03/12/21 03/12/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! pres. biden: i'm announcing all states, tribes, territories to make all adults, people 18 a older, eligible to be vaccinated no later than may 1. amy: in his first primetime address, president biden vows to accelerate the vaccination effort and bring more normalcy to the country by july 4th.

we will speak to nobel prize winning economist joseph stiglitz about biden's $1.9 trillion relief package and stiglitz's call for vaccine equity and debt relief for developing countries. then we air a shocking report from inside yemen on the world's most devastating humanitarian crisis. >> supply gateway for the rest of the country. it should be bustling with activity spec today it is empty. a result of the u.s.-backed saudi blockade. the last time able to dr. was in december. in the echoing silence, it dawns on us. we are about to witness the terrible impact of this blockade. amy:nd we will look at how oprah winfrey's interview with megan markle and prince harry has exposed racism within the british royal family. >> i do not want to be alive anymore.

there are several conversations. >> there is a conversation with you? >> with harry. >> about how dark your baby is going to be? close potentially and what that would mean or what that would look like. amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman. president joe biden signed the almost economic stimulus and $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill thursday, one day ahead of schedule following its final approval by congress wednesday. some of the $1400 direct payments will arrive in bank accounts as early as this weekend. in a prime-time address from the white house, biden said the u.s. was set to mark independence from covid-19 by the 4th of july thanks to a mass vaccination effort that's reaching about 2.25 million u.s. residents a day.

pres. biden: first, tonight, i'm announcing that i will direct all states, tribes, and territories to make all adults, people 18 and over, eligible to be vaccinated no later than may 1. amy: during his speech, president biden also condemned surging hate crimes against asian ericanover t past year. den and mocric leaders a holding ceremonyt the white house ro gden toda celebring passe the stimulusill. biden d vice pside harris ll begin nationwide ur promotg the leslation xt week w'll he more othe ronavirurelief bl after headnes wi nobel ize-winng economt joe stlitz. thu.s. recorded ,000 new coronavirus infections and over 1500 deaths as governors thursday continue to roll back public health measures. in europe, demark, nway, and iceland have suspended use of astrazeneca's covid-19 vaccine after reports of severe cases of

blood clots and one death in vaccinated people. it's not known if the vaccine caused the clots, and european union regulators say the vaccine's benefits continue to outweigh its risks. meanwhile, reuters is reporting that biden administration officials have denied requests to ship millions of stockpiled doses of astrazeneca vaccine from a factory near baltimore to countries desperate to use them, even though the vaccine is not approved for use in the united states. the u.n. warns over 88 million people around the world are -- were facing acute hunger by the end of and some 34 million 2020 worldwide are on the brink of famine. this is the world food program's david beasley. >> it is estimated at least 34 million people are knocking on the door of famine. two things in common. they are primarily different by conflict and entirely preventable.

amy: beasley said yemen is heading toward the biggest famine in modern history and many parts of the country feel like "hell on earth" after years of food shortages and destruction brought on by the u.s.-backed, saudi-led war. we'll have more on yemen later in the show with cnn correspondent nima elbagir. humanitarian groups are also raising the alarm for millions in ethiopia's tigray region amid the ongoing conflict, which has prevented the delivery of food and other aid. president biden is meeting virtually today with the leaders of japan, india, and australia for the first-ever quad summit. participating nations said ahead of the meeting they will be discussing trade, the climate

crisis, and vaines but the informal group is largely seen as a strategic bloc against china. beijing has accused the quad of perpetuating a cold war mentality. a warning to our audience, the following stories contain descriptions and images of police violence. in texas, austin police officer christopher taylor has been arrested on murder charges in connection to the killing of michael ramos, a 42-year-old black latinx man who was shot to death by police last april after a 911 caller falsely reported he had a gun. it's the first known case of an austin police officer being charged with murder. video of ramos' final moments showed him holding his hands up and shouting that he was unarmed, when an officer shot him with a bean bag round. ramos retreated to his car and tried to drive away, another officer, taylor, opened fire with a rifle, hitting ramos three times. he was pronounced dead later that evening. in minnesota, a judge has reinstated third-degree murder charges against derek chauvin, the white former police officer who killed george floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes last may. jurors will also have the option to convict chauvin on a second degree murder charge or

for manslaughter. of the six jurors selected in chauvin's trial so far, three are white men and one is black. civil rights attorney and activist nekima levy armstrong said in response -- "we need people who have a history of understanding the con -- context of what's happening in this country, and how what happened to george floyd is a perpetuation of the lynchings black people experienced, time and time again." to see our full interview, go to democracynow.org. meanwhile, judge peter cahill has also said he won't allow character evidence of george floyd during the trial, such as describing floyd as a peaceful person or referring to him as a gentle giant -- as he was known to friends and family. in california, a new report is denouncing the los angeles police department's violent mishandling of racial justice protests last summer sparked by the police killing of george floyd. the report commissioned by the city council cites lapd's illegal detention of peaceful

protesters and the officers' excessive use of force, including assaulting protesters with rubber bullets, bean bags and batons. meanwhile, kentucky state senate passed a bill thursday that would make it a crime to taunt a police officer. the legislation follows huge protests for black lives in the wake of the police killing of breonna taylor, the 26-year-old african american emt shot in her louisville home by police. saturday marks the one-year anniversary of her killing. the trump administration's former acting pentagon chief is blaming donald trump's january 6 speech for inciting the mob that attacked congress. chris miller made the remark in an interview with vice on showtime. >> the question is, would anyone have marched on the capital and over in the capitol without the president's speech? i think it is definitive that would not have happened. amy: washington democratic congressmember pramila jayapal is calling for a congressional investigation into whether three

republicans took active roles in promoting the deadly assault. they are congressmembers lauren boebert of colorado, mo brooks of alabama, and paul gosar of arizona. jayapal was one of about a dozen lawmakers trapped in the house gallery that afternoon as violent pro-trump insurrectionists pounded at the doors. she tweeted thursday -- "i didn't know if i would make it out alive. gop members who aided insurrectionists or stoked the flames that day must be held fully accountable." the british royal family is facing increasing criticism after meghan markle and prince harry's bombshell interview with oprah winfrey. the cupping revealed -- the couple revealed shocking details about life as royals, including the racism suffered by markle, who is biracial. on thursday, prince william was approached by reporters. >> sir, have you spoken to her brother since the interview? clots i haven't yet i will. >> that the racist family? >> very much not racist. amy: prince william said a book

a we are very much not a racist family." the new york assembly has opened an impeachment inquiry into sexual misconduct allegations against governor andrew cuomo, as well as his cover-up of covid-19 deaths at nursing homes. it could lead to new york's first impeachment effort in over a century. meanwhile, the sixth and most recent public accusation against cuomo, that he groped an aide last year at the executive mansion, has been reported to the albany police department for possible criminal prosecution. in brooklyn, new york, community members joined health care workers outside of kingsbrook jewish medical center thursday, demanding a reversal to governor cuomo's plans to close inpatient services at the hospital. some 80% of kingsbrook patients are black, and community leaders warn its closure would exacerbate the unequal health outcomes and disease burden in a neighborhood that's already one of the hardest-hit by the pandemic. this is community organizer and city council candidate anthony beckford. >> the more that they take away

her houses, the more they take away our food sources, and now they are taking way out health care, this shows you it must be addressed. it could no longer be ignored. in the blink of an eye, this will all be gone. we must fight. we must also hold their feet to the fire because while they are getting richer, taking the money and resources out of our community as we struggle more and more, this is a working-class community that has gone through so much suffering over the years and it musttop. amy:nd those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman. president biden signed the $1.9 trillion covid relief package thursday. democrats are hailing the deal as the largest anti-poverty bill in a generation.

one study projects the l will lift almost 14 million americans out of poverty, including 5.7 million children. on thursday night, president biden gave his first primetime address marking one year since much of the country shut down due to the pandemic. pres. biden: i signed into law the american rescue plan and historic piece of legislation to deliver immediate relief to millions of people. it includes in direct rescue $1400 checks, payments. that means a typical family of four earning about $110,000 will get checks for $5,600 deposited if they have direct deposit or in a check, a treasury check. it extends unemployment benefits. it helps small businesses. it lowers health care premiums for many. it provides food and nutrition , keeps families in their homes. it will cut child poverty in

half. amy: president biden announced he would direct state, local, and tribal governments to make all adults be eligible for a covid vaccine by may 1. he also set of goal of july 4th for the country to "mark independence from the virus." pres. biden: everything in my power, i will not relent until we beat this virus. but i need you come the american people. i need you. i need every american to do their part. and that's not hyperbole. i need you. i need you to get vaccinated when it's your turn and when you can find an opportunity. and to help your family, your friends, your neighbors get vaccinated as well. because here's the point. if we do all this, if we do our part, if we do this together, by

july 4th, there's a good chance you, your families and friends, will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout or a barbecue and celebrate independence day. amy: president used his address to condemn the surge in hate crimes targeting asian-americans. i go we have turned against one another. a mask, the easiest thing to do to save lives, sometimes it divides us. states pitted against one another instead of working with each other. vicious hate crimes against asian americans who have been attacked, harassed, blamed, and scapegoated. at this very moment, so many of them, our fellow americans, they are on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives and still -- still they are forced to live in fear for our lives just walking down streets in america. it is wrong.

it is un-american. and it must stop. amy: we are joined now by joseph stiglitz, a nobel prize winning economist, columbia university professor, and chief economist for the roosevelt institute. he served as chair of the council of economic advisers under president bill clinton and as chief economist of the world bank. his latest book is "people, power and profits: progressive capitalism for an age of discontent." thank you so much for joining us, joe stiglitz. can you start off by talking about the transformational aspects of this american rescue plan? first let me say, it was enormously important that the economy be rescued and that is why the $1.9 trillion package was so important. but within it, it was designed to beget a transformation. what you talked about earlier, the number of people are been lifted out of poverty, is

absolutely essential. the first act passed under the previous presidency, a few ants in the process of what is called conciliation, was a tax bill in december 2017. the difference could not be clearer. that was a tax bill that helped the billionaires and corporations. the money went to the top. this is a transformation with money going to the people who really need it. amy: so talk about the significance of this. i mean, the reason it was able to be passed with not one republican joining in the house or the senate, even though astoundingly they are starting to take credit for it -- the mississippi senator wicker) who tweeted out immediately how much money was going to bring to restaurants and keeping people on the payroll -- which is one of the arguments for it, of course come he just did not mention he did not vote for it.

but take us back to fdr, what this means. it is only for a year. and if you think you could be carried out from there. >> well, i think it can be carried out but to be permanent, it is going to need a change in congress in 2022. it is very clear that the republicans, at least for now, have cut under the influence of extreme polarization and have become the party of trump. it is all about polarizatio not a single one supporting what is necessary just for the economy to recover. even if you thought we d't want to help the poor, you need to have the economy recover.

and everyone will benefit. while it moves a lot of people out of poverty, was an essential bill for the economy to get back going again. amy: the child tax credit on the surface may look like another tweak to the tax code, but it defines a profound shift in how we view society, confronting poverty much like the new deal's creation of social security and wh they did for the elderly. could this contie? >> i believe it can. when you think about it, children don't choose their parents. if there's any concern about the future of the country, we want to make sure children, no matter who eir pares are, can live up to their potential. onof the things i pointed out in my research is the american dream is really a myth.

the prospects of a young american are more dependent on the income and education of its parents that in almost any other advanced country. it is the opposite of the way we think about ourselves. this is a transformation that says we are actually going to live -- try to live up to our aspirations. amy: you have the $5 million for farmers of color, for black farmers, in debt relief. the republicans are trying to make this a kind of poster child example -- well, they're talking about reparations. but how key is this, professor stiglitz? >> this address is a kind of legacy of discrimination that we have had. you know, you he to undo it.

it is not a question of paratis -- though, ere is song argenthat cane madeor reparatns --ut jus for ou society tgo forward with modic o equality, isoing to necestateealing with some of the consequences of the discrimination of the past. amy: is athe end of trickle-down economics? >> i hope so. i hope we have learned, as i matured earlier, the 2017 bill of trump was hopefully the last gasp of trickle-down economics. the theory was giving all that money to corporations and billionaires would lead to system economic growth everyone would benefit. what we saw in the bill was the many overwhelmingly led to share

buybacks, dividends, very little in trickle-down to ordinary workers. that was a real demonstration that trickle-down economics did not work. this is the antithesis of what trump did. it is building of the economy from the middle and the bottom. amy: joe stiglitz, you and fellow nobel laureate economist michael spence have issued a call for vaccine equity and pandemic debt relief for the global south. the issue also the subject of a new report by the institute for economic thinking's commission on global economic transportation -- transformation. talk more about your call and what role the biden administration could play to fight the pandemic globally. >> there are two priiples i want to emphasize. first, the world will be free from the pandemic -- america will not be free from the pandemic until the world is. we are especially concerned now

because of the evidence of mutations. and if covid-19 is goingn elsewhere, it gives the opportunity to mutate and come back. listen, we do not know the extent to which the vaccines will protect us against each mutation. so far, things are ok but you have to worry. we have to get the disease under contro everywhere. it is in our self-interest -- of course, matter of human entering concert as well. the second principle is, there will not be a strong global recovery unless there is a recovery everywhere. so that means, first, we have to make sure the vaccine is available everywhere. unfortunately right now, there is what some people call vaccine hoarding. developed countries are getting vaccinated. there are dozens of developing countries that have not yet had

a single vaccine. amy: is one doctor said, he has got more vaccines, the normal to does, then 130 countries. >> that's right. to put it another way, canada has acquired contracts for nine times its population while dozens of poor countries have zero. amy: there's a fight in the biden administration around astrazeneca. the u.s. has tens of millions of doses of the astrazeneca vaccine . other countries are begging for it. so far, the u.s. has not released them to other countries. >> well, the real issue here that we emphasize is this is an artificial shortage. that if you had a waiver of intellectualroperty rights, something that is being discussed right now with the wto but unfortunately the advanced

countries, including the united states, have not come out strongly for that waiver. just like president biden pointed out you could have merck help produce a vaccine that was discovered, developed by another company because it had excess capacity, there are many -- companies and developing counies that could produce massive amounts of vaccine if they had the right intellectual property. if they could get access to the technology. that is why it is so important for us to have the suspension of intellectual property rights relative -- related to covid-19. it is just foolish that we are not doing it. it is particularly unconscionable given the advanced countries, governments, have actually financed a very large fraction of that research and the companies themselves are already making multiple returns

on their investments. amy: this issue of debt relief stop what would it look like and what role could u.s.late under the debt relief of developing countries? >> united states has been spendi almost 25% of its gdp to support the economy, including the $1.9 trillion that just passed. it is lp. i think it will work. at the developing countries do not have the resources. ey cannot have that kind of fiscal stimulus, the support for the economy. and that means that those countries whose economies are inflicted, which is most of them, are going to have a hard time coming back. well, there are two things. one is a special issue of what are called sdr's money that i am

of issues. there is a call for $500 billion of sdr's. unfortunately, and in the previous administration, trump vetoed this initiative. this would make annormous difference. there are some countries that are particularly badly afflicted. they have debt and their economy, all of their money is going -- for very large portion is going to service that debt. there has to be debt relief. in the beginning, there was an agreement there would be a state paymts and debt. but that just meant the debt was released. it just meant it was postponed. now that the pandemic has lasted so much longer than people thought in the beginning, what is needed is a debt restructuring. and it has to be comprehensive

and include the private sector. what united states could do is make it much more -- and use the private sector to participate. they have been reluctant/b to participate. they have not been willing -- amy: we have 10 seconds. >> they need to encourage the private sector to participate in the debt restructurings. amy: joe stiglitz, thank you for being with us, nobel prize winning economist, columbia university professor, and chief economist for the roosevelt institute. served as chair of the council of economic advisers under president bill clinton and as chief economist of the world bank. speaking to us from puerto rico. when we come back, we will air a shocking report from inside yemen and the world's most devastating humitarian crisis and speak with the correspondent. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

@a amy: "juvanescence" by yasmin williams. this is democracy now! i'm amy goodman.

the world food program is warning yemen is heading toward the biggest famine in modern history. the u.n. agency is projecting around 400,000 yemeni children under the age of five could die from acute malnutrition this year as the u.s.-backed saudi war and blockade continues. we turn now to a shocking new report from inside yemen by cnn's award winning foreign correspondent nima elbagir. a warning to our audience, the video contains disturbing images. >> the derelict coastline of the north of yemen telling a story of war, blockade, devastation. for years, the houthi-controlled what has been completely isolated from the outside world. we traveled at night by boat after our previous reporting here, we were denied entry. we get a sense of the humanitarian disaster capped from the outside world. along the roadside, hundreds of

stalled food supply trucks with no fuel to move and a country and in the grip of hunger. spoiling in the hot sun. a supply gateway for the rest of the country. it should be bustling with activity but today it is eerily empty. a result of the u.s.-backed saudi blockade. the last time a dock here, in december. the echoing silence, it dawns on us. we are about to witness the terrible impact of this blockade. desperate patients and family members trying to get the attention of the chairman of the hospital. if he signs these papers, they get some financial relief for their treatments and medicines. he does not get far before he is stopped again and again. since the yemen war started six

years ago, families have been in financial turmoil. to feel blockade has spread that dissent into oblivion. this is the main hospital for the province and we are surrounded by doctors and nurses rushed off. this is a normal day? is that busy all the time? this is not a busy day? wow. he was to show us some of his critical patients. a 10-year-old girl whose growth has been so stunted by starvation, she could no longer stand. every hour of every day they are receiving more and more cases of severe malnutrition. the parents cannot afford to feed their children. they also cannot afford to bring them to the hospital for treatment. u.n. theu.n. says pockets are in family conditions but hodeidah is not considered one of them because it does not meet the metrics to declare famine but

things the reality on the ground has outpaced the u.n.'s projection. the saudi feel blockade is sing. malnutrition numbers are spiking at the same time, this busy hospital is running out of the vital fuel that keeps its generators running -- which means babies like this one who doctors say at two months weighs the same as a newborn, would die. yemen has been devastated by civil war which has pitted iran- backed houthis and u.s.-backed saudi led coalition. some officials have been designated as terrorists by the u.s. for targeting neighboring saudi arabia. we have been granted a rare interview the leading houthi official. we must meet in an undisclosed location because his aides say of the threat of assassination. we ask him to respond to allegations they are escalating this war. >> not true at all.

the battle is continuing. it has not stopped. >> you trust america to take gotiations to bring peace? >> so far we have not seen any concrete decisions being made. >> you have spoken about being subjected to the nation of international terror but three of the leader are designated by thes u.s. as terrorists. whenever your key slogans talks about death to america. how do you see this as pushing forward the negotiation and the possibilities of peace in the future? >> when we say "death to america, they effectively kilis with their bombs and rockets and blockades. we provide logistics and participation under the battle, so he's bigger and greater? the ones were killing us of the want to say debt to them? >> the biden administration has said they have withdrawn support to the saudi offensive but he comes after six long years of war. for the children dying of hunger, it still has not brought

peace any quicker. peace and help cannot come soon enough. over half the hospitals in this district -- they need urgent support, urgent help. can you imagine what it would do to this community if this facility was shut down? look at the chaos there is already here. for years now, the u.n. has been warning that famine is coming to yemen. doctors across yemen tells us famine has arrived. another hospital would marry -- witnessing wave after wave of children. severe own nourishment. parents are forced to make harrowing choices. >> i stopped eating and drinking , not even water, just to get him treated. >> these doctors are keeping track of the number spiking beyond what they ever imagined.

the doctors were saying in 2020, this population, 23% of the children under five here, or severely unearthed. in 2021, they think that number will go over 30%. there is no doubt in his mind he says that they hear are in famine. usually three years ago, the u.n. secure to consult denounced starvation as a method of war. od preparation, food and water be kept intact. that clearly has not happened. what's more, the world has stopped caring. the u.n. needs a must for billion dollars to stanch this crisis. they received half that i'm donors. numbers don't lie. numbers also don't reflect the full tragedy. 10 months and struggling to breathe, he came into the hospital six days ago.

he keeps losing weight. even with the critical care he is receiving. hours after we left, he died. one more child in yemen that represents so much more pain. the doctors here are desperate for the world to see and to help. nima elbagir, cnn. amy: that report from cnn's nima elbagir inside yemen. she now joins us from sudan. welcome back to democracy now! this is an absolutely devastating report, rarely do reporters get in to show this. explain how you did this. >> well, we had had an application for a visa with the saudi-backed internationally recognized government out of aden for about eight months to nine months.

we just calved being given the runaround -- kept being given the runaround. it was becoming clear the situation inside yemen was deteriorating much more rapidly than any of the eight agencies had up to that point believed. -- aid agencies had up to that point believed. we made the decision, backed by cnn, it was worth taking this risk and traveling by boat to the north of yemen through those waters that are patrolled by saudi warships where the saudi blockade is maintained from.nd even having read so much of the data before we arrived, we were utterly unprepared for what we found we got there. it was -- i don't know the words to do justice to what the situation is like.

the world food program called it helln earth. i think that is the only way you can understand what life is like for yemenis. amy: and hearing the devastating eyes of the malnourished children, the infants and those that have died and continue to die. what was saudi arabia's response to this report? >> we do not receive one. we did not receive any on the record report. after that piece first aired, minutes later, they released a flood of commentary to "error news" speaking about how the houthis, what their role was, saying the houthis did not want peace. but ultimately not engaging with the basic foundation of our report, which is that a saudi blockade that has stopped fuel tankers from going in for over two months is exacerbating the financial and humanitarian

crisis -- and it is bringing the country over the precipice into oblivion. by the way, the united states is also not responding in a clear manner to us as to whether they continue to support this blockade. the blockade exists because of the start of the work, then president obama and now biden, allowed the saudi led coalition blockade. this exists because of e acquiescence of the united states. the united states has not engaged th us in anyway way on the impact. amy: how has the u.s. responded to this report? >> they denied the basic prese of our reporting, which is that these ships had been blocked from entry into theodeidah port and were in international waters but the waters of the moment are patrolled by the saudi-led coalition and controlled by them. then he told us in spite of the evidence that we show in the

reporting, in spite of the screen grabs we have online showing wherthey are, that this was not true, that these ships -- the flow of food remains unimpeded through the port of hodeidah. which is categorically not true. this is the person who supposedly pushing for a peaceful solution to the situation. amy: and this is the new u.s. special envoy to yemen? >> yes most of amy: on thursday, usaid -- the u.s. agency for international development -- notified congress that it would resume some aid to houthi-controlled areas of yemen reversing a trump-era policy but humanitarian groups y yemenis need far more help. talk about the significance of this. >> the issue is, what are you going to deliver aid with if

there is no fuel? this is not an issue up for debate. resolution 2417, ms. powers should be aware of, that has not only should states be wary and fight against the use of starvation as a weapon of war, but states must also allow for the means of food delivery systems, for the means of food preparation systems. that means access to fuel and water are critical. if you deny that access, essentially you are engaging in the use of starvation as a weapon of war. i find it slightly concerning -- of course it is meaningful that aid is given to the houthi areas, but many aid agencies are relying on the import of food supporting yemenis in access to that imported food. again, when import food, arrives

the part of hodeidah. how are you getting into the populations without fuel? amy: i should say some of the powers is nominated to be head of usaid. talk about the scope now what the u.n. secretary-general has set about the scope of the problem saying last week at a donors conference, netted $1.7 billion for humanity and relief in yemen. less than half of does she reported almost $4 billion needed to prevent widespread famine in yemen. >> i go back to the comment, it is hell on earth. when. are faced with either feeding themselves, feeding other children, or being able to pay for fuel to take that child to be fed, then you have gone out beyond the edge of what should be acceptable in the civilized

world. it is a simple fix. removing that fuel blockade immediately brings down the fuel prices so parents were telling is even coming from nearby provinces to the hospital we show you in the piece, it was costing something like $80. can you imagine $80 and a country like yemen? fuel is more accessible from the u.n., world health organization was providing some of that field hospitals. for months now it has not been able to provide any. commit to funding the u.n. but fundamentally, send the message this is an acceptable that you cannot block a nation of a basic necessity. that will allow some of this impact to be contained for a peaceful solution to be reached. but the u.s. envoy speaks about how they're pushing for peace as an absolute priority. what are you bringing peace to? if people are dying, children are dying?

bringing the parties back to the negotiating table is absolutely needed for sustained solution. people are dying right now. and because the biden administration says they are reviewing president trump designating the houthis is a terrorist organization. the significance of this? >> they have now suspended that so they have removed that so that has been very, very important. without fuel, where is that food arriving to? amy: nima elbagir, thank you for being with us, award-winning senior international correspondent for cnn. her recent investigative report on yemen is headlined "famine has arrived in pockets of yemen. saudi ships blocking fuel aren't helping." coming up, we will look at how oprah winfrey's interview with meghan markle and prince harry has exposed racism about the british royal family. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: "the ballad of mairead farrell" by seanchai and the unity squad. this is democracy now! i'm amy goodman. the british royal family is facing ireasing criticism after meghan markle and prince harry revealed shocking details about life as royals, including the racismuffered by meghan markle, who was born in the

united states to a black mother and a white father. last year, the couple ft the united kingdom and stepped down as senior members of britain's royal family to raise their chd archie in noh america. during a bombshell interview with oprah winfrey, markle revealed they felt forced to leave in part due to concerns about archie. >> in those months when i was pregnant, all around this same time, so we had tandem the conversation of he won't be given security, not going to be ven a title, an also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he was born. >> what? there'a conversation -- hold up. several conversatns. >> is a conversation with you -- >> with harry. >> about how dark your baby is going to be?

>> potentially and what that would mean and what that would look like. >> and you're not going to tell me who had the conversation? >> i think it would be a very damaging to them. amy: meghan markle said she was surprised by the racism she felt inside the royal family. >> lived in canada, commonwealth untry, for seven years but it wasn't until harry and i were together that we started to travel through the commonwealth was 6%, 70% of people which is of color, right? growing up as a woman of color, little girl of color, i know how important representation is. i could never understand how it would not be seen as an added nefit and reflection of th world today -- at all times, but especially rightow come to go how inclusive is that u can see someone o looks like you in this family, much less one

who was born into it? amy: meghan markle also opened up to oprah winfrey about feelings of suicide during her time as a royal. >> i just did not want to be alive anymore. and that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. and i remember -- i remember how he just cradled me and i was -- i would the institution and i said that i needed to go somewhere to get help, that i had never felt this way before and i need to go somewhere. i was told that i couldn't, that it would not be good for the institution. amy: that is meghan markle speaking to oprah winfrey. we are joined now by two guests. ash sarkar is senior editor at novara media. trisha goddard is a british journalist and former talk show host. she's been credited with being the first black woman to host a talk show in britain.

trisha, let's go to you first. if you can respond to your feelings as you watch this interview and what was revealed. >> bombshell after bombshell. it was absolutely shocking, but not surprising. i remember the headlines that came out around the time when prince harry just started dating meghan markle "straight out of compton" as one newspar put it. another is paper aicle written by boris johnson, and prime minister plus sister, calleher exotic with a dreadlocked mother from the wrong side of the tracks and what have you. it srted dan. although, the britishedia would have you believe this was very till wedding and everything was gorgeous and they were wonderful to meghan markle from the word go.

when she talked about her feelings and talked about the conversations around the color of the baby when she was pregnant, they did not really shock anybody of color i don't take. not in the u.k., anyway. and the talking about her mental health -- i have been a mental health campaigner for some 35 years. i was an australian government advisor on mental health for 10 years. i was a member of the world psychiatric association. i've been all over the world trying to chip away at the stigma of mental health with my charity and what have you. when meghan markle actually spoke about how low she had got come as harry did as well -- he said he went to a very dark place -- what we saw was almost ended up swing to, you know, if she could talk about how desperate she was, then i can. then unfortunately, we somebody

in the brish media kind of discount or say they did not believe a word she said. and then the door shut again. the whole interview has had an massive impact in the u.k. amy: i want to go to a clip from the show "good morning britain" an issue of the media so critical. we all know now piers morgan has quit. but this is before he quit. this is you, trisha goddard, clashing with piers morgan over his ongoing attacks against meghan markle. >> sorry, calling this out for what i see it, somebody who is a ruthless social climber and is now destroying or trying to destroy the image of the monarchy in this country and it is shameful. >> is named you this morni, i'm sad. i wish for you really wonderful things. i hope one of your sse is a beautil black woman and gets married to the and then you will

understand. >> i would love that. why would i would have a problem with that? why does every criticism have to be frank in racism? >> you will have to hear her problems. and because after this, journalist piers morgan quit his position as host of "good morning britain" after he was widely criticized for his response to meghan markle's interview. morgan walked off the set of the show tuesday after weather presenter alex beresford, who is biracial himself, finally confronted pie morgan air. >> i understand you ve a personalelationship with meghanarkle --r had on cup anshe cut u up. she entitleto cut y uif e wants . s s said anhing abo use th she cutou up? i don't think sheas come yet yocontinueo trash r. >> ok, i'm done wh this. sorry. >> n no, n-- sorry, c't do this.

>> diabolicabehavior i'sorry, b pie spos off unregulad ses and all s andisten 6:3to 7:0 time yesterday was incredibly hard to watch. amy: parading piers morgan, finally, he said after the nonstop barrage against meghan markle. i am wondering, trisha, if you could talk about the significance of this? there were 43,000 complaints against piers morgan and meghan markle has filed a formal complaint to the -- you can explain what it is, the british regulator and the channel. >> well, there was more of my disagreeing with piers. we are longtime college because i report from the states for "good morning britain" and i've known him for a while.

i've no problem in calling out a colleague or anybody about issues of racism. earlier in our conversation, i said that he did not get to determine what was and wasn't racism against a black person and that he should leave that to black people. afterwards, alex, that day, alex reached out to me and we had a private short exchange about that. he thanked me and said, you know, it was difficult for him. a lot of us support each other -- like journalists have to support each other. the next day, alex said something himself. i note that piers walked out when al exactly talked about the fact -- and piers is said without who was quite hurt when he gave meghan markle's -- they

exchanged numbers and you never heard from her again. i think there might be some misogyny in there as well is every thing us. he is a great journalist. that does not exclude him from holding opinions that he does not see as racist. now, there's a bedrock to this, amy. there is an absolute bedrock. reporting from the states and being in the u.k. and australia, this last week has really brought something home to me. in the united states, you had slavery on this soil. they're people like my partner who can remember segregation. the fallout from redlining with housing still going on. you have george floyd, breonna taylor, so want and so forth. but it happened on this soil. slavery happened on american soil. in the u.k. come slavery did not happen at home, he liked, it was

outsourced to the west indies where slaves were put in west indies, where my heritage is from, africa, and so forth. so the british people did not have it in their face so they don't think they're racist. amy: i want to bring ash sarkar into the conversation, speaking to us from london. respond to the whole controversy that has erupted -- i mean, noam chomsky said meghan markle could possibly bring down the royal family, the monarchy. talk about the family and the media. >> welcome i don't think meghan markle is necessarily going to bring down the monarchy because it has survived some very dysfunctional and very nasty family dynamics before. goinright from henry viii and his many, many marries to the application crisis of edward the eighth a of course the divorce between prince charles and princess diana. the reason why i think this is

really got to the heart of the clash between this futile institution, which in many ways entrenches class inequality, part of the british on constitution, and also more modern values and progressive values come is because essentially, cannot have an institution which is premised on the superiority of bloodline and have it not racist. and ha it not be controlling of women and misogynistic, one of the things that meghan markle set in the interview was that when she married into the family, she would have to hand over her passport, driver's license, and her keys. if anyone of our phrase was a dream interrelationship with have to handle over their passport we would be saying, what are you doing? i think we have to see these features as very, very, very well entrenched within the royal family itself. as for how firm the pport from

the monarchy is and at this country, support for the abolition of the monarchy and the establishing of an elected head of state rose five plus four percentage points according to a recent poll. that is due to the meghan markle and oprah interview. however, it is still very low, run one quarter of the population. i think a big part of that is for most of the country, we've only known the queen when she is already quite old. so she has been able to play into these images of almost grandmother of a nation. she also came to the throne in the 1950's when broadcast and televisual media still kind of in its infancy. she solidified her right at the same time daschle and amy: 10 seconds. >> the legitimacy crisis i think is going to come with prince

charles comes to the throne. amy: ash sarkar, we will link to your piece senior editor at , novara media. and trisha goddardpñpñpñ