Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

New Ransomware Attack More Sophisticated Than Wannacry; A Look at Hong Konger's Fears of Erosion of Freedoms; U.S. President Negotiates with Senate Republicans on Health Care. 08:00a-09:00a ET

Aired June 28, 2017 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:35] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout live at the Hong Kong harbor front and welcome to News Stream.

Now, a massive ransomware attack hits businesses around the world again, but experts are warning that his one is more sophisticated than last

month's Wannacry attack.

As we approach the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China, we look at why some people fear the erosion of the city's unique rights and

freedoms.

And U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Republican lawmakers after growing opposition prompts Senate leaders to delay their attempt to repeal

and replace Obamacare.

Our top story this hour, for the second time in two months, hackers have launched destructive, ransomware attacks targeting some of the world's

biggest companies. The software infects computers and locks down their hard drives, then demands payment of a $300 ransom in BitCoin.

Now, the source is not yet clear. And researchers say it is similar to last months' Wannacry ransomware attack, but the virus is even more

sophisticated.

Now, the computer virus is quickly spreading around the world's largest advertising agency, WPP. In Russia, the oil and gas giant Rosneft, the

U.S.-based pharmaceutical company Merck was hit, as well as U.S.-based food and beverage company Mondelez, which owns popular snack brands like Oreo's

and Cadbury; and the enormous Danish shipping firm Maersk reported its tech systems were down across multiple sites and business units.

Now, joining me now with more on the impact on the cyber attack, CNN Money Europe editor Nina Dos Santos. Nina, this was another significant

ransomware attack targeting Europe. What kind of damage have you seen there?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN MONEY EUROPE EDITOR: And targeting other countries as well. But you're right there, Kristie, it did start in Europe,

particularly eastern Europe, Ukraine and also spread very quickly to Russia. We heard this time yesterday that 80 companies in that region have

been affected. Now we know that more than 2,000 computers around the region have been infected with this particular virus. And as you pointed

out, some of the names are pretty high profile and pretty international as well.

So far, there's no word on how much money is really been paid into these BitCoin wallets, at least, very different estimates. And so at this point

it would largely be guesswork.

But it seems as though people are still paying this ransom in $300 to the BitCoin wallets, despite the fact that now a German company that says it

serves as one of its email service was actually being used by these hackers to harvest this kind of money and communicate with the people who were

victims of this crime. Well they say that they have shut down that email address. And that means that obviously people who want to be paying the

ransom and communicate with the hackers to get access to their data and have their data de-encrypted, well, they may be paying for nothing at this

point.

What's really worrying about this, Kristie, is that it is, as you pointed out, like the Wannacry virus that was so devastating that affected 200,000

computers in 150 countries.

But what's worrying about this one is that it seems to be slightly more sophisticated, and it shuts down the entire hard drive, not just encrypting

the files on the computer. So, that could really be damaging and people haven't found a kill switch yet.

LU STOUT: Yeah, creating a lot of collateral damage in the process. This is a ransomware attack. The motive here appears to be financial, money.

What more are you hearing about motive and also who carried it out?

DOS SANTOS: Well, what we're talking about here is something called a petia (ph) virus. And interestingly enough, some cyber security experts

I've been speaking to say that they have seen variants of these petia viruses (ph) circulating for quite some time.

Originally, they were developed in the 1990s. They weren't used a huge amount and then they've seem to have come back in a very sophisticated form

when attached to a worm so that it can infect multiple computers. Even if some computers on the network have already been protected with the kind of

patch that Windows issued earlier on this year to prevent the Wannacry virus from spreading.

So, what this means is that if you have one computer on your network that isn't actualy protected and hasn't done the updates, well, you can actually

reinfect other computers in the network that have been protected even after the Wannacry virus.

So, if you take a look at some of the big companies here that are listed on that list you were talking about before, they're very international

companies. Take WPP, for instance, 205,000 staff. It's a company that has grown traditionally by acquisition, so it's got many different entities

under its big umbrella brand that will be operating as agencies, advertising agencies, public relations agencies. If, say, a computer on

the servers in all of the countries that this company operates in hasn't done the update, and even if some of the other computers and companies have

done the updates after Wannacry or even before, what this particular virus can do is work under the radar to get back into the computer systems and

continue to spread.

And that's why people are so worried about this particular threat of this virus today.

In terms of its immediate damage, it hasn't been as damaging as Wannacry, so far. As I said, that had a huge knock on affect. It was shut down

quite quickly by a stroke of luck with a have a go hero, if you like, self- taught cyber expert.

But for now, they've shut down the email address. But that doesn't mean that they've managed to stop this virus spreading. It also doesn't mean

that that BitCoin wallet that's harvesting the money that people are paying in ransoms is out of action by any means, either, Kristie.

[08:06:26] LU STOUT: All right, Nina Dos Santos reporting. Thank you very much, Nina.

Now, the U.S. ambassador to the UN is expected to face questions over Donald Trump's latest warning to the president of Syria. The White House

says the regime would pay a heavy price if it launches another chemical attack on its own people. That warning is expected to come up when Nikki

Haley testifies before the House foreign affairs committee later on Wednesday.

Now, back in April, the U.S. struck a Syrian air field, saying it had been used to launch a chemical weapons assault. Washington says the regime

could be planning another chemical attack.

ISIS is one of the major factors fueling Syria's brutal ongoing war, and despite suffering major blows, the terror group is determined to spread

internationally.

Now, that is the threat the Philippines is now dealing with firsthand, and one coming at a bloody cost. Ivan Watson has more

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(GUNFIRE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was the scene when ISIS militants stormed the city of Marawi in the Philippines

on May 23rd -

(GUNFIRE)

WATSON: ...triggering the longest and deadliest urban battle the Philippine military has fought in decades and marking the appearance of a tenacious

enemy with international ambitions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The aim of taking over pert was to have the credentials to announce the establishment of a formal province of Islamic

State in Southeast Asia.

WATSON: Counterterrorism experts say ISIS in the Philippines is actually a coalition of local Islamist insurgent groups.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's so extraordinary about this coalition is that it bridges ethnic and regional ties in a way that really hasn't happened in

the Philippines before.

WATSON: These are the top commanders of ISIS in the Philippines. They filmed themselves planning their assault on this area. And this video later

captured and distributed by the Philippine military.

Among the leaders, Abdullah and Omar Moute (ph), two brothers from Marawi who spent time living in the Middle East. Omar Moute (ph) also taught

English and preached sermons at this mosque and Islamic school in Indonesia. Somewhere along the way, he also became a violent extremist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stressing the Philippines, is a place to share fighters. They share skills. They share ideas. And they share human resources.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very easy for us.

WATSON: This man is a former member of one of the Philippines most notorious jihadi groups. In this exclusive interview with CNN, he said

extremists have had decades to develop sophisticated international smuggling networks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They can easily transport arms and money, very easily.

WATSON (on camera): Between which countries?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Malaysia and Philippines, through the backdoor.

WATSON (voice-over): The back door, the islands between the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, which smugglers navigate using small boats.

(GUNFIRE)

WATSON: Some of the foreign fighters battling in Marawi may have actually island-hopped their way here.

Recently, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia announced plans for joint counterterror Navy patrols and information sharing.

The month-long battle in Marawi, an international wake-up call, to the terror threat growing in Southeast Asia.

(GUNFIRE)

WATSON: Ivan Watson, CNN, the Philippines.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:10:01] LU STOUT: Now, security is one of several issues that the Philippines is facing both politically and economically. In particular,

Manila is dealing with a changing relationship with China as well.

Now, I spoke to finance minister Carlos Dominguez about both the opportunities and the challenges that China presents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARLOS DOMINGUEZ, PHILIPPINE FINANCE MINISTER: China is still growing at, what is it, 6.9 percent. And if you look at the other countries, it

doesn't make sense for us to tie up with countries that are growing at a maximum maybe of 2.5 percent, and in some areas 1 percent is a big deal.

So, it makes it a lot of economic sense to do so.

LU STOUT: And as the Philippines aligns itself economically more closely to China, what then happens in the South China Sea? You know, we had that

planned visit by Duterte to visit disputed island -- I think it's called Situ (ph). He canceled that trip after receiving a warning from Beijing.

So, is Duterte softening his stance on the South China Sea?

DOMINGUEZ: The president said that at any time during his administration, probably towards the end, he will bring these issues up. So, it's now a

matter of building up confidence between our two countries so that we will have the basis for arriving at a peaceful resolution to the issues that we

have.

We have decided that we have issues with China as we have issues with other countries. But we will not let these issues drive our entire relationship.

So, I think that's the mode that we are on right now.

LU STOUT: Yeah, because it wasn't that long ago when Rodrigo Duterte said he was going to ride that jet ski to the disputed island and plant the flag

of the Philippines there and now he's saying, no, China, you're warning me. I'm not going to go visit that disputed island?

DOMINGUEZ: I don't think he says you're warning me, he says maybe it's not the right time to do it.

LU STOUT: OK, maybe it's not the right time to do it, because I understand that an economic alliance comes with conditions?

DOMINGUEZ: I think that he understands that if it's to the benefit of our country, to be at peace with our neighbors and to recognize that not every

issue is - has to be addressed at the moment, that there are times when, like in any marriage, you have to put some issues aside first before you

address them, and address them at the right time.

LU STOUT: So, trade first, prosperity first, then sovereignty, South China Sea issues?

DOMINGUEZ: Trade first, trust and confidence first, with each other, so that it will be very clear that we are looking for a mutually

satisfactorily solution.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was Phlippine's Finance Minister Carlos Dominguez. You could find more on some of the issues we were talking about at

CNN.com/China.

Now, in Venezuela, President Nicholas Maduro has called an attack on the country's supreme court an act of terrorism. A police officer apparently

stole a helicopter on Tuesday and flew it over the supreme court building in Caracas. Officials say the attackers then fired guns and long grenades,

just take a look at the video here.

Despite those scenes, incredibly Mr. Maduro says no one was hurt. The pilot claims to speak for a coalition of military police and civil

officials and is demanding Mr. Maduro to step down.

Now, it is a day that the families who lost their loved ones at Hillsborough Stadium have been wanting for nearly 30 years. Now,

prosecutors have charged six people in connection with the worst sporting disaster the UK has ever seen. 96 football fans were killed in a horrific

crush at a match in Sheffield, England back in 1989.

The former police chief superintendent David Duckenfield, who was the match commander on the day has been charged with manslaughter.

Now, we will have more on the Hillsborough decision on World Sport. That starts in about half an hour right here on CNN.

Now, we are live from Victoria Harbor all this week as Hong Kong marks the 20th anniversary of the handover to China. And up next, why people worry

Hong Kong's new leader may enact a controversial law that could erode long- held freedoms.

Also ahead, health care reform stalls in the U.S. Senate. Republican lawmakers head to the White House to brainstorm with President Trump on how

to get their bill back on track.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:17:04] LU STOUT: Welcome back. You're watching News Stream live in front of Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor.

Now, we are here all week as we approach the 20th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China and explore how the city has changed since

1997.

Now, we have heard from those who are happy with the integration with China to those who fear an uncertain future. Now, under the one country, two

systems principle Hong Kong maintains a degree of freedom from Mainland China.

Now, here we enjoy certain rights not possible there, like the freedom of expression, the right to protest as well. But as Anna Coren explains,

controversial legislation is fueling fear about whether Hong Kong can maintain those freedoms.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Five Hong Kong booksellers and a Chinese tycoon at a luxury Hong Kong hotel, all allegedly abducted

and taken into China in the last few years fueling fears that Beijing is already eroding Hong Kong's autonomy long before it takes full control of

the territory in 30 years time.

Now, one of the biggest fears for Hong Kong's future is that this sort of action could effectively become legal under a controversial national

security law.

Hong Kong is legally required to bring in laws which prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against China under article 23 of

its constitution.

CLAUDIA MO, HONG KONG PAN-DEMOCRACY LAWMAKER: Hong Kong people are simply utterly against it. We are here to tough out, as we would say, we're

toughing it out how Beijing is trying to control and manipulate, even, Hong Kong.

COREN: Many countries around the world have anti-treason laws in place, so why are people here in Hong Kong so worried about it? Well, depending on

how its written and enforced, it could outlaw criticism of the government, planting doubt on freedom of speech, the media, and the right to protest,

eroding the very fabric of Hong Kong society.

The government was forced to (inaudible) the law back in 2003 after some of the biggest protests the city has ever seen. People power triumphed that

time.

But it may be forced back onto the agenda by the incoming chief executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, who has already said she plans to start the

process.

CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE: We have to ensure that while protecting the country and national security, we could still save that and

uphold all those personal freedoms and rights that have been guaranteed in the basic law.

COREN: Despite serious concerns, some legal experts say it's better to do it sooner rather than later.

GRENVILLE CROSS, LAWYER: If Hong Kong doesn't enact these laws on its own, then hard liners in the National People's Congress might gain the upper

hand and say that because Hong Kong has failed to discharge its obligations, we must take matters into our own hands and impose the

national security law on Hong Kong.

[08:20:08] COREN: The main hope among Hong Kong citizens opposed to the law is that the government will remember the city's previous protests with

caution, knowing that forcing it through could result in major civil unrest, something China does not want to repeat.

Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, signs of tension here is evident on the streets. Right now, pro-democracy protesters have chained themselves to a monument outside

the convention center. That is a venue where the handover ceremony took place and where Chinese President Xi Jinping is to visit in the days ahead.

Now, the activists there include Joshua Wong, the young student famous for his part in the Umbrella Movement protest three years ago. They are also

calling for the release of Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo who has been confined to a hospital after being diagnosed with

cancer.

But while some fear that the growing influence of China, others welcome closer ties with the mainland.

Now, Charles Li is the head of the Hong Kong stock exchange. And in this clip from CNN's On China, he tells me why he believes Hong Kong has become

much stronger since the handover.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES LI, HONG KONG STOCK EXCHANGE CEO: I think the last 20 years, you know, Hong Kong's success, you know, the secret sauce is one country, two

systems because China, which was a developing socialist economy into today a market economy, that required them to have the confidence of the one

country and two system allows very different international societies and economies to be connected with China.

LU STOUT: Foreign direct investment, trade, capital market growth, these are the three things that helped define the rise of China and the economic

success of China. But Hong Kong is also transformed as well.

LI: Absolutely. I think, you know, Hong Kong, you know, in that -- you know in that entire process, was critical, essentially Hong Kong is a

tranformer. Hong Kong is the converter. Hong Kong essentially is the translator of the two very different systems.

LU STOUT: Do you think since the handover, has Hong Kong changed as an international hub? Has it gotten stronger, or weaker?

LI: Well, Hong Kong has become so much stronger. And no matter what people may emotionally think about the different things in their own lives,

but if you just look at Hong Kong. I mean, look at the market itself. We were a 3 trillion Hong Kong dollar market back in '93 and '94. Today, we

are already, you know, close to 30 trillion Hong Kong dollar market cap. So, massive growth on the back of a very big market.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And that was part of my conversation with Hong Kong Stock Exchange CEO Charles Li. And stay tuned for more on this week's On China

as the people of Hong Kong tell us their hopes and their fears about the city's future. It airs this Friday, 5:30 p.m. Hong Kong time, that's 10:30

in the morning in London, only on CNN.

Now, turning now to the stalled drive on Capitol Hill to change the face of health care in the United States.

Now, Senate GOP leaders have put off a planned vote on their bill to repeal Obamacare until after the July 4th recess. He also held a sitdown with

President Trump for a brainstorming session.

Suzanne Malveaux looks at where things stand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP., PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we don't get it done, it's just going to be something that we're not going to like, and that's OK

and I understand that very well.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senate Republicans again reworking their health care bill after another another stinging setback to

the GOP's seven-year effort to repeal and replace Obamacare.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: We will not be on the bill this week, but we're still working toward getting at least 50 people in a

comfortable place.

MALVEAUX: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell working to win over the nine Republican senators currently opposed to the bill, after being forced

to scrap a vote this week.

MCCONNELL: Either Republicans will agree and change the status quo or the markets will continue to collapse; and we'll have to sit down with Senator

Schumer.

MALVEAUX: President Trump convening Republican senators at the White House to discuss the path forward, flanked by two key skeptics of the bill.

TRUMP: We're getting very close.

MALVEAUX: The president, who has largely remained on the sidelines, optimistic despite fundamental divisions within the party between

conservatives and moderates.

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) TEXAS: The central focus needs to be on lowering premiums. The current draft doesn't do nearly enough to fix that problem.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: I have so many fundamental problems with the bill that it's difficult for me to see how any tinkering is going to

satisfy my fundamental and deep concerns.

MALVEAUX: Multiple senators voiced concern over this attack ad, commissioned by a pro-Trump super PAC, against vulnerable Republican

Senator Dean Heller, because he's against the Senate bill.

[08:25:06] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're opposed to this bill, we are opposed to you.

MALVEAUX: Sources tell CNN Heller raised the issue with the president himself after McConnell personally reached out to the White House chief of

staff, Reince Priebus, calling the ad a stupid move that set the cause back significantly.

COLLINS: I was amazed and appalled to learn that any Republican group would be running negative ads against Dean.

SCHUMER: We know the fight is not over. That is for sure.

MALVEAUX: Senators expected to take heat from their constituents when they head back home for the July Fourth recess.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm an angry constituent!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sit on down; you're done!

MCCONNELL: Some members have town halls, and some don't. We'll -- we'll see what happens.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, it is unclear if the extra time will produce any significant changes to the health care legislation or help Republican

leaders garner more support for the measure. Now, Senators are expecting an onslaught of lobbying by medical associations and advocacy groups over

the Fourth of July break.

Now, U.S. President Trump often complains about what he calls fake news, but now we're learning that a fake issue of TIME magazine with Mr. Trump on

the cover is displayed at some of his golf clubs. Jeanne Moos has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Which of these is a fake Trump Time magazine cover is it a? Is it b? Or is it c? The answer is c and you could

see it hanging on the walls of at least four Trump golf clubs according to the Washington Post.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How in the world? Very impressive looking. It's fake. It's totally fake.

MOOS: The exclamation points are a giveaway. The apprentice is a television smash. Trump is hitting on all fronts even TV. But there was no real Time

magazine issue dated March 1st, 2009.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The design is all wrong if you know Time magazine's design you can tell for a bunch of different reasons the thinness of the

border, the placement of the headlines.

MOOS: Time confirmed it's a fake. Why would rich bother inflating Trump's press?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody felt the need to gild the lily, to add basically a fake extra thing on top of what was real.

MOOS: President Trump has a love-hate relation with Time. He even got packed poising for it.

TRUMP: Look, Time magazine is no friend of mine except they put me in their cover so much, not because I like but because they like selling magazines.

MOOS: Starting in 1989 he's been on the cover 14 times.

TRUMP: I think we have the all-time record in the history of Time magazine.

MOOS: No. That record belongs to Richard Nixon he was on the cover for 55 times. The magazine says it asked the Trump organization to remove the

phony cover from their properties. A White House spokesman told the Post, "We couldn't comment on the decor at Trump's golf clubs one way or

another."

But the internet is commenting with jokes like "my guess is that at real Donald Trump has a few of these in his wallet." Sports illustrated invited

readers to put yourself on the covers of SI, so I did before President Trump points fingers.

TRUMP: Fake news.

MOOS: He better cover his own face. Jeanne Moos, CNN.

TRUMP: Fake news, folks. A lot of fake.

MOOS: New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: We're going to have much more from the Hong Kong harbor as we approach the 20th anniversary of the handover to China.

Now, later in the program, we will continue our series of listening to the voices of Hong Kong. So, please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:32:24] LU STOUT: And now to a subject we care deeply about here at CNN, the battle to end modern-day slavery. Pressure is building on a

number of countries to do more after the U.S. released its latest assessment of human trafficking.

The report downgraded China to among the worst of the worst along with Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, and Mali.

Now, in a statement made before the report's release Beijing said it was determined to fight human trafficking, but opposed what it called

irresponsible remarks from the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Now, Tillerson explained why China was ranked so badly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REX TILLERSON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: China was downgraded to tier three status in this year's report in part because it has not taken serious steps

to end its own complicity in trafficking, including forced laborers from North Korea that are located in China.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, China has reacted with indignation over the U.S. State Department's trafficking in persons report. At a briefing, the Chinese

foreign ministry said what happens in China is not the business of the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU KANG, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): We oppose the U.S. annual issuance of such a report that meddles in other

countries' internal affairs. China always holds that we crack down on crimes like human trafficking not because of others, but because of our own

needs. We are willing to work with the international community on this issue based on mutual respect, but no country has the right to make

irresponsible remarks or meddle in other country's internal affairs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: A woman in California is using her experience to expose the depraved tactics that human traffickers use to control their victims.

Lynda Kinkade has more on her mission to end the game.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a Wednesday morning, but Elle Snow is already sitting down to watch the game.

ELLE SNOW, ACTIVIST: I'm trying to figure out how many potential trafficking victims do we have. Right here. Sexy party baby girl.

Fetish, says she's 21. There's no way that that girl is 21-years-old. No way.

KINKADE: Snow is monitoring an online classified ad service where she says human trafficking frequently takes place.

SNOW: So, I always look for that when I'm looking on these ads. Do I see any identifying tattoos. And you see it a lot these days.

And brandings consist nowadays of names, especially names with a crown, huge red flag, especially if the name and the crown is on the chest or the

neck.

Also anything to do with currency, diamonds, money bags.

[08:35:03] KINKADE: Snow founded the anti-slavery organization Game Over in 2016.

SNOW: What happened to me was called The Game, this monstrous beast that is this world of sex trafficking.

KINKADE: A survivor of forced prostitution, Snow says her trafficker was a drug deal who had first tricked her into thinking they were starting a

relationship, but she says when she agreed to travel from her home in Eureka, California to his apartment in Sacramento, everything changed.

SNOW: He would come in and eventually start saying that he's not who he said he was, that he's actually a pimp, and that this is how prostitutes

are made.

He had these six inch heels, which I had never worn heels in my life being 6'0 tall. And this little pink skirt, never worn pink in my life. And he

wanted me to put these on. And he said I had to get to work.

KINKADE: Snow says she fought back for months, but every time she did the violence got worse.

SNOW: I was beat bloody. I was strangled. I was -- he was dragging my body to a car. When I woke up, my throat was so swollen and black and blue

I still have busted capillaries in it from all that.

KINKADE: The trafficker, David Anderson, went by the moniker KD, short for King David. He was given nine years for the trafficking of a 16-year-old

girl. It was the first human trafficking conviction ever in California's rural Humboldt County.

Kyla Baxley was the lead investigator in the case. She says Snow's testimony was instrumental in convincing the jury slavery can happen in any

community.

KYLA BAXLEY, HUMBOLDT COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE: Victims of sexual assault and exploitation didn't choose this, realizing that it was

happening here in Humboldt and having an interaction with Elle Snow being one of the victims in this case, she's gone on to do phenomenal things, is

raising awareness here in Humboldt. So, I think it was a good thing on many levels.

KINKADE: Since Anderson's conviction, Snow has been on a mission. In addition to investigating ongoing trafficking cases on her own, Snow also

trains law enforcement and speaks to local students. Recently, Snow co- wrote and produced a play based on her own experiences, Jane Doe in Wonderland.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got to run.

SNOW: The community rallied around and supported the survivor voices here, especially a rural community. If you're putting posters everywhere and

everybody is talking about it and all the teems they try and recruit say, hey, I know what a pimp is. I know those books. All of a sudden the

traffickers don't feel comfortable any more. And so having the community rally around is really -- it's really changing everything. It's pretty

phenomenal.

KINKADE: Proof every contribution has its role to play in helping end a brutal gang.

Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You have to look for the signs of abuse and modern-day enslavement, because it's still out there. And on Thursday, the CNN

Freedom Project takes a look at the cannabis industry in Northern California and the human trafficking that occurs on secluded farms. More

on the challenges law enforcement faces in reaching these victims. That story Thursday only on CNN.

And when we come back, we'll take a special look at the people of Hong Kong. Meet the woman who has been dubbed the best female chef in Asia.

And find out how she turns local Hong Kong fare into trendsetting cuisine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:40:12] LU STOUT: All right, welcome back to News Stream. We're coming to you live in front of Hong Kong's Victory Harbor as we approach the 20th

anniversary of the handover.

And in this city, with a population of more than 7 million, being a Hong Konger means a lot of things to a lot of different people. And today, we

hear from May Chow who has been voted best female chef in Asia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAY CHOW, CHEF: To me, being a Hong Konger means living very, very fast in a very vibrant culture.

I'm May Chow. I'm chef-owner of Little Bao, Happy Paradise and Second Draft.

Hong Kong is really a melting pot of different cultures coming to a city. The uniqueness of the food comes from the people. There's a lot of like

colonial like British kind of identity. I think what we took with tea is the same as how Indian people took their tea, it's like we didn't

understand it, so they make it really, really strong, but they also add a lot of sugar and milk, so it's kind of like a intense English breakfast.

I think the taste buds of the Hong Kong palette is very wide. It can be very, very spicy, and it can be very, very sour, and it can be very like

salty or not salty.

Roasted goose is one of my favorite Hong Kong dishes.

Chinese barbecue is very famous. And the quality of like really crispy skin and juicy meat of a goose is really like very delicate and hard to

perfect. That really represents a level of cooking available in Hong Kong.

I try to understand the culture and the essence of each dish. If I used fermented bean curd, is it used in a way where it would be well respected

in a local standpoint, but then understood internationally? So, I do a lot of dishes in that way. And I communicate flavors in that way as well.

You want the best of China in one city? I think you would do it in Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Late night snacking now.

Now, our look at Hong Kong 20 years after the handover continues tomorrow right here on News Stream. We'll have much more, including my interview

with incoming chief executive Carrie Lam, including whether she feels that she is a Hong Konger first. But that's it for today. I'm Kristie Lu

Stout. But don't anywhere. World sport with Riannon Jones is next.

END

END