAN CONNERY, ATOR: Bond. James Bond.
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VAUSE: The year was 1962, the actor Sean Connery, the legendary James Bond, one of seven actors to play the British super spy in the silver screen.
Now, there is rampant speculation of who just might be the next James Bond. So who is actually in the running? Well, here we go. British tabloid, "The Sun," citing an unnamed source, says the role has been offered to Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the 33-year-old known for films like "Savages" and "Nocturnal Animals."
Other reports say there's no truth to the rumors.
We've reached out to Eon Productions and Taylor-Johnson's team for comment. Other names on that list being floated are former Superman block of wood Henry Cavill and Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy.
Another picture released by the royal family is under scrutiny for some Photoshopping, some alterations. It's caught the attention of the media experts, in particular, this one here.
It was taken by the Princess of Wales, released by Kensington Palace last year. And the claims are it's been digitally altered.
CNN's own analysis found as many as 19 alterations.
No comment or declined comment from all accounts to Kensington rather. The scrutiny has compounded rumors about Catherine's health after her absence from public appearances since her abdominal surgery in January.
This video from "The Sun" shows the Prince and Princess of Wales in a rare public outing over the weekend. But even that caused all the speculation. William is currently only one of two senior royals making public
appearances after King Charles took on lighter duties after announcing his cancer diagnosis last month.
Royal historian Kate Williams is joining us now from London for more on Kate-gate -- that's the other Kate.
Kate, this is going to get complicated, but good to see you. Thank you for being with us.
KATE WILLIAMS, ROYAL HISTORIAN: Good to see you.
VAUSE; OK, so it seems almost at every turn this story just goes from bad to worse after Catherine, the Princess of Wales. "The Washington Post" headline from almost 24 hours ago read, "Will Princess Kate video put an end to royal communications mess?"
Eleven hours later, "TIME" reports, "Why a new video of Kate Middleton isn't quelling concerns." So just to give you an example of the coverage here.
What seems odd, though, is that the royals have dealt with far worse before. This isn't their first rodeo. Did they create this mess simply by misjudging the amount of information that was released about Kate; it wasn't enough at the end of the day to keep all the conspiracy theories at bay? Or is it more to this than just that?
WILLIAMS: I think that's exactly the point, John. This is not a crisis. This isn't like the death of Diana. This isn't like the breakdown of the Windsor marriages.
This was a lady having abdominal surgery and wishing to recover. Perfectly straightforward.
What's happened is a disaster of their own making. And that's really happened due to this lack of managing the P.R.
Normally, the royals either give a few updates or they say nothing and just carry on smiling and waving. In this case, we didn't get any updates. William withdrew from engagements, and the Internet erupted into conspiracy. I've never seen such crazy conspiracy theories as there were in this case. I mean, I've never seen anything like it.
And the Mother's Day photo didn't quell them. And now, this -- this latest photo, the Farmshop photo in what's been called Farmshop-gate, that set people off all over again.
So really this is, I think, you know, a moment when the royals have to look back and say, we can never do this again. A simple operation has been turned into chaos.
VAUSE: And if this saga had a theme song, it might sound something like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Kate Middleton, where are you? Explanations I'm not buying. Princess Middleton, where are you? Someone is clearly lying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: For everyone playing along at home, that is the theme music from the cartoon, "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?"
So here's one of the things you see in that the royal P.R. machine hasn't really gone up to speed with how to deal with social media, whereas you say, there were some crazy, ridiculous conspiracy theories which have covered almost everything about what could possibly have happened to Kate.
WILLIAMS: Well, there are these conspiracy theories. And normally, they stay in a small corner of the Internet about the royals.
But this time they've really come mainstream. And you have mainstream newspapers, mainstream shows referring to them. And people are all talking about them. It's an international story.
I mean, and you've got a situation when Kim Kardashian saying she's out there looking for Kate. We've had other foreign royals making jokes about it. I mean, this is not what the royals want. They don't want to be a meme. They don't want to be a Scooby-Doo theme tune. They want to be taken seriously for their constitutional role and their charity role, and this isn't what's happening at the moment.
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In fact, I think what we've got here, I think, is certainly a strategy that the royals haven't tried before. And this is one, I think, that wouldn't really have washed during the queen's reign.
And it does seem to me as if either William and Kate have been badly advised or perhaps this was William's idea. And I think, really, it's one that he won't be repeating.
Because what's happened is they -- what they need to do was protect Kate. She's obviously had tough surgery. She needs time to recover. Surgery is tough on the body and the mind.
And instead of that, she was protected. And there's been all this payoffs of conversation about her, which I think she -- she would have had to be aware of.
VAUSE: All this could be resolved, couldn't it, by an appearance somewhere in an official function for Kate, a wave from a car, perhaps?
WILLIAMS: Yes, an official function. And you know, Charles the king, you know, apart from Russian media, no one said the king is dead, even though we haven't seen him. And everyone quickly said the king isn't dead. But what Charles has done is the odd little update. And he did a little video at the end of February, thanking people for all the lovely cards and -- and presents and get-well-soon messages. And that's quite often, we -- we see the royals do that.
So I do think that we probably should see Kate doing some kind of little engagement, perhaps after Easter, or perhaps a photo or a thank-you letter.
But certainly, this is also on William. William has to go out there and smile, and he has to talk about Kate. And we've seen him doing that in the last couple of engagements. Today, he was at a -- yesterday, I mean, he was at an engagement and he said, my wife needs to be here to hear this about homelessness. And he also said that, my wife is the arty one in an engagement last week.
So although Kate does need to do something, I think the big responsibility here is on William to go out there, talk about Kate, do -- do some updates. He's the one who's not recuperating. This is his responsibility now.
VAUSE: All on him. Kate, thank you so much for being with us. Kate Williams there in London. Thank you.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. We'll take a short break and then WORLD SPORT is up next. I'll be back at the top of the hour, hopefully. We'll see. Then another -- then an hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Back here in about 18 minutes. See you soon.
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