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North Korea Holds Workers Party Congress; Interview with Vicente Fox; Russian Orchestra Performs Amid Palmyra Ruins; Chibok Girls Still Missing; Fire in Alberta; E-Cigarettes to be Regulated in U.S. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired May 6, 2016 - 01:00   ET

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


[01:00:11] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.

ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead this hour, it's the biggest political event in North Korea in a generation. But so far the outside world is being kept at arm's length.

VAUSE: Well, Donald Trump is now the Republican standard bearer. The party's most senior elected official worries he doesn't bear the party's standards.

SESAY: Also escape from Boko Haram. I'll talk to one of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls to managed to break free from the terror group.

VAUSE: Hello, everybody. Great to have you with us. I'm John Vause.

SESAY: And I am Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.

VAUSE: And our top story, North Korea is holding perhaps its most important political gathering in decades right now. Thousands of members of North Korea's ruling party have traveled to Pyongyang for their first congress since 1980.

SESAY: Leader Kim Jong-un told state-run media the congress would outline the country's goals for the coming years. He's also expected to unveil new party leaders and to consolidate his grip on power.

VAUSE: Let's bring in CNN's Paula Hancocks in Seoul and Victor Gao in Beijing. Victor is a director at the China National Association of International Studies.

Thank you all for being with us.

Paula, first to you. The timing here is the big question. This party congresses, they're meant to be held every five years, this one, hasn't been on the agenda for more than 30 years. So why now?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, if you consider the last leader to have held one of these congresses was Kim Jong-un's grandfather and the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-sung. Now there have been similarities drawn between Kim Jong-un and his grandfather, they both appear very comfortable in the limelight, certainly we've been seeing that from the North Korean leader. Recently he likes to meet people. You can see him pressing the flesh everywhere he goes. The soldiers surrounding him.

And his father, Kim Jong-il was not necessarily like that. Experts believe that he didn't like the limelight as much. In fact he didn't hold one of these congresses. That could be one of the reasons we're seeing it now. And of course Kim Jong-un, he's more than four years into his reign. He has achievements that he wants to boast about. Notably the past few months he has had that litany of nuclear tests, of missile tests, and certainly he wants to have a lot to boast about and he wants to show that he is in power.

VAUSE: And Victor, over to you, there's some speculation that Kim Jong-un might actually announce China-style economic reforms. That's something which Beijing has been pushing for a while. What are the chances you think that it may actually happen?

VICTOR GAO, DIRECTOR, CHINA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: I think DPRK is right now at a crossroads. And they truly believe that they are under survival threat. And that gives them one of the reasons why they keep going forward with the nuclear testing, as well as the long-range missile testing.

On the other hand I think the international community for all resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council has already made their position on the international community very well known. That is no one should tolerate the nuclear weapons of DPRK. And all of us should be united to achieve the only goal, this denuclearization on that Korean peninsula. Whether their leader in DPRK and DPRK regime will eventually show flexibility to accommodate the legitimate request of the international community, that remains to be seen.

But I will definitely be assured that this will be one of the things that the ruling party will need to discuss and how to deal with this war or peace issue in DPRK. Economic reform probably will be secondary. In DPRK at this particular moment. Of top priority is still this war or peace, and how the regime itself will survive. And that will be the top priority to be discussed on the preliminary meeting --

VAUSE: OK. Let's bring in --

GAO: -- of the ruling party in Pyongyang.

VAUSE: Let's bring in Paula Hancocks on that note.

So, Paula, the issue of war or peace, how are the South Koreans viewing all of this from Seoul?

HANCOCKS: Well, certainly they're watching this very closely. I think officials around the world are watching this very closely. What will be said during this congress. Will Kim Jong-un himself make a speech? Will he give indications of what the future holds for North Korea?

Now we've heard lots since 2013 of this duel track approach that North Korea is taking. The strong economy as well as a robust nuclear program. Of course many question you can have one when you're spending billions on the other. And certainly we've seen more of a push in recent months towards this nuclear program that we have towards the economy.

[01:05:03] But is that a move away from the military first that his father had as his policy, certainly moving away from the conventional weapons of moving towards that nuclear program?

VAUSE: And finally to you, Victor, for Kim Jong-Un, they're saying this is a chance to solidify his power over the North Koreans. Would you admit now that he's completely gone rogue and Beijing has very little influence on what the North Koreans are doing here?

GAO: Well, China and DPRK remain good neighbors and friendly countries. However, China has made its position very well known to the leaders in DPRK that China has no tolerance for the nuclear weapon program by DPRK, and China has fully abided by the United Nations Security Council resolutions.

In my own experience, the embargo and sanctions imposed by China against DPRK this time as part of the United Nations Security Council resolution is the toughest ever in recent history. And I believe this will take a bite on DPRK. As to whether DPRK eventually will succumb to the pressure by the international community, as well as the pressure from China, that remains to be seen. But I would say the leadership in DPRK, the ruling party over there will need to make a decision as to how to steer their country forward.

VAUSE: OK.

GAO: Eventually if they give up the nuclear program, the international community will be happy to welcome them back. Otherwise --

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: I'll just have to jump in there, Victor, because -- sorry, Victor.

GAO: That's OK.

VAUSE: Sorry, Victor. Hold that thought. Unfortunately, I have to interrupt because I want to thank you both, Paula Hancocks there in Seoul, and Victor Gao there in Beijing doing some good analysis there.

We now have Will Ripley, who can come to us live from Pyongyang. So thank you both and I'll ahead over to Isha. Thank you.

HANCOCKS: All right.

GAO: Thank you.

SESAY: Thank you, John. Well, let's go straight to Will Ripley who's in Pyongyang where the party congress is underway.

Will, what can you tell us about what's happening there at that venue where this historic event is playing out?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the interesting thing, Isha, because we were taken outside of the building and allowed to do a couple of interviews on the street level and take pictures of the exterior, but we're not allowed inside the building and right now North Korean state TV is broadcasting , or at least they were within the last hour a school concert that was playing.

So there are no live pictures of the party congress. We expect that news bulletins later in the day might update citizens with the government's version of what's been happening. But the political system here is quite nebulous. There's very little transparency other than the pictures that state media chooses to show. And the message that they choose to send. So we don't know exactly who's in attendance. You know that 3,000 Workers Party Congress members who arrived in the city a couple of days ago and have been touring around, we know that they are inside -- we know that they're all going to unanimously support the supreme leader Kim Jong-un because those in the inner circle who dissented are rumored to have been purged.

And most notably the leader's uncle, who is executed shortly after he rose to power. So this -- when we do finally see these images we expect to see perhaps some new lineup of party leadership, a consolidation of the supreme leader's power. Will he announce a new economic policy? Will he talk about the nuclear program? Will he order a fifth nuclear test? These are all unknowns right now here in Pyongyang.

SESAY: Will, you have visited Pyongyang a number of times. What do we to make of the fact the regime invited a large contingent of journalists, and yet you're not allowed to actually enter the venue and you're being kept at an arm's length?

RIPLEY: Well, that's very typical of what it is to work as a reporter here in North Korea. It really is unlike most any other place in the world really. You're taken to specific parts of the city that the government allows you to see. You get a glimpse of life here but you certainly don't get anything close to the full picture. That said, the observations that you can make as a journalist on the ground here, I believe, are legitimate. And I have noticed changes in the last two years that I've been coming here. This is my tenth trip.

There is more activity, more buzz around the city, there is more traffic, people are fashionably dressed, the people have had smartphones now for several years. People seem to be out shopping. There are new department stores opening up. So there are some signs of economic growth. If you look at, though, the policies of the leader Kim Jong-un, he has allowed farmers to keep the excess crops and sell them or keep them for their own use. He's given some state- owned companies autonomy but there haven't been any major economic changes as of yet. So if he did make some sort of economic announcement, as John was saying, you know, moving towards China-style economics, that would be a huge development.

But again the question, how would that be possible with the continuation of the nuclear program, and we -- every sign here, from everybody on the street, every government official we talk to, the nuclear program remains a huge priority. They believe they need nuclear weapons to survive as a country. And they think they can have both, a growing economy and the nuclear development.

SESAY: We shall be watching very closely to see what emerges from this congress.

Will Ripley, reporting there live from Pyongyang, appreciate it. Thank you.

[01:10:10] And now to the U.S. presidential race. Donald Trump hit the campaign trail Thursday. The first time since becoming the presumptive Republican nominee.

VAUSE: He was in West Virginia where the speech is mostly about the economy. The state relies on coal mining for survival. At times a couple of jokes about his hair and the impact that hairspray has on the environment, while trying on a miner's hat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'll put it on, right?

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Thank you, everybody. That is great. My hair look OK? Got a little spray. Give me a little spray. You know, you're not allowed to use hair spray anymore because it affects the ozone, you know that, right? I said, you mean to tell me because, you know, hairspray is not like it used to be. It used to be real good. When I put on that helmet, and by the way, look, it really is mine, right? Look at it. Right?

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: My hair. Give me a mirror. But no, in the old days, you put the hair spray on, it was good. Today you put the hairspray on, and it's good for 12 minutes, right? But you know they say that you can't, I said, wait a minute. So if I take hair spray, and if I spray it in my apartment, which is all sealed, and you're telling me that affects the ozone layer? Yes. I say, no way, folks. No way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Don't even know how to follow that comment on hair spray.

VAUSE: Welcome to the election. Yes.

SESAY: Yes. During that rally, Trump did not comment on the U.S. House speaker's refusal to endorse him. Paul Ryan is now the highest level of Republican to reject Trump since became the last man standing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: I'm just not ready to do that at this point. I'm not there right now. And I hope to, though, and I want to. But I think what is required is that we unify this party. And I think the bulk of the burden on unifying the party will have to come from our presumptive nominee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And Trump fired back in a statement saying, "I am not ready to support Speaker Ryan's agenda. Perhaps in the future we could put together and come to an agreement about what is best for the American people. They have been treated so badly for so long that it's about time for politicians to put them first."

SESAY: He also told supporters he'll accept an apology from former Mexican president Vicente Fox who used some profanity earlier this year when he insisted Mexico would not pay for the wall.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Vicente Fox was on television last night and he apologized and I accept his apology. I thought I was very nice. Did you see it? Honestly, I thought it was very, very nice because I was giving him a little hard time about something, and he apologized.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: I sat down with Mr. Fox a short time ago who talked about that apology and what a Trump presidency could mean for Mexico and the rest of the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Mr. Fox, thank you for being with us.

VICENTE FOX, FORMER MEXICAN PRESIDENT: John, it's my pleasure. And thank you for inviting me.

VAUSE: I wanted to ask you firstly about your comments that you made back in February about Donald Trump and the wall that he plans to build on the U.S.-Mexico border. You had some very strong language. This is what you said back then.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: I declare, I'm not going to pay for that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) wall. He should pay for it. He's got the money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: OK, some strong language there. And now you're apologizing for that?

FOX: Well, I think it's a qualify of greatness and a quality of compassion and leadership to accept, to apologize, even to grant pardon to people. I think it's a great visual for us human beings and gives you stature. And in front of a guy like this, I think it's the right tactic at this moment. VAUSE: Just explain exactly what are you apologizing for? For the

language, for opposing the wall, for opposing the demand that Mexico pay for the wall? Specifically --

FOX: No, no, no. Only about the wording that I used.

VAUSE: Right.

FOX: Because I don't agree with him. I don't agree mostly with his issues, the way he is proposing, the way he is acting like a false prophet. I don't know why people have to believe what he's proposing. There are many things that are wrong. For instance, trade, he says that he's going to he's going to make trade wars with Mexico and China. That's, I have to say, so stupid.

VAUSE: Now Mr. Trump was asked last night by FOX News if he specifically has a message for you. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[01:15:01] TRUMP: Yes, get your money ready because you're going to pay for the wall.

BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: You're not backing off that, right?

TRUMP: No, of course not. Look, we lose a fortune with Mexico. Trade deficit, $58 billion a year. The wall is going to cost $10. Believe me, they'll be able to afford it. And we're going to end up having a very good relationship with Mexico. But right now sadly, like everybody else, they're taking advantage of our country in trade and at the border. So we'll get it straightened out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Mr. Trump also said that once that wall is there, it will make for great relations with Mexico. What do you -- what do you think?

(LAUGHTER)

FOX: No, the question here, why is he going to waste billions of U.S. taxpayers in building the wall because of course we're not going to pay for that wall? And the answer is very simple. There is a migration bill in Congress, sitting there for 10 years, presented by partisan, by Senator Kennedy and Senator McCain, and Bush administration. Bush 43. And my administration. I worked together with them to have the best solution to the migration issue. Migration is an asset. This country is built by migrants all along.

VAUSE: Yes.

FOX: Starting with Trump, and his migrant family. He uses Chinese -- Chinese, and let him prove again, Chinese ties, Chinese shirts. How come he's saying the things he's saying? He's -- he's cheating the American people. It's lie after lie.

VAUSE: You still think he's a false prophet. You described him as a false prophet back in February. You still think that's the case.

FOX: Yes. Yes, absolutely. Yes, and again I'm trying to say, with all respect, but when somebody is lying like he lies everybody that he's going to throw a bomb again, atomic bomb, or that he is not going to support NATO effort in trying to bring in peace and protection to Europe and to America itself, how can he isolate this nation in four walls, and cede all the leading responsibility to others?

Today you have to be a compassionate leader, you have to learn of diplomacy. Making money is not the same as running a nation. This world is given us by God to all of us eight billion people. It doesn't belong to Trump or just to United States. And love your neighbor, I don't understand why evangelicals, why Catholics are saying that they support him. Our first commandment is love thy neighbor, and he hates thy neighbor.

VAUSE: It's Cinco de Mayo today. It's -- probably a big holiday in the United States than maybe in Mexico. But Donald Trump tweeted out a photo of himself. I don't know if you've seen this. He was eating a taco bowl on his desk and the tweet read this, "Happy Cinco de Mayo. The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics."

FOX: I don't know about Mexican food in Trump Tower. He's going to get indigestion from eating that, that he made himself there. But --

VAUSE: Do you think he loves Hispanics?

FOX: Today he loves us he says.

VAUSE: Right.

FOX: Yesterday, he said he hated us.

VAUSE: Right.

FOX: What is he going to say tomorrow?

VAUSE: Do you think he can beat Hillary Clinton and be the next president?

FOX: No, of course not.

VAUSE: No?

FOX: No, no, it cannot be, because I have trust in the American people. I am half-American. My grandfather was born here in Cincinnati, Ohio. And by the way he came as a migrant, as a migrant back in 1895 to Mexico, looking for his American dream. And he found it there. So half of what you see here is American.

VAUSE: Right.

FOX: And I am really sad that this America that I know, this great nation, this leading nation of the world, now is thinking on building walls. That just reflects of fear. Again, why don't we work together? Don't know. Please, let's work together. Don't offend us. We have dignity. We can do that. If not, I'm going to appear at the Republican convention and I'm going to pull you -- fat finger of your foot out.

VAUSE: And with that, we'll leave it on that note. So thank you very much. It was good to speak with you.

FOX: Muchas gracias.

VAUSE: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: He had a lot to say. And he had a lot on his chest, I think.

SESAY: Yes.

All right. Well, right here in Los Angeles, Hillary Clinton rebuffed Trump's immigration policies and a warning to Latino voters. Clinton spoke at a rally in a heavily Latino neighborhood. She told the crowd that Trump has doubled down on his promises to deport immigrants and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[01:20:06] HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have to recognize that the kind of language coming from Donald Trump is hateful. And we need to repudiate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Meanwhile the FBI's investigation into the security of Clinton's private e-mail server is coming to an end. Officials say there is no evidence she willfully violated the law while secretary of state. One of the last steps will be to interview Clinton and she has promised to cooperate.

SESAY: All right. Time for a quick break now. Coming up, the Alberta wildfire, the steps authorities are taking to get thousands of people to safety as a massive wall of flames spread.

VAUSE: Also ahead, a beautiful musical interlude amid ruins of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. Some, though, call it propaganda.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Just moments ago, SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket on Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket is carrying a Japanese communications satellite.

VAUSE: Last month SpaceX successfully landed its Falcon 9 first stage. This time around, the company says it will try to land the rocket on a sea barge. [01:25:09] Now to Turkey where the prime minister says he'll step down

later this month.

SESAY: Yes. Ahmet Davutoglu says he'll work instead as a lawmaker in parliament. The president is trying to change the constitution to give his office more political power.

VAUSE: The U.S. says there is no justifiable excuse for an airstrike that targeted a Syrian refugee camp near the Turkish border.

SESAY: And human rights groups says at least 28 people were killed, many of them women and children. It's not clear whether Syrian or Russian planes carried out the attack.

VAUSE: Russia did send a renowned orchestra to perform amid the ruins in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.

SESAY: And Britain's foreign secretary calls the concert a tasteless distraction from the suffering of millions of Syrians.

Our CNN international correspondent Fred Pleitgen witnessed the performance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Attack helicopters hovering over our convoy at all times for protection. Russia's army went to great lengths to bring a massive group of journalists to the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, recently liberated from ISIS.

When we arrive, a surprise. A classical concert featuring a Russian star director right in the ancient amphitheater, and a greeting from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"This concert is a way to thanks those who fight against terror," he said. "Ready to sacrifice their lives."

The star musician, Sergei Roldugin, named in the Panama Papers for alleged links to offshore companies with cash flows of hundreds of millions of dollars. He has denied any wrongdoing. Also on hand, Russian soldiers who demined Palmyra after ISIS was ousted. A sign of the pride Russia takes in its Syria intervention.

Palmyra was liberated from ISIS control in late March after the Syrian army launched a massive offensive.

(On camera): When ISIS moved into Palmyra many experts feared the worst, that the terror group would flatten this entire remarkable ancient site. But when ISIS was driven out of here by the Syrian military, of course with a lot of support by the Russian Air Force, the experts were surprised to find how much of it remained intact.

(Voice-over): But some treasures, like Palmyra's Triumph Arc, were destroyed. Now experts are debating how to restore them. But threats like unexploded coordinates remain. Both Russian demining teams have cleared both the ancient city and the nearby town, they are also training Syrian troops to find and destroy explosive devices.

The commander says the bombs ISIS left behind were particularly sophisticated.

"ISIS left bombs behind that were professionally made," he said. "We found high-grade explosives and at least three suicide vests."

Russia clearly views the liberation of Palmyra as a major victory, not only for the Syrian government, but for their forces as well. One they want the world to take note of even as Syria's civil war drags on.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Palmyra, Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Time for a quick break. She escaped from Boko Haram terrorists who captured more than 200 other girls from her school in Nigeria. We'll talk to this brave young woman who's on a mission to find those missing girls.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:30:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

SESAY (voice-over): You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE (voice-over): And I'm John Vause. Let's check the headlines this hour.

(HEADLINES)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

SESAY (voice-over): More than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists are still missing two years after they were taken from their dormitory in Nigeria. Dozens did manage to get away. The government promised to find the others but despite international outrage and the Bring Back Our Girls movement, they haven't been found.

VAUSE: Then last month, our Nima Elbagir brought the world this proof-of-life video. It shows 15 of the girls alive, reportedly last December. For the grieving parents, it was a glimmer of hope that their girls could actually come home one day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Joining me now is one of the schoolgirls who managed to escape from Boko Haram that fateful April night. We're going to call her Sa (ph), which is not her real name. And she's wearing those sunglasses to protect her identity because she still fears for the safety of her loved ones who remain in Nigeria. Sa (ph) is joined by international human rights lawyer, Emmanuel Gari

(ph).

Thank you so much for joining us. Welcome to you both.

Sa (ph), to start with you, when you saw that video showing some of the kidnapped girls, your classmates from Chibok, how did it make you feel?

SA (PH), CLASSMATE OF CHIBOK GIRLS: The truth is that they assert that video is one day before the two-year anniversary of the abduction. So immediately, when I saw that video, I recognize their faces. They are all my classmates.

And all that comes to my mind is like it reminds me of the times that we spent together. Immediately when I saw the video, I started crying. And I just wish I can talk to them. I just wish I can tell them how much we miss them.

And I just wish I can just talk to them, they can hear me on the phone while I was watching the video because that reminds me all the times we spent at school, all the times we spent in class learning, playing together with them.

It's just really sad that the government are not doing anything about those girls. And while I was happy to see some of them are still alive, even though we have heard a lot of things about them, that some of them died.

But when I saw that some of them are still alive, it gave me the courage to --

[01:35:00]

SA (PH): -- spoke out and tell people in the world that we need to do something about it to rescue those girls since they are still alive.

SESAY: Yes. You are speaking to us from the United States. After you and a friend jumped off that truck that was carrying all of you and your friends into the forest that night, you made it to the U.S. a couple of months later with the help of a U.S. lawmaker.

As you try and just come to terms with everything that has happened, how are you doing now?

SA (PH): You know, the first time when I escaped and come here, I was always having a nightmare that Boko Haram were chasing me, Boko Haram were looking for me. But I've been praying. And people encourage me that I should forget about what happened and just follow with my future.

But I thank God I'm doing well now. I was able to make it to college. And I thank God I -- my studies, I have seen a lot of improvement in my studies. When I first came here, my English wasn't like this.

But now I'm really happy. I thank God that I have seen a lot of improvement in my studies and my English is getting much more better. And I'm doing good right now.

SESAY: Well, you sound great, Sa (ph), you sound great. Let me bring in Emmanuel (ph) at this point.

Emmanuel (ph), I want to pick up with something that Sa (ph) said.

As I ask you about your thoughts when you saw that proof of life video, what went through your mind?

And I just heard Sa (ph) say -- she kind of intimated that she didn't feel that the government was taking this issue seriously enough. Talk to me about that, those two points.

EMMANUEL GARI (PH), HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER: Well, I have to say that I think, like most parents, there was a huge sigh of relief that there was evidence that some of the girls are alive. The trail had really gone cold. And we hadn't heard anything for almost two years.

So just that video was quite helpful and inspiring to those of us who have been campaigning for the release or rescue of the girls, that there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Now of course, the number of girls is worrisome. You will recall that the last video that the terrorists released showed over 100 of them. So to have only 15 on the video is indicating probably that many of them have been sold off and they're no longer all together within one location.

SESAY: Sa (ph), what are your hopes and dreams for the future?

I know, you said you are in college now.

SA (PH): My hope is that I want to study and to be example for girls in the world that have been in a difficult situation like me, that was scared to go to school. I wanted to get a good education and to be someone important in life as an example to others.

So I go back to Nigeria and encourage people in Nigeria, especially girls like me, so that they will go to school and so that whatever happens to them will not stop them from getting education.

SESAY: I think that's a wonderful goal.

Emmanuel (ph), last word to you. You have been critical not just of the Nigerian government's handling of this but also of the international community and their response.

What is your message to the international community, now that we have passed the two-year mark that these 219 girls have been held in captivity by Boko Haram?

What would you like to say?

GARI (PH): Yes. I'd like to say that, you know, this is a challenge to contemporary civilization. This is not just a Nigerian problem. This is actually a global problem. Apart from the girls who were abducted in Nigeria, whether we like it

or not, girls in the U.S., girls in the U.K. are being lured by groups like ISIS to leave their homes and leave their schools and go into the conflict.

So it's not just a distant problem far away there except that, in this particular case, these girls were abducted from their schools. They were not lured away.

I think that international community should show the same sort of political will that they have shown in the search for the missing air Malaysia Flight 370, which is still going on two years after the fact, which has cost 180 million pounds.

We haven't seen a similar expenditure in the search for the Chibok girls who are alive, mind you, compared to the passengers in that plane, who are definitely dead. So we need to see intelligence communities come together closely and collaborate to find --

[01:40:00]

GARI (PH): the girls.

SESAY: It's remarkable work that you are doing, Emmanuel (ph). Thank you again. Thank you, Emmanuel (ph).

Thank you, Sa (ph).

GARI (PH): Thank you.

SA (PH): Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: And we will take a short break here but when we come back, firefighters in Canada are battling to save homes as flames continue to spread. We'll have an update on Alberta's Fort McMurray wildfire.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

SESAY: Welcome back, everyone.

Here in Los Angeles, a jury convicted one of the most prolific serial killers in California. Lonnie David Franklin Jr. was found guilty of murdering nine women and a girl over three decades.

He was dubbed the Grim Sleeper because of a 30-year gap between the killings attributed to him.

VAUSE: Detectives had a major breakthrough when an officer posing as a waiter collected his DNA sample from a pizza crust he left behind. A jury will not decide whether Franklin should get the death penalty. SESAY: Authorities in Canada are struggling to evacuate thousands of people north of the devastated community of Fort McMurray.

VAUSE: The wildfire there is now 85,000 hectares, bigger than Singapore. Winds are up to 40 kilometers an hour, making firefighting a big challenge.

Here's Paul Vercammen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isha, John, this conference center in Edmonton is now the makeshift shelter for thousands of evacuees. They came down here because of these flames, what they described as a monster blaze.

VERCAMMEN (voice-over): From the epicenter of the fire, one harrowing image after another, nearly an entire town engulfed in flames, residents fleeing for their lives. This dashcam video shows a wall of smoke and flames just feet from the road. The remaining daylight consumed by smoke as ash and embers rain onto drivers trying to flee the inferno.

Michel Chamberland (ph) was in the middle of it all.

MICHEL CHAMBERLAND (PH), WILDFIRE ESCAPEE: It's like driving through hell. Those flames, they were bright --

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CHAMBERLAND (PH): they were big; the smoke, the embers; try not to bump into anybody.

VERCAMMEN (voice-over): From a distance, the wildfire looks like an imposing thunderstorm. From above, it's even worse. Billowing smoke made the blaze tough to battle, forcing firefighters to move their command center overnight. Residents who left everything behind, now kept in shelters hours from home.

JOANNE BATES, FORT MCMURRAY RESIDENT: It's not fair. They didn't even let us take our things when we asked. So we lost everything.

VERCAMMEN (voice-over): The satellite image captures the wild scope of the fire and so do the grim statistics: 1,600 structures destroyed, 80,000 people evacuated, hundreds of square miles burned so far. Perhaps the only good news: no one has been killed.

DARBY ALLEN (PH), REGIONAL FIRE OFFICIAL: The people here are devastated. Everyone is devastated. The community is going to be devastated.

VERCAMMEN (voice-over): The welcoming town of Fort McMurray, now urging everyone to stay away. With so much already lost, more than 1,000 firefighters are now trying to save what little remains.

The weather is mixed. The temperatures are down but the wind is blowing at times. The humidity is very low. Reporting from Edmonton, Alberta, I'm Paul Vercammen, now back to you, John, Isha.

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SESAY: Our thanks to Paul there.

Next on CNN NEWSROOM, new regulations of smoking and vaping are going into effect in the U.S. Coming up, which products are affected.

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VAUSE: E-cigarettes will soon be regulated in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration announced new laws on Thursday, which mirror those already in place for traditional cigarettes.

SESAY: Each product must be approved by the FDA and include a health warning label and all sales will be banned to anyone under the age of 18.

VAUSE: Meanwhile, California has raised the state's legal smoking age from 18 to 21. The governor signed a series of tobacco bills on Wednesday. They also place restrictions on where people could smoke and the sale of electronic cigarettes.

To discuss all of this, we're joined now know by legal analyst, Troy Slaten (ph) and Dr. Jennifer da Silva (ph), the medical director of Kids and Teens Medical Group.

Thank you both for being here.

Dr. Da Silva (ph), for you, how does increasing the legal age of buying cigarettes, just walk us through, how does that reduce the number of smokers over the long term?

DR. JENNIFER DA SILVA (PH), KIDS AND TEENS MEDICAL GROUP: I think this is going to help with parents understanding the importance of speaking to their teenagers about the risks, the safety, the hazards of e-cigarettes.

SESAY: Yes. What about those who say by regulating e-cigarettes, what they're doing is actually pushing people towards smoking?

DA SILVA (PH): Right. Well, both are under this law, so parents will become even more knowledgeable in helping their teenagers and even younger children because e-cigarettes are being even used not only by teenagers and young adults but even junior high students.

And they're also toxic. So if a young child accidentally ingests the nicotine in e-cigarettes, it can be deadly.

VAUSE: Troy (ph), you've been on the forefront of this. I think there was a $5,000 fine if someone gets caught selling these to kids. You know, what's a store owner to do? You know, 18, 21, how do you know the difference?

I mean, what's the legal responsibility here?

TROY SLATEN (PH), LEGAL ANALYST: Well, stores are used to this with regard to selling alcohol or tobacco products. They're used to that. So just changing the age from 18 to 21 just means that they're going to have to look for a different year on their identification.

So stores -- this also causes restaurants and bars where cigarettes have been banned in California for nearly a decade. It's just adding another thing to that list of things that you can't do in restaurants, bars, theaters, even covered garages and schools.

SESAY: Yes.

On the e-cigarette regulations front, what are you anticipating in terms of legal challenges to this?

SLATEN: Well, so the FDA has said that they're going to regulate these exactly the same as all other tobacco products. So that means that the FDA, who's notorious for their testing and packaging requirements are going to now require this of the -- this burgeoning e-cigarette and vaping industry.

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VAUSE: And these guys are saying (INAUDIBLE) on the legal side of it.

The industry, the e-cigarette industry is saying, the cost of getting these tested is so high, $5 million a pop (INAUDIBLE). But they're saying this is the end of the e-cigarette industry.

If you've gone out and invested your life savings on an e-cigarette store, what's your recourse here?

SLATEN (PH): Well, there will inevitably be some lawsuits. The FDA asked for public comments. And they got over 130,000 public comments. So they've promulgated these rules and there are obviously industry trade groups, where they can get together and they're going to fight this, which will delay implementation of the law.

But the FDA is going to require rigorous testing and proof using double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to require that these companies prove that they're safe and efficacious.

SESAY: And, Dr. da Silva (ph), you talked about the dangers associated with e-cigarettes. But there seems to be some level of dispute about the safety of these products.

DA SILVA (PH): That is the big problem because we are seeing teenagers, younger than teenagers, preteens, who are using e- cigarettes because of the fun factor. It is the flavor of a candy, fruit flavors. And they think it's just liquid water that they vape. It's become a social media sensation among this population. And so that's why it's extremely important to work on preventative health care for children and our youth.

And so I applaud the governor, Governor Jerry Brown, for putting this law into place because a lot of our health care dollars aren't going into pediatrics and preventative health. E-cigarettes and nicotine, those are the types of ingredients and chemicals that can cause not only lung cancer but asthma, bronchitis, heart disease, diabetes, a multiple of chronic illnesses. And nicotine, the active chemical in e-cigarettes, can affect every cell in a young person's body and also the brain.

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VAUSE: Sorry, I just want to jump in here. What is the difference between an 18-year-old brain and a 21-year-old brain when it comes to the possibility of addiction to nicotine?

DA SILVA (PH): The potential for addiction in a young adolescent brain between 18 and 21, it's still a growing brain. So the brain hasn't fully developed. So nicotine can affect the cerebral cortex and cognitive function. So it can affect behavior, where it can lead to bad behaviors, it can lead to bad decision making. There could be high rates of dropouts in colleges.

So it's really important for us to have a law like this to help and prevention. And I really hope that Governor Brown looks more into prevention in pediatric health care.

SLATEN (PH): But the e-cigarette advocates are saying that this is a healthier alternative to people that are using combustible nicotine products and that by the FDA in California making these more difficult --

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SLATEN (PH): -- that they're pushing people away from this safer alternative --

VAUSE: And 90 percent of people say they quit smoking by using e- cigarettes.

SLATEN (PH): -- that's right. That's a way for them to wean themselves off of traditional cigarettes.

DA SILVA (PH): So this is the deceitful problem with cigarette makers. So they are saying, oh, yes; e-cigarettes are safer but they're absolutely not. There have been years of studies showing the dangers of nicotine on the parasympathetic nervous system, on the heart rate, causing rapid heart rate.

So in a low dose, yes, it can give you possibly good feeling.

But in higher doses and chronic use, it creates addiction, it then leads these people, these young adolescents and young adults then to move on to cigarettes and then to move on to other drugs. There are a lot of scientific data currently that we're aware of, of the bad and adverse toxic effects of nicotine and e-cigarettes.

VAUSE: And Doctor, you have the last word.

SESAY: Yes --

VAUSE: Thank you both for being with us.

SESAY: -- appreciate it. Thank you.

VAUSE: And thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay. The news continues right after this.

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