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Trump Warns Republican Lawmakers Not to Vote Against Health Care Bill; Interview with Hong Kong Chief Executive Candidate John Tsang; How Electronics Ban Will Affect International Passengers. 8:00a-9:00a ET

Aired March 22, 2017 - 8:00   ET

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

[08:00:11] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, and welcome to News Stream.

Now, we're now learning more about why the U.S. and UK introduced strict new security measures on flights out of some Middle Eastern countries. The

ban on electronics bigger than a smartphone from the cabin.

Ahead of a key vote on a bill to repeal Obamacare, President Trump tells Republican lawmakers to back him or face being voted out of office.

And he claims to be the people's choice. An election where the people don't vote. We speak to Hong Kong chief executive candidate John Tsang.

Now, we are learning more about what prompted the U.S. to roll out new restrictions on laptops and other devices on some flights. A U.S. official

tells CNN, intelligence shows terrorists may soon be able to hide explosives within batteries.

Under the new guidelines, if you're flying direct to the U.S. or the UK out of several select airports in the Middle East and North Africa, you could

be required to check all devices larger than a smartphone.

Now, terrorists have done damage with bombs on board before. Last year, last year someone hid a bomb inside a laptop and smuggled it onto a Somali

airliner leaving Mogadishu. The suspected attacker was blown from the plane, but because the flight had not reached cruising altitude yet the

pilots were able to land the plane. Everyone on board survived.

However, it's not clear if it is safer to limit electronics to checked luggage. In 2015, a Russian flight was blown up from Sharm el-Sheikh,

Egypt, blew up in flight, killing all apparently caused by a bomb on board.

Now, correspondents are standing by to tell us how the new rules are affecting international

travelers. We've got John Defterios at Dubai International Airport, Samuel Burke at Heathrow Airport

in London, and Nic Robertson joins us from London. Welcome to you all.

First, let's start with John Defterios out of Dubai. And, John, I understand you've been speaking to Emirates, the major carrier based there

in Dubai. How are they there reacting to the ban?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In fact, Kristie, I spoke to the president of Emirates Tim Clark. And he said, look, we've dealt

with shocks in the past. The global financial crisis, which hurt trade and movement, the oil crisis, of course, which hurt revenues here in the Gulf

states, even the Ebola crisis.

But he said this one fits into a different category, and this is the reason why. First you have the travel ban coming from Washington to start off the

year. An amendment to that also being challenged in U.S. federal court. Now we have the electronics ban. Yes, it is hitting our revenues right

now, but it raises the obvious question, at least within the Gulf states that had the large carriers like Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad, is

there a protectionist tone behind that? Let's listen to Sir Tim in his answer addressing that issue which was quite level-headed, very moderate in

response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM CLARK, PRESIDENT, EMIRATES AIRLINE: I do not believe that they --the United States government, given with this particular issue is something

they would allow to cross over into the political sort of side things with regard to how the U.S. carriers view the - this is something that is a

commercial situation and is for them, as they are on constantly, they are trying to make the case that we should not be flying to the U.S. because

we're subsidized and everything. This is another issue.

But, no state in my view - hopefully I'm right - would allow a cross over of the two.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEFTERIOS: So Tim Clark suggesting it's another hurdle cross for Emirates. As you know, they had 96 hours to comply. He said by Friday night they'll

have the systems in place.

Quite interesting, Kristie, that they will have a special check-on facility here to put the laptop in at the very last minute as you board for a flight

going to the United States.

I also asked him about the difference of policy between the United States and the UK. He says I know the two countries share intelligence. Right

now they have a different view of where the threat is coming from, but he added this to us, he's worried about this spreading as a policy to the

European carriers and to Asia as well. And then he added, look, you try to tell me that the UAE doesn't have the level of security that you would find

in Europe, Asia and the United States. I don't buy it, particularly because of the equipment we're using, and alos having the Transportation

Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security of the United States, both combing through the airport here in Dubai.

He says I don't buy it that we don't have the same standards, the global standards that you see around the world.

LU STOUT: Now, a major disruptive event for Emirates and other affected airlines and fears that this could lead to some sort of a domino effect.

Thank you, John. Up from Dubai.

Let's go to London Heathrow. Samuel Burke is standing by. And Samuel, I understand that you've been speaking to people affected by the ban. What

are they telling you and what do travelers need to know?

SAMUEL BURKE, CNN MONEY: Well, Kristie, there's a lot of confusion from people wondering can I take these devices when I go to these Middle Eastern

countries? Can I have them in the cabin? And, yes, of course, they can. There's also confusion from people about what type of devices they will be

able to carry on.

If I have a phablet, a phone that's nearly the size of a tablet, can I take that on? We've looked at some of the biggest phablets out there and they

look like they will be allowed on the cabins. You won't have to check them in.

But I want to pick up on something that John was just talking about. He's talking about a kind of a last point where you can drop off your laptops

and your other devices. This has a lot of tech experts very concerned, Kristie, because as you know they have worked long and hard looking at the

dangers, the very real dangers of lithium batteries, and now we're talking about having a large group of those electronic devices all together with

those batteries, and many experts believe that that is the worst situation you could have.

The FAA and the United States have been trying to move those batteries from the belly of the airplane to the cabin for years. And this all of a

sudden puts them all together.

What they really fear is that if something happens with one of them, god forbid somebody detonates one, one one simply catches on fire as they can

do, we saw it with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, then you have them all together and it creates a chain reaction.

So there's real concern from a lot of aviation and tech experts that this may not be the right move in the bigger picture.

LU STOUT: Yeah, absolutely, concerns about lithium ion batteries in the cargo hold. A lot of concern there. Thank you for that, Samuel.

Now, let's go to Nic Robertson standing by in London. Nic, what do we know about the threat

that let to this in-flight gadget ban?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know the specifics. We don't know where this information has come from, when it was generated, precisely, therefore, who is believed to be the sort of

biggest threat here?

But what we do know for some time since 2009 when the underpants bomber tried to bring

down a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day that that bomb was made by al Qaeda's top bomb-maker in Yemen, Ibrahim al-Asiri (ph). The next year he

built and sent out from Yemen two very, very sophisticated printer bombs, so sophisticated that when the British police had one of the printer bombs,

they'd intercepted it, they had it in their hands, they couldn't actually figure out that it was a bomb, that they couldn't find the explosives.

That's how sophisticated it was.

Two years later, a spy working for Saudi intelligence inside Yemen intercepted another of a series of bombs, more sophisticated. That was

handed off to the CIA.

A couple of years later, in 2014, there was an intelligence assessment that Asiri (ph) was

sharing his information, his bomb-making intelligence and skills to affiliates, to the al Qaeda's Korashan (ph) affiliate in Syria.

Now, their aim was to perpetrate attacks outside the country. Then, if you go to Somalia last

year, you were reporting there that a computer that went through security was put on board the plane and it detonated with explosives inside of it.

Now, it's been known for a long time that al Qaeda in Yemen has had close ties with its al Qaeda

affiliate al Shabaab in Somalia.

So, you know, as al Qaeda has grown, as ISIS has spread, there does appear, and I say appear

because we don't have this definitively explained, there does appear to be a concern that this -- this effort to make more sophisticated bombs is now

in the hands of other people, perhaps not just Asiri(Ph), perhaps other people he's taught. Could they be in Syria? Could they now, some of them

now be with ISIS? This is all unclear. But it does still leave those questions unanswered.

Why, for example, did the United States put Morocco on the list and Britain didn't? Britain put Tunisia on. We asked the British Department of

Transport, and they said, you know, you have to ask the Americans why they did what they did, but they feel that the steps that they are taking are

proportionate and effective.

But it -- it still does leave for security experts a lot of questions that they would like to have answered, more specifics here.

LU SOTUT: Yeah. A lot of open-ended questions on the back of this sweeping new security measure. Nic Robertson, Samuel Burke, John

Defterios, thanks for your reporting.

Now, the electronics ban is definitely an inconvenience for travelers who mighgt be worried a laptop could be damaged in checked luggage or be

tampered with once out of their possession. There are safer ways you can carry electronic data with you.

For instance, you could use an encrypted USB. And find out how else you can protect your data and your devices, just go to CNN.com/tech. You'll

find it there.

Now, one of President Donald Trump's key campaign promises is facing a major test. On Thursday, the House of Representatives will vote on a bill

to replace Obamacare, but some members of the president's own party are not on board. And he's stepping up the pressure in a last-ditch effort to seal

the deal. Suzanne Malveaux has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (voice-over): There really is a crucial vote for the Republican Party and for the people of our country.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the most important political test of his presidency yet, President Trump in full sell mode,

twisting the arms of skeptical Republican House members to vote "yes" on the bill to repeal and replace Obamacare.

TRUMP: The American people gave us clear instructions. It's time to get busy, get to work and to get the job done.

MALVEAUX: The president testing out his own brand of deal making in a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill. GOP members giving Trump a standing

ovation. Party loyalists gushing.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The president just came here and knocked the ball out of the park.

MALVEAUX: Alternately using humor, threats and public shaming to sell the American Health Care Act to his own party. The president warning House

members they could lose their seats next year if the bill doesn't pass.

SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think there's going to be a price to be paid, but it's going to be with their own voters.

MALVEAUX: President Trump even calling out the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Mark Meadows, for publicly denouncing the bill. The

president cautioning Meadows, "I'm coming after you," but Meadows and others are still a hard "no."

REP. MARK MEADOWS (R), NORTH CAROLINA: There still are not enough votes to pass this particular bill.

REP. JIM JORDAN (R), OHIO: The president did a great job, and I appreciate the president. But the bill is still bad.

MALVEAUX: Even after tweaks were made to the bill to appeal to more conservative and moderate Republicans.

REP. TOM GARRET (R), VIRGINIA: What I don't get is the impetus that this must be done right now, and Thursday is some sort of do or die day. It's

not.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was CNN's Suzanne Malveaux reporting. President Trump's choice of a

Supreme Court justice will soon face a third day of questioning in the Senate. Neil Gorsuch survived the first two days of his confirmation

hearing largely unscathed. And for hours, Democrats challenged his ability to maintain independence from President Trump, but he insisted the

president would not influence his decisions. Gorsuch returns to the hot seat in just over an hour from now.

A Ukrainian lawmaker claims to have new evidence about the activities of Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chief.

Now, Manafort previously told CNN that there's no truth to allegations that he received millions of dollars in secret payments from Ukraine's former

president in Kiev.

Atika Shubert looks at the latest developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sergii Leshchenko is Ukrainian journalist turned lawmaker, who staked his career

on fighting corruption. He takes us for a quick drive to Kiev to show us where this man used to work, Paul Manafort, former Trump campaign manager

now under scrutiny.

SERGII LESHCHENKO, UKRAINIAN MP: This used to be office of Paul Manafort.

SHUBERT (voice-over): This, he says, is where a potentially crucial bit of evidence was found, a suspicious invoice that appears to be personally

signed by Paul Manafort.

Paul Manafort worked in Ukraine for years, mostly advising former President Viktor Yanukovych, a leader backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and

so deeply unpopular for his rampant corruption that he was chased out of his multi-billion-dollar palace and into exile in Russia.

Angry protesters set fire to his party headquarters in 2014, but not before a group of citizens saved some documents inside, including a handwritten

list of cash payments that's known in Ukraine as the black ledger.

Manafort's name is scrawled 22 times for a total of $12.7 million. When the ledger surfaced in the midst of the Trump campaign last year, Manafort told

CNN allegations of corruption were, "unfounded, silly, and nonsensical."

He said, "I have never received a single off-the-books cash payment." But Sergii Leshchenko now has this, an invoice that appears to be personally

signed by Paul Manafort, stamped with the Ukrainian company registration number. The date 14th of October 2009, and the amount, $750,000, are an

exact match to a Manafort entry on the black ledger.

CNN has not been able to verify the authenticity of the document. We asked Paul Manafort to verify the document and his signature. His spokesman told

us the allegations were, "baseless" and sent this response.

"Paul Manafort does not recognize those documents and that is not his signature." We compared Leshchenko's scanned signature pages to Department

of Justice documents filed and signed by Manafort, now available online.

[08:15:15] LESHCHENKO: This is the first time we see Manafort signature in this Ukrainian side of his story.

SHUBERT (voice-over): The invoice shows 501 units of assorted computer equipment sold by Davis Manafort to a Neal Com Systems, a Belize registered

shell company with a bank account listed in Kyrgyzstan. Leshchenko says the document was found last year in a locked safe by a cleaning crew inside the

former offices of Davis Manafort.

LESHCHENKO: It looks like Manafort wasn't only political consultant, but trader of computer processors. But I'm sure that it's fake invoice. Fake

contract. Just to establish - artificially establish legal basis for transaction of this huge amount of money.

SHUBERT: Do you think this is money laundering?

LESHCHENKO: I believe it has to be investigated, and this issue has to be checked during the investigation. In my journalist experience, it looks

like money laundering and wire fraud.

SHUBERT: Has the FBI contacted you about this information?

LESHCHENKO: I cannot tell you about this. Let's say this, no comment.

SHUBERT (voice-over): We asked Leshchenko if the FBI now has a copy of this document. He would not comment. But for Leshchenko, the paper trail

provides evidence that must be investigated.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Kiev.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Still ahead right here on News Stream, North Korean stoking tensions again. This time, a failed missile launch, but some experts say

it is still a dangerous show of force. We've got a live report straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. You're watching News Stream. Now, North Korea has conducted another missile

launch, but early reports indicate it failed, but it is raising the alarm in the region. Just four days ago, Pyongyang announced it tested a new

rocket engine and just a few weeks ago it launched four ballistic missiles that fell into waters off Japan.

Now China is calling on all parties on the peninsula to exercise restraint. Will Ripley is in Beijing for us. He joins us now live. And Will, again,

despite the fact that this was a failed test, North Korea remains a very real threat.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And the foreign ministry spokeswoman here in Beijing, Kristie, said that this is a very big concern for China because

of the extremely intense situation on the Korean peninsula, as you said calling for calm. There was an incident in the airspace of South Korea

that maybe even a further provocation for Pyongyang. A U.S. bomber was flying alongside fighter jets from South Korea and Japan.

And North Korean propaganda is making it very clear what they will do if they are provoked.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:20:05] RIPLEY: A new North Korean propaganda video appearing to show a trike on a U.S. navy aircraft carrier and U.S. bomber. The explosions

computer generated, the growing threat, analysts say, very real.

On Wednesday, the United States, South Korean and Japan detected what appears to be a failed North Korean missile launch. U.S. Pacific Command

says it likely blew up within seconds.

U.S. Pacific commander says it likely blew up within seconds.

Experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his missile scientists still gained valuable information even when things go wrong.

PHILIP YUN, EXECUTIVE DIRECOR, PLOUGHSHARES FUND: You learn a lot from a failure, as much, sometimes, as a success. And the thing is, is that we

can expect more in the coming weeks as these military games continue.

RIPLEY: The latest launch coincides with annual joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea, which always infuriate Pyongyang. Two

weeks ago, North Korea launched four ballistic missiles simultaneously. Three came within 200 nautical miles of the Japanese coast.

Over the weekend, Kim celebrated the test of a new rocket engine bringing him closer to his

ultimate goal of a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the mainland U.S.

North Korean state media announced the test as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Pyongyang nuclear and

missile threat dominated Tillerson's three-nation Asia trip.

REX TILLERSON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The policy of strategic patience has ended. We're exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and

economic measures. All options are on the table.

RIPLEY: Tillerson not ruling out a preemptive strike, but analysts believe the Trump administration is leaning towards more economic sanctions

enforced by China, an approach the Bush administration used in the mid- 2000s after North Korea's first nuclear test.

They have since conducted five.

YUN: Essentially what the United States is going to do is put more pressure on North Korea

with the expectation that China is going to solve this problem. And this is simply not going to work. It's been tried in the past and it's been an

abysmal failure over the last 10 years.

RIPLEY: North Korea threatening more nuclear tests and an ICBM launch any time. This video promises a rain of fire, escalating rhetoric from a

nation with an unpredictable leader who seems determined to become a full-fledged nuclear power at any cost.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: And all signs are pointing to perhaps further escalations on the North Korean side because three weeks from now, Kristie, they have two

major events coming up, the Supreme People's Assembly on April 11, this is the gathering of the ruling Workers Party of

Korea and then a few days after that, the Day of the Sun, North Korea's most important holiday celebrating the birthday of their founder Kim il-

Sung and this is the time for these major events that we often see major shows of force such as nuclera tests, missile launches, that sort of thing.

LU STOUT: Yeah. So a number of notable events ahead, a number of additional tests in the pipeline as well. As you point out in your report,

Will, you say North Korea is determined to become a full-fledged nuclear power. But why? What does Kim Jong-un ultimately

want?

RIPLEY: What he wants is to be recognized by the international community as a nuclear power and then, of course, the North Koreans' goal is once

that recognition happens then perhaps sanctions and diplomatic and economic isolation would ease up and they would be more integrated into the global

community. It makes you for many years people thought, well, why would North Korea continue to test these weapons only further isolating

themselves, hurting their economy, but yet what the world is now realizing is that the sanctions and all of the other

measures to try to stop North Korea haven't worked and they have only grown their nuclear program further and the -- the danger is

proliferation.

If they sell this technology because of economic hardship to rogue states, terrorist

organizations, and we know that that has happened over the years, and we know that North Korea continues to earn money through weapons sales by

doing business with small banks right here in China.

So, that is the catch 22, isn't it? would you reward Nroth Korea for continuing this kind of behavior, that has happened over the years, then

what's going to be the next step.

LU STOUT: Yeah, North Korea remains undeterred. And as you point out, the stakes here are just so high. Will Ripley reporting live from Beijing.

Thank you, Will.

As a threat from the North looms, South Korea is dealing with a political cries, and the aftermath of the president's impeachment. Now, prosecutors

release Park Guen-hye after 14 hours of questioning. Prosecutors finished questioning her late on Tuesday. She's being investigated in a

bribery scandal that has rocked the country for months and led to her impeachment.

Now it has been almost three years since a South Korean ferry sank, killing 304 people. And now victims' families may finally get more answers as to

what happened.

Right now the government is working to hoist the ship from the ocean floor after several

past attempts failed. The remains of nine victims are believed to still be trapped inside.

Now, coordinators say that we will likely see 13 meters of the ferry on Thursday. Paula Hancocks takes a look back at the disaster and its impact

on South Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a disaster that devastated a nation. April 2014, a passenger ferry sank off the coast to

South Korea, taking more than 300 souls with it. Most were high school students on a field trip to a holiday island, told by crew to stay where

they were, to wait for rescuers. As the ship sank beneath the frigid waters of the yellow sea. The captain and much of the crew saved

themselves, knowing hundreds were still on board. Tortuous hours turned into days, weeks and months as family members waited for the bodies of

their loved ones to be found. For Park Gun-Mei that agonizing waited lasted almost three years. the 16 years old daughter has still not been found.

One of the nine bodies believed to be inside the ship. When the children were being found one by one she told me two years ago, I suddenly thought

somebody has to be the last to be found. What if its Die Yeun? I'm still living in April 2014. As body after body was brought to shore, it became

clear this was a manmade disaster. Investigators found cargo was grossly overloaded and unsecured, modifications made to the ship to increase

passenger capacity made it unstable. And the captain and crew were poorly trained. Several company executives were charged, the CEO convicted, now

serving 10 years. The captain apologized but was convicted of murder, given a life sentence, spared the death penalty. Much to the anger of bereaved

parents. Choe Kyung Dueck lost his 16-year-old son who was posting on twitter as the ship went down.

CHOE KYUNG DUECK, PARENT: Last message is 10:20. Please save me. Please save me. Please save me.

HANCOCKS: Former president Park Geun-hye was criticized for her perceived inaction during the crisis, saying nothing for seven hours as horrified

citizens watched live footage of the ship slipping beneath the waves. An accident that should never have never happened, a product of corruption and

incompetence, a tragedy that broke the hearts of an entire country.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, South Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: It's still so gut-wrenching to see that video once again three years after that tragedy.

Now here in Hong Kong, it is campaign season of sorts. This man is vying to be the city's next leader. He is topping the polls. So why isn't he

the favorite to win the race?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:31:48] LU STOUT: On Sunday, Hong Kong votes for a new chief executive, but not

everyone gets to vote because this is not an ordinary election. Pro- democracy activists say it's more of a selection. Hong Kong is a population of over 7 million people, but a committee 1,194 people will

vote for the city's leader, almost two-thirds of the committee are pro- Beijing figures, or from business or industry. And they are to choose from three candidates.

We have the former deputy chief executive Carrie Lam is one of the main front runners. She said to be Beijing's choice, and her main rival is

former financial secretary John Tsang. The final candidate is Judge Woo Kwok-hing. He seemed to be backed by pro-democracy

activists.

Now, while Baijing has made it clear it wants Carrie Lam to win, she will need to get over half of the committee votes to be elected in the first

round. If she's doesn't, then the top two candidates move it a runoff vote. They will need to get 700 votes to win.

Now, Carrie Lam may be Beijing's favorite, but it seems to be John Tsang who is the people's

choice. And I saw that firsthand when I met with him on the streets of Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Adored by the public on the streets of Hong Kong, political watchers see John

Tsang as the people's choice for the territory's next leader. He's ahead in the latest opinion polls. Netizens say he came out on top in televised

debates. And he's raised more than $600,000 from members of the public who have long called him Mr. Pringles for his signature mustache.

But in Hong Kong, popularity with the people does not guarantee electoral success. Out of a city of 7 million, choosing the next leader lies in the

hands of Beijing and a 1,200-member committee of voters drawn mostly from the city's wealthy pro-Beijing elites.

Campaigners have been trying to change this political system for decades, culminating in the

pro-democracy Umbrella Movement protests in 2014, which ultimately failed in its goal.

Now U.S.-educated Tsang says he wants to put the goal of one man one vote firmly back on the

agenda.

JOHN TSANG, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE CANDIDATE: I think that's very important, that is the true aspiration of Hong Kong people to -- to have a

vote.

LU STOUT: But if selected, Tsang would be unlikely to ever rock the boat with China. In fact, he is firmly establishment with more than three

decades of working in Hong Kong government. He has pressed the flesh with both current and former Chinese presidents XiJjinping and Hu Jintao, seen

as a marker of approval from Beijing.

TSANG: Hong Kong has always been a part of China. We have Chinese culture permeates everywhere.

LU STOUT: Still, Tsang's main rival, Carrie Lam, is the favorite to win in the vote on March 26. She was the second in command to the current leader,

CY Leung, and says she wants to health the city's social divide

CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE CANDIDATE (through translator): When the mainstream opinion is different from mine, I will definitely accept

Hong Kong people's opinion. If public opinion. If public opinion renders me unsuitable to serve as chief executive, I will resign.

LU STOUT: CNN has requested an interview with Carrie Lam. Tsang says the main difference

between him and Lam is in his approach with the people.

TSANG: I'm someone who people can talk to. I listen to people. I undersand the community of Hong Kong.

[08:35:05] LU STOUT: The outside third in this race is retired judge Hoo Kowk-hing who says he would bring in laws to ban China from meddling in

Hong Kong's affairs. The winner in this race will lead Hong Kong until 2022. In this election, which is hardly democratic, John Tsang continues

to work the campaign trail and on social media, seen teaching young people how to fence.

A keen athlete, Tsang also practices martial arts.

Are you a kung fu fighter? Is that what you're saying?

TSANG: I can, I can if I want to.

LU STOUT: Meaning that he has not given up on the election battle just yet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, no matter who emerges as the winner, one thing stays the same: the majority of citizens in Hong Kong still have no right to vote for

their next leader. And activist Joshua Wang says says that must change. On Tomorrow's News Stream, my conversation with the

city's home-grown democracy fighter. The teenager was one of the leaders of the Umbrella Movement protests in 2014.

Brazil is taking action over the alleged sale of rotten meat and the country's state-run news agency says 21 is plants have had their export

licenses suspended. That is in response to investigations into the scandal.

Brazilian police say meat packers have been paying bribes to inspectors to certify their products.

China, Mexico, Japan and the European Union have taken measures to avoid importing any

tainted meat.

Now, for most travelers AirBnB is a household name except in one crucial and lucrative market: China. Still, the vacation rental company is seeing

enormous opportunities, betting big on a name and bigger workforce to entice Chinese users.

CNN Money's Sherisse Pham reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHERISSE PHAM, CNN MONEY: This is how you say AirBnB in Chinese. Ai, which means love, Be (ph), which means each other, and ying, which means welcome.

Ai Be Ying (ph), roughly means welcome each other with love. And AirBNB hopes that translates into more marketshare in China where it could use

some help.

The company announced today a bigger push into China, doubling its investment and tripling the size of its workforce there. But AirBnB has a

lot of catching up to do. China already has its own version of the vacation rental company, and across China Fu Jia (ph) has 430,000 listings.

AirBnB 80,000 listings.

Now the Chinese market is a tough one for foreign tech companies. Uber spent billions of dollars in China just to sell its business to local rival

(inaudible) in the end. It's a cautionary tale for AirBnB, but the Chinese market is just too big and too potentially

lucrative to ignore.

Sherisse Pham, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now you might remember this, a very awkward moment: two world leaders holding hands as they walk at the White House. It's a moment that

prompted a lot of questions, some speculation. Up next, CNN's Jeanne Moos ways in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: OK. Some are calling it chivalry, others say it's a rare phobia. Now it made headlines around the world, so why did Donald Trump

hold hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May?

CNN's Jeanne Moos might have the answer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:40:03] JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whether it be not shaking German chancellor's hand or clutching the hand of Britain's prime

minister, President Trump's hands seem to end up in headlines. For instance, the BBC headline, "Donald Trump is scared of stairs?" "Scarecase"

chortled one British paper back when President Trump took Prime Minister May's hand as they navigated a ramp at the White House. Seems British

government sources told the British press that President Trump held May's hand because he has bathmophobia (ph), a fear of ramps and stairs. A fear

common to household pets. That's President Bush nudging Barney. The Trump stairs jokes were ramped up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Finally an explanation for all those escalators.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Escalators are great. They're really, really amazing. And I've been told I look really great on them.

MOOS (on camera): Ever since first hearing about the phobia rumor, I've become slightly obsessed with watching President Trump watch his step.

(voice-over): Really watching his step coming down the stairs of the Capitol, even while climbing just a couple of steps at the White House,

coming off his plane, eyes on his feet, clutching the railing. He once noted how President Obama used to jog down the stairs, "hopping and bobbing

all the way is so inelegant and unpresidential. Do not fall."

President Obama caught himself while Gerald Ford and Hillary didn't. When asked if the president has fear of stares, a White House spokesperson said,

"no offense, but this is an absurd question." And now Britain's prime minister has told "Vogue," "I think he was actually being a gentleman. We

were about to walk down a ramp, and he said it might be a bit awkward." The prime minister throws cold water on the bathmophobia theory. Guess that

means we can cancel that ban on steps.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All new houses will have to be single story. No stairs.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're really great.

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LU STOUT: And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere. World Sport with Amanda Davies is next.

END