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Concerns of Crime Wave in Rio as Olympic Athletes Targeted by Thieves; Twitter Expands 140 Character Limit; Interview with Vietnamese Rapper Suboi; Trump Attacks New Mexico Governor; Coca-Cola Suspends Production in Venezuela Over Sugar Supply Shortage. Aired 8:00a-9:00a ET

Aired May 25, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:16] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, and welcome to News Stream.

Now, police use tear gas after protests outside a Donald Trump rally turns ugly, as Trump closes in on securing the Republican presidential

nomination.

Twitter stretches its iconic 140-character limit, but is it enough to help the social network grow?

And...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Why don't you give me a little rap. Let's see. Let's see what you got.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: We'll be speaking to the Vietnamese rapper who performed for President Obama on his trip to Vietnam.

And we begin with violent protests that erupted as a Donald Trump rally. Now, protesters in Albuquerque, New Mexico threw rocks and bottles

at police and set fires. Now, the officers responded with pepper spray.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back! Get back!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, Trump had already left the event by the time that the violence outside broke out. At least one person was arrested.

Now, the chaos erupted the same night that Trump won in Washington State, and that victory has put him closer than ever to locking up the

Republican presidential nomination.

Now by CNN estimates, he is just eight delegates shy of the number he needs to clinch it.

Our Jason Carroll has more on the violent protests that disrupted Trump's victory night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Overnight, police in riot gear, blasting pepper spray and using smoke grenades to disburse anti-Donald

Trump protesters outside his rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico hours after the presumptive GOP nominee's speech.

Dozens of protesters stomping on police cars, throwing rocks and bottles at police, injuring several officers. Earlier during Trump's speech

at the city's convention center, protesters breaking through the metal barrier surrounding the venue, some making their way inside only to be

dragged out by security. Inside, Trump criticizing New Mexico's Republican governor, Susana Martinez, who is also Hispanic.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Since 2000, the number of people on food stamps in New Mexico has tripled. We have to get your

governor to get going. She has to do a better job, OK. Hey, maybe I'll run for governor of New Mexico. I'll get this place going.

CARROLL: But the bulk of Trump's personal attacks were set on targeting Hillary Clinton, Trump opting to make fun of her voice.

TRUMP: I will never say this, but she screams. It drives me crazy.

CARROLL: And using some of his harshest language yet against Clinton.

TRUMP: I see this lowlife she puts on an ad.

CARROLL: Trump angry Clinton is painting him as a greedy billionaire, this based on comments he made back in 2006 when he said he hoped to profit

when the housing market collapsed.

TRUMP: They've got some clip of me from many years ago when I'm saying yes, if it goes down I'm going to buy. I am a businessman, that's what I'm

supposed to.

CARROLL: Clinton staying above the fray while campaigning in California.

CLINTON: We have a bully pulpit in the White House, but that doesn't mean we want a bully in the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was Jason Carroll reporting.

Now for the Democrats, all eyes are on the U.S. state of California. The state holds its vote in just two weeks. And both Hillary Clinton and

Bernie Sanders have been campaigning hard there. They have a packed day ahead of them in this delegate-rich state.

Now, Sanders is trailing Clinton, but says he plans to fight for every last vote. And you can get an inside look at America's remarkable race for

the White House. You can check out our new program, it's called State of the Race with Kate Bolduan happening weeknights 7:30 p.m. in London and

Tuesday to Friday at 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon in Hong Kong right here on CNN.

Now, U.S. President Barack Obama has touched down in Japan for the G7 leader summit. He's also expected to hold bilateral talks with the

Japanese prime minister within the hour.

Now, he flew in from a historic trip to Vietnam ending his tour by speaking with young leaders

there. Now, he's turning his focus towards security in the region.

Now CNN's Andrew Stevens joins us now live from Toba, Japan.

And, Andrew, the G7 kicks off tomorrow. Tell us what should we expect?

[08:05:00] ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's a much different temperature here in Japan politically than there has

been in Vetnam, Kristie. We saw the president very relaxed with young ASEAN leaders. He was treated to a bit of rap even. And he has had a very

good reception in Vietnam. But here in Japan, things are going to be much more formal with the G7.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: The still unexplained crash of EgyptAir flight 804 is making sure that security remains in the headlines at this week's G7 meeting in

Itoshima, Japan.

U.S. officials suspect the plane was brought down by a terror attack, and White House sources

say the summit gives leaders a chance to consult on a response to that crash as well as talk face-to-face on a raft of security issues ranging

from ISIS in the Middle East to North Korea's nuclear proliferation.

The global economy will also be high on the agenda. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pushing

the world's seven biggest developed economies for coordinated action on helping to kickstart global growth, but not all member countries support

the plan say analysts.

TOSHHIRO NAGAHAMA, ECONOMIST (through translator): Japan is calling for the need for fiscal stimulus, but it's unlikely that an agreement will

be met as some countries such as Germany are hesitant.

STEVENS: And one country, which is not a G7 member, but will be a major presence at this year's summit is China. Tensions in the South China

Sea continue to rise after it unilaterally claimed to swathe of maritime territory rich in oil, natural gas and fish stocks and then built a

military base. Its angered many of China's neighbors who also claim ownership, including the host of this year's summit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: So there's a lot on the agenda here, Kristie. Whether we'll get concrete steps on security measures on the global economy is unlikely.

There will be broad agreements, perhaps, certainly on fighting terrorism, on global security issues, but these G7s do tend to be more of a talking

shop, a chance for face-to-face contact with the leaders of the seven big industrialized countries, but

tend to be fairly short on specifics.

LU STOUT: And Andrew, a big picture question for you, if I may, about this trip. We know President Obama is on this week-long visit to Asia. It

is his tenth visit to the region. There has long been talk from the Obama White House about the so-called pivot to Asia, but what's the reality here?

Where does that strategy stand?

STEVENS: Well, there's no doubt that the Obama administration has been very serious about having that pivot to Asia, but events have got in

the way, Kristie. I mean, terror attacks in the Middle East, the refugee issues, major, major issues happening outside the

Asian region has by necessity diverted the White House's attention.

But you point out, this is the tenth visit to this region. He has has made big steps in Vietnam, lifting the arms embargo, for example, meeting

Vietnamese on the street, talking about human rights in Vietnam now here going to Hiroshima to talk about the symbolism of

Hiroshima and how adversaries can be friends. So, there is no doubting that this administration does

want that pivot to happen. It's happened much more slowly than the administration would have liked, because there have been so many other

major issues on the agenda.

But another thing which is likely to come up at the G7 is the TransPacific Partnership, a big trade deal, which is a signature trade deal

for President Obama. He's pushing hard to get that done by the end of the year, and if that is successful, if he gets it through congress, he can

point to that saying this is a major achievement on how we have really focused on the Asia-Pacific region.

This trade deal is huge. 40 percent of the global economy is involved and it is in the Asia-Pacific region.

LU STOUT: Yeah, it's a deal that President Obama has to sell hard on Capitol Hill and get his partners in Asia to trust him during this journey.

Now, thank you very much for that. Andrew Stevens reporting live from Toba, Japan. Take care.

Now, fierce fighting is underway near Fallujah in Iraq. ISIS snipers are in place to prevent

civilians leaving the city while Iraqi artillery is in position to begin the push to get ISIS out.

Now tens of thousands of people are still believed to be trapped there. And the government has set up an emergency hot line, but activists

say that ISIS sealed off any communication.

Now, there is a new leader for the Afghan Taliban. His name: Haibatullah Akhunzada. Now, a Taliban source describes him as educated and

has the respect of the rank and file.

Now he is principally known as a religious teacher and scholar.

And for more on what this means for the future of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Let's bring in Nick Paton Walsh. He joins us live from

Beirut.

And Nick, should we expect major changes in the Taliban under this new leader?

[08:10:09NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDNET: Probably not. And I have to say little is actually known about Akhunzada in truth.

It's known, as you said, he's in his 50s. His history with the Taliban goes back to when they fought the Soviets, considered to be more clerical,

limited battlefield experience, a man with grounding in Kandahar, the south where the Taliban finds much of its constituency.

But what's also interesting, too, is his deputies. He's keeping Saraj Haqqani (ph), a man many had speculated might have actually risen to the

leadership of the Taliban, who is considered by the United States to be al Qaeda's facilitator in chief. He's keeping him in position as he was for

his predecessor Mullah Mansour as the deputy for military operations. And he's put Mullah Omar's son, Hamid Yakoub (ph) in as another deputy there.

So, potentially the less controversial choice the Taliban could have made as this new leader not a sort of figure who has particularly been

public in the past, one I think who, given his limited battlefield experience will probably continue on the similar path the Taliban have seen

in the past year or so and that is to show his prowess on the battlefield, to potentially continue and try and take more territory as we've seen in

the past months.

But certainly today's announcement comes also with a claim of responsibility for the deaths of 10 people from a suicide bombing inside of

Kabul, so no immediate sign today that as the White House potentially had hoped the death of Mullah Mansour, a man who they saw as totally gainst

peace talks might result in a softer approach by his successor.

Unclear at this stage if Akhunzada is in fact in talking peace, but frankly I'd have to say highly unlikely -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: And also I wanted to ask about the former Taliban chief he killed by a U.S. drone strike that took place inside Balochistan, that's

inside Pakistan which is a significant event.

What does that mean for the new leadership of the Taliban and where it will be based?

WALSH: Well, I think many people consider that to have two elements of a message. There one perhaps U.S. impatience with Pakistan duel role.

They've always been accused of shielding the Afghan Taliban inside their borders to have influence on Afghanistan, their neighbor, while at the same

time, too, publicly saying they want peace talks to go ahead.

The decision to launch that drone strike without previously notifying the Pakistanis clearly shows I think a U.S. impatience there.

But, yes, does this mean that down the line the Afghan Taliban have to be more careful in using Pakistan as a safe haven? Well, possibly. But

also possibly not, too, (inaudible) reports suggesting the fact Mullah Mansour was a bit more relaxed than his predecessor Mullah Omar about his

personal security. Something clearly gave him away. That strike very targeted, very precise and ultimately very

successful.

But nnd now I think we're into in a period of disarray within the Taliban and I think many perceive that likely in the future to result in

more violence, frankly, rather than less -- Krsitie.

LU STOUT: All right, Nick Paton Walsh, always appreciate your analysis. Thank you, and take care.

Now, learning to craft a short but sweet missive, that's key to having the best Twitter updates, but for users who feel stifled by the word limit,

well, Twitter is looking to help them out. We'll explain more after the break.

Also ahead, we've got more headaches for officials in Brazil, Visiting Olympians are robbed over the weekend. And questions are being

raised about the safety of being in Rio.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:15:32] LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.

Microsoft says it is cutting back its smartphone business and cutting jobs. Now, more than 1,800 employees will be let go by July next year,

many of those from its operation in Finland. Now those jobs came from Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia in 2013.

Microsoft has been struggling to sell its own smartphones and earlier this month Microsoft announced that it was selling off its entry level

feature phone business.

Now, Facebook says it will tweak its trending topics feature even though its internal investigation did not find any evidence of systematic

political bias. A U.S. Senate committee demanded a response to allegations that Facebook suppressed conservative views and Facebook will

stop using outside websites to help its algorithm decide if something is trending or not. And reviewers who check the topics for spam will also get

additional anti-bias training as well as new oversight.

Now, Twitter announced some changes. And it could be good news for users who have a lot to say.

Now, the short, snappy, 140 character limit is going to be more flexible, because names and images will soon be taken out of the character

count.

Now CNN Money's senior media correspondent Brian Stelter has more on this. Let's go straight to him. He joins us live from New York. Brian,

good to see you. You and I we're both fans of Twitter and long been fans of the 140-character limit. You know, it's what Twitter is all about. So

iconic. Why the change? Why is Twitter stretching it out?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN MONEY MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Because they want to be much more a media platform. And so, yes, brevity is what Twitter has

taught us all how to write in a more concise, condensed fashion. But the company wants people to be

sharing more photos, more videos, more gifts, all sorts of media. And so by taking away that limitation, by encouraging you to do more of that, by

giving you a few more characters to play with the company is sending a message

about what it wants to be.

You know, the company is always in the shadow of Facebook. And there are lots of doubts on Wall Street that Twitter can gain more and more

subscribers, but it continues to make a series of changes to try to appeal to a broader audience.

Now, every time I speak to Twitter executives they talk about how they are laser focused on gaining more subscribers, making the site easier to

use and of course integrating more video and photos. So, this is another step in that direction.

LU STOUT: You know, and the company has also hinted at more upcoming features. So, there's going to be more stuff that's going to be announced

here. What do you think Twitter needs to do to bring more users into the fold?

STELTER: Well, for example, they're trying to make it easier to reply to people. They're trying to take away some of the strange sort of

features about Twitter that developed over time organically. For example, the way you reply to people and whether it shows up to all the our

followers or not. So, they're trying to make improvements to make the site more palatable to a broader audience. But, there's a lot of reason to have

doubts about that. You know, the company has been around for the better part of a decade. A lot of people have tried it and given up on the site.

So, it may be hard for Twitter to go ahead and regain users, to woo them back or to gain new ones for the first time.

But you're right. They have hinted at other changes coming and of course every time Twitter tries to make changes, it's confronted by that

resistance to change that we see on social networks and in society in general.

But I will give an example, they've recently tried to have a more algorithmically-based feature. So, if you log on for the first time in

hours you don't see the the most recent tweets, you see the best tweets. You see things you should have seen that you missed. That's a lot more

like Facebook and Twitter says that that feature has been well received even though there was

some initial reluctance or resistant to it.

I think we're going to continue to see that experimentation by Twitter executives. Frankly, they don't have a lot to lose. They are a business

that's under a lot of pressure, a lot of Wall Street skepticism, so they need to keep trying new things.

LU STOUT: Yeah, you know, Twitter is under so much pressure and such a tough place, because it needs to please its very hard-core loyal

audience, but also needs to please investors, and to please them Twitter has to gain mass appeal to turn into a major mass advertising engine.

But do you think Twitter can ever do that? Can ever become a mass appeal platform?

STELTER: We already saw one prominent Wall Street analyst this week decline the stock to a sell, the argument being that advertisers are not

flocking to this site and will not in the future.

The counterargument is that there's a lot of potential upside with Twitter. The Facebook has more than a billion users and that Twitter

should be able to compete with Facebook, but frankly we have not seen Twitter able to do that in the past. It may continue on as more of a niche

platform. I have a hart time seeing as many Facebook users also using Twitter, but I've been wrong before. So we'll see.

[08:20:12] LU STOUT: Yeah. I'm with you on that.

Brian Stelter joining us live. Thank you. Until our next conversation, take care.

Now, the daughter of a missing Hong Kong bookseller, she's been asking and appealing for the U.S. government to help. She says that her father,

Gua Minhai (ph) is being held in China without trial.

Now, Gua (ph), as you may recall, he was one of the five booksellers who disappeared late last year. He later re-emerged on Chinese state TV

making an apparent confession to a traffic incident.

Now, her daughter says that she believes he was speaking under duress and she is urging the U.S. to pressure China for information on the case.

Now, before he went missing Gua (ph) ran a publishing house here in Hong Kong. It's known for printing gossipy titles about Chinese

politicians. He disappeared in October while in Thailand, and Thai police told CNN that they have no record of him leaving the country.

Now two minutes later, Gua's (ph) business partner Lee Bo vanished from Hong Kong. And immigration authorities also had no record of him

leaving.

His case came after the disappearance of another three of his colleagues. And it sparked deep concern in Hong Kong and around the world.

Some supporters believe that he was kidnapped by Chinese security agents who have no legal authority in Hong Kong. And Beijing insist that all

booksellers turned themselves in to the authorities.

Now, Lee Bo has since returned to Hong Kong and claiming that he went to the mainland to help investigation.

Now, as if the Zika virus and political chaos weren't enough, Brazil has another headache as the Rio games quickly approach. A crime wave is

sweeping the host city.

Now Shasta Darlington looks at what's fueling this and how officials plan to make the summer games more safe and more secure.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNAITONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Olympics are on the horizon. But gold medalist Fernando Echavarri is worried about a

lot more than water and wind currents. He tells me he and his team were leaving breakfast when they were robbed at gunpoint by a gang of teenagers.

FERNANDO ECHAVARRI, GOLD MEDALIST: And we just turn around to see what was happening and we saw the pistols, like this.

DARLINGTON: He thinks thieves are targeting visiting athletes.

ECHAVARRI: You can get robbed in Rio any time of the year, but before the Olympic games, all of these people knows that there's going to be

opportunity.

DARLINGTON: In fact, authorities say robberies and homicides are on the rise in Rio. One man has created a website that shows the robberies he

says he's filmed from his downtown window.

This guy jumps to rob a bus passenger. No one intervenes when this man is tackled for his gold chain.

Many videos show young people swarming their targets.

Complicating matters, Rio's police force has been hit with budget cuts, overtime and benefits reduced and officers are quitting.

But the state security chief says he's demanding help for the games to ensure the 85,000-strong security detail as promised.

"There's a need for police officers," he says. "We're going to have to use police from outside the state. We're going to have to ask for help

from the army for Olympic venues."

That will allow Rio's police to focus on securing the city and impoverished favelas, many still

controlled by criminal gangs.

In this sprawling Complido Alimao (ph), more than a dozen favelas cling to the hills connected by a gondola.

We go on patrol with the military police there who battled their way in back in 2010.

He was explaining when they first came in here to Alimao (ph), it was more than 12 hours straight of shoot-outs before they were actually able to

take control from drug traffickers.

Six years later, police still keep their guard up. Community activists say this year alone, 26 people have been killed or injured in

shoot-outs here, many hit by stray bullets.

Pressure is building as the Olympics get closer. Police say it won't end when the games are over.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, in southern China, a truly frightening scene unfolded before the eyes of

locals trying to escape raging flood waters. Now, watch closely as this newly built three-story building is toppled by a torrent of water.

Just look at that, the entire building taken down in less than 10 seconds and thankfully no one was inside the building at the time.

Now, thousands of people have been displaced as parts of southern and eastern China deal with

major flooding.

Now, high water from torrential rain in Sri Lanka is finally showing signs of easing, but it

cut a truly devastating and deadly path there. At least 100 people are known to have died in flooding and landslides.

Now, the extreme weather forced more than 100,000 people from their homes, their all now in temporary shelters. And Sri Lanka's military has

been airdropping food and water to affected areas. The worst, the suburbs of the capital Colombo where water rose almost two-and-a-half meters.

Now, Venezuelans are already dealing with blackouts, an energy crises and political uncertainty and now there's no Coca-Cola. Now the company

temporarily stopped production because sugar producers have run out of raw materials.

Now, Rafael Romo explains how this affects Venezuelans beyond being just unable to have a coke.

(BEGIN VIDEOATPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN LATIN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Coca-Cola delivery trucks in Venezuela sit empty. The beverage company has stop production of sugar-

based beverages because sugar producers have run out of raw materials. In a statement, a Coca-Cola spokeswoman said local sugar suppliers have

informed us that they expect to restore their inventories in the near-term to resume normal distribution. Our local offices and distribution centers

remain open and operational.

Sugar cane production in Venezuela has been falling due to price controls and rising production costs as well as problems in obtaining

fertilizer.

Pepsi reported in October, a $1.4 billion charge for its business in Venezuela citing the country's currency woes.

Colar Enterprises (ph) suspended beer production in April and laid off 10,000 workers due to lack of barley.

Workers protested saying the government socialist policies have disrupted supply and demand.

"This is very stressful," this worker says. "As time goes on we're losing more and more resources, and that makes us very worried."

The average Venezuelan faces problems that go well beyond being unable to enjoy a drink, soft or otherwise. For the last several weeks, the

country has been facing blackouts up to four hours long. Government employees are working only two day as week and President Maduro shifted the

country's time zone by 30 minutes because Venezuela is also facing an energy crisis.

Shortages of basic food products and personal hygiene items like soap are affecting many people as well.

Well, the problem is that even if you have the money, it's so scarce, that people have to go to supermarkets, stand in line for hours and hours,

and maybe if they're lucky, after four, five hours, they can get, maybe one, maybe two, but not much more than that.

President Maduro who is facing a recall referendum says this is all part of what he calls an economic war against his government and has

threatened companies that suspend operations.

"Every plant that has halted operations will be given to the people," the president said. That

bring his comment with an obscenity.

It's not an empty threat, Starting with his late predecessor Hugo Chavez, the socialist government has nationalized several industries

replacing executives with loyalists which has driven many businesses to the ground.

Rafael Romo, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And still to come, a Vietnamese rapper has a chance to perform in front of the president of the

United states. We'll ask her why she decided to rap what she did and how Mr. Obama responded.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:32:26] LU STOUT: Now, the U.S. president wound up his trip to Vietnam by meeting with young leaders in Ho Chi Minh city. And his final

question came from a young Vietnamese rapper Suboi. Now, here's the moment she was asked to perform by the president of the United States. And Mr.

Obama even tried to drop a beat for her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Before I answer your question, why don't you give me a little rap. Let's see -- let's see what you got. Come on. Do you need, like, a

little beat?

SUBOI, VIETNAMESE RAPPER: Yes, I do actually.

OBAMA: No, no. Go ahead. Come on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And she certainly pulled it off.

Now, Suboi joing me now via Skype from Ho Chi Minh City ni Vietnam. Suboi, thank you so much for joining us here on CNN. You met Mr. Obama,

threw down some beats. You got him to answer your question and he got you to rap. What did you rap for him? And was the meaning of it?

SUBOI: Hi, Kristie. Thank you for having me.

I was just rapping about, like -- in my lyrics, there are some people, you know, they own, like, big house, and own a lot of money, but are they

really happy? That was what I was rapping about.

LU STOUT: Now, you did share your talent with President Obama. You rapped a few lines to him in Vietnamese. Could you rap to us what you gave

to the president a few hours ago?

SUBOI: Okay. So, here it is. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LU STOUT: And we love it. President Obama, his reaction was incredible. He absolutely loved it. And you also got him to talk about

freedom of expression, and art, and his response was interesting. You know, he said that if you try to suppress the arts you're suppressing the

dreams and aspirations of the people.

Were you happy with that response from President Obama?

SUBOI: I cannot ask for more. Because he -- he answered beyond my question, to be honest, and, of course, he -- he know what to say to the

young and especially people need this, people in Vietnam, where we're looking forward to the answer.

LU STOUT: Yeah, absolutely. So, it was the answer you were looking forward to and you were hoping for.

And just what was the entire experience like? I mean, you got a chance to ask the president of the United States to drop a few beats. You

rapped for him. You asked him a question. You got to riff about arts and expression. What was that like?

SUBOI: I was really -- actually, I was shaking. I was so excited and overwhelmed. I was -- I was so nervous that I'm going to -- forget my

question. So, like, I don't want to take a lot of people time. So, it was -- I'm still overwhelmed now. So...

LU STOUT: Now, I mean, you've accomplished so much. You've made the U.S. president

beat box. You serenaded him. What's next for you? What do you dream about doing next and achieving next?

SUBOI: Well, for me, myself, I want to keep on present Vietnamese music to the world. So I will try to perform as much as -- as much in

different countries, as I can. And I need people to see that the young Vietnamese now are really talented, and they've been doing amazing things,

not just me. And so I really hope that the world will see Vietnam a different way, after 40 years of war.

So, you know, we are the children of the war, but we are not war. So -- you know...

LU STOUT: Yeah, absolutely.

SUBOI: There is a lot of hope. Yeah.

LU STOUT: Yeah, and I think after this trip to Vietnam, and watching the U.S. president interact with people like you -- I think many people

around the world are now associating Vietnam as a country, not just a war. And what kind of messaging do you want to come through in your rap songs?

You just did a little rap for us about, I guess, rich/poor disparity in your country. What are other topics, what are the other themes that you

want to take on?

SUBOI: I always talk about being true to yourself, because, you know, you can make up a lot of things, but the truth will always be there. And

you know, you have to express yourself, otherwise, you know, why live in a world that -- you know, you can go after like power and money, but, you

know, you have better things to do like positive thing. And I hope people will always go after their dream no matter how the situation is.

And, you know, it's going to take a long time. But -- that's the way it is, that's the way to go.

LU STOUT: Yeah. Yeah. And final question for you. You've got President Barack Obama to beat box. How would you rate his beat box

skills?

SUBOI: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LU STOUT: We'll leave it at that. Suboi, Vietnamese rapper, hip hop artist, thank you so much for sharing your story with us and your

experience and take care. Wishing you the best of luck with your career and your art.

Now, Taiwan's first female president is facing a very personal attack from Chinese media. Now, coming up next on News Stream, we look at the

article in a state-run newspaper, which talks about Tsai Ing-wen being single.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, a Chinese state-run newspaper is questioning the leadership of Taiwan's new president because she is a single, childless woman.

Now, Xinhua published an analysis of Tsai Ing-wen calling her political style emotional and extreme. It says, quote, "as a female single

politician she has no family restraint and no children to worry about," unquote.

Now, it is, of course, sparked criticism online with people pointing to successful, single female leaders including China's very own vice

premier Wu Yi. Now, Xinhua has since taken down the story.

Now, they have grown up in unprecedented prosperity, connected to the world through

the internet. China's Millennials are emerging as a powerful force. They're outspoken, empowered and not afraid to challenge the status quo.

But unlike their peers in the west, there is a huge generational divide between them and their

parents who struggled through economic hardships and political isolation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:40:35] LU STOUT: To understand what makes China's Millennials different from older generations, it's important to take a look back at

China's recent history.

The People's Republic was founded in 1949 after decades of war. Chinese born in the 1950s and 1960s grew up in the shadow of Chairman Mao

Zedong's Great Leap Forward. It was an attempt to modernize the country that instead brought economic ruin and famine. It's estimated tens of

millions of people died in the so-called three bitter years.

After that failure, Mao launched the ultra leftist cultural revolution to protect his grip on power. It saw the rise of the Red Guards, which was

made up of groups of militant students. The movement created chaos and instability.

Millions of workers, officials and intellectuals were banished to the countryside for hard labor; many were tortured, killed or driven to

suicide. The cultural revolution finally ended with Mao's death in 1976.

Deng Xiaoping came into power in 1978 and ushered in market oriented reforms. By the early 1990s, his policies had helped lift an estimated 170

million people out of extreme poverty.

But Deng's era also brought China's controversial one child policy, which was enforced by some draconian officials with abortions,

sterilization and heavy fines.

And in June 1989 after weeks of protest and Beijing's Tienanmen Square, troops crushed pro-democracy demonstrators, killing hundreds of

people.

Now, someone born in 1949 would have lived through all of this and would be 67 years old today. Their grandchildren, born in the 1990s, are

approaching or in their 20s. And since 1990, China's GDP per capita has grown from $316 to nearly $8,000. It's now, of course, the world's second

biggest economy.

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LU STOUT: Now, don't miss next "On China" as we meet China's Millennials and examine how they're going to change the country. It debuts

Thursday 4:30 p.m. Hong Kong time, only on CNN.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere. World Sport with Alex Thomas is next.

END