Up the white house yet again. And remembering one of the greatest minds of our time. The life and legacy of Stephen Hawking. Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from the u. S. And all around the world. Im max foster. This is cnn newsroom. Well, the winds of change are indeed blowing through the american landscape, not just in congress but also in the white house. Democrat conor lamb is claiming victory in a special Congressional Election in pennsylvania. In a district donald trump won by 20 points in the president ial election. Meanwhile, mr. Trump has sakds his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, and hes hinting that more personnel changes are coming for his administration. First, though, were going to go to pennsylvania, where that congressional race is still too close to call for cnn. Right now Democrat Conor Lamb has a razorthin lead over republican rick saccone. But more than 1,000 absentee ballots are still being counted. So it is too close to call. Lamb is a marine veteran and a former prosecutor. Saccone a longtime state legislator endorsed by President Trump. Right now they have very different opinions on tuesdays outcome. It took a little longer than we thought, but we did it. Were still fighting the fight. Its not over yet. Were going to fight all the way to all the way to the end. You know i never give up. You know my first race went into the night and we won that. And my second race was the same way. Were kind of used to this now, right . Thats it. Were not giving up. Well, whoever ends up the winner, hell serve for less than a year. A newly redrawn district will be up for grabs come november. Cnns Jason Carroll has more from conor lambs election headquarters. Reporter after a very long night and Early Morning conor lamb has come out and declared victory, even though there are still votes outstanding and republican challenger rick saccone says this race is not over, not by a longshot. Having said, that lamb came out and addressed his supporters. Hes crediting the grassroots nature of his campaign. He also credited the Labor Community who he says helped come out and put his campaign over the top. During his speech he also talked about the Political Climate that exists right now. He believes a climate this needs to change. People are so tired of the shouting on tv and in our politics. Its amazing what happens when youre in a room with real people who have real aspirations and real troubles. Theres lots of ideas. Theres no angry shouting. Our job in congress is to attack the problems, not each other. Reporter again saccone says this race is not over. Not yet. Lamb says for his part its time for democrats to regain their voice. An associate fellow with the u. S. And the Americas Program at chatham house. We dont have the outcome, but what we do know is its very tight. Tell us what that means. It is extraordinary. This is a district that trump won by 20 . Thats not a small victory. To come this close. And those absentee ballots tend to go democrat in pennsylvania. So it looks likely, although its too soon to tell. But its a very interesting moment. For democrats it suggests there is a lot of momentum. I remember that donald trump turned up twice to support the republican candidate. So despite turning up as recently as saturday evening in the context of an economy thats very strong, very low Unemployment Rate across the nation, a district that shouldnt be a swing district had such a narrow margin. The candidate himself of course is not progressive democrat. Hes taken a very middle of the road line on a number of hes supported the tariffs, the recent tariffs that donald trump has announced on steel and aluminum. This is a heavily unionized district. Hes quite appealing to republicans as well. He is appealing. He supports gun rights. He has supported universal background checks in the aftermath of the florida shootings. Nonetheless, hes turned out to support gun rights. And hes seeking to protect he campaigned on protecting entitlements, which i think is very significant. This is really a district that sort of speaks to that base that weve talked about for so long as being important to donald trump, and this is a democratic candidate thats managed to appeal to the base but also democrats in that district really seem to have turned out in significant numbers. But couldnt donald trump argue that he won by supporting key trump policies, so its not necessarily a criticism of donald trump . I think it is true that it will be difficult for Many Democrats to replicate the strategy that this particular candidate has pursued. Remember, he also distanced himself from the Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and that helped him. Thats helped him in this election. Thats more difficult as we approach the midterms for others to replicate. He managed to raise 3 million. Tremendously successful in raising money. Much more than his republican counterpart. And again, that will be more difficult when multiple candidates are running. But its a very significant move nonetheless. In the con tevgs a very Strong National economy and a district that is very pro republican. And there is a lack of energy, if i can call it that, in the republican party. Fls growing energy in the democratic party. So it will play into that in terms of the National Political dynamic. Yes. Theres a sense that it creates a momentum. Interestingly, this particular district is the map is being redrawn in pennsylvania. So these two candidates will actually be standing in separate districts when we come to november. Nonetheless, its very significant. I think the republicans are now trying to distance themselves from this and it wasnt that the republican candidate was a good candidate, it wasnt a good campaign, they had to put a lot of money into saccones campaign. Nonetheless, again, 20 up in 2016 and now this razorthin margin is really quite a dramatic result. The big sort of benchmark event, political event we have coming up is the midterms. Do you think if you were involved in the strategies on either side this is going to affect strategy going into the midterms . Yeah. It demonstrates that there is room for movement, even tho those districts that are really heavily red, republican. And there are a number of seats coming up in more divided districts. Thats a very specific theres optimism i think among the democrats now for that. But again, it is a particular this candidate is particular because of the stances he took on tariffs, on guns. Socially conservative but promoting economic populism. That wont be replicated in all districts with all democratic candidates. Nonetheless, very significant. And what can donald trump learn from this . Because theres no doubt that many of his policies have been very popular. Its the character that people are starting to have an issue, right . The way he handles himself and all of these hirings and firings at the white house arent particularly helping, are they . So what part of him do you think is toxic for local republicans in the races coming up . Well, i think that, you know, it does raise a lot of red flags. Again, if you go back to that people think its the economy that matters. I think one key thing here is that its not the message that donald Trump Campaigned on, that he was really looking out for workingclass americans whod been left out, it doesnt seem to be translating. The tax cuts that, you know, hes gotten through congress dont seem to be being read on the ground as really delivering as much as that base has wanted relative to what its doing for Corporate America and for a broader a different section of the population. Whether or not the president will integrate this and translate this into his strategy not clear. And the question of personality and style, whether thats really undermining him on the ground. Its very hard to read that off of this particular race, i think, because of the specifics of these two candidates. But it certainly suggests that there isnt that the economy isnt enough for this particular president. Okay. Leslie, thank you. Thank you. The u. S. Secretary of states firing has been rumored of course for months, but the timing of it seemed to take Rex Tillerson by surprise. President trump announced the move on twitter. The two men have disagreed on key issues like the Iran Nuclear Deal and diplomacy with north korea. And tiller never denied reports that he called the president a moron. In his goodbye tillerson pointedly did not thank the president. All of us we know want to leave this place as a better place for the next generation. Ill now return to private life, as a private citizen, as a proud american, proud of the opportunity ive had to serve my country. God bless all of you. God bless the american people. God bless mr. Trump has tapped cia director mike pompeo as tillersons replacement. Pompeo is viewed as a loyalist to the president and a trade hawk. President trumps longtime personal aide has also been fired. A source tells cnn its because the department of Homeland Security is investigating john mcentee for financial crimes. The Trump Campaign advised mcentee would be Senior Adviser for the Election Campaign operations. Sources say there was no warning for mcentees abrupt firing. The steady march out of the white house may not be over. Sources say President Trump is irritated with the Embattled Veterans Affairs secretary David Shulkin. Another source says hes considering Energy Secretary rick perry as a possible replacement. And time is said to be running out for the National Security adviser as well, h. R. Mcmaster. Mcmaster like tillerson has been opposed to withdrawing from the Iran Nuclear Deal but hes pushed european allies to make changes to it. Mcmaster and shulkin would be the latest in a string of administration departures. President trump said tuesday hes very close to having the cabinet that he wants. Joining us to talk more about this is scott lucas. Hes a professor of International Politics at the university of birmingham here in the uk. First of all, on tillerson, the idea that he was fired on twitter, how damaging might that be actually to donald trump . I dont think donald trump thinks anything he says on twitter is damaging to him. The question is how damaging is it to other people . Rex tillerson will go back into private business probably. But look at the state department. Seven of the nine top posts are now empty. Hundreds of posts across the department, including the senior officials, have not been filled. You have a demoralized staff. And when the state department is wrecked like this it adds to the chaos around u. S. Foreign policy. It adds to questions not just about americas enemies but americas allies about what exactly is happening. In other words, the idea of stability and certainty, which is key both at home and abroad, thats gone. Thats our starting point now even as we enter talks about north korea. Even as donald trump is threatening to rip up the iran deal. And even as the United States, or at least donald trump appeared to be preferring russia over european allies. In terms of tillerson he was quite well respected, wasnt he, in international circles. Obviously some of the issues youre talking about, hes blamed as well for some of those gaps in the state department. But he clearly didnt have a Good Relationship with donald trump at the end. His position was untenable anyway, wasnt it . Isnt it a better situation to have someone like pompeo, who does have the president s confidence, to represent the United States on the world stage . Well, lets put two issues here. The first is Rex Tillerson was going to go at some point. Theres a camp in the white house, probably around jared kushner, the president s soninlaw, that dont like tillerson, that tried to force him out at the end of last year. They failed then. They succeeded now. The first point thats important is the timing here. And that is look, if this had been organized while tillerson was in africa, had he had been informed on friday clearly that he was being dismissed and to return to washington early, he would have been prepared. Everyone would have been prepared. It would have looked like, quote, orderly transition. That hasnt happened. Secondly, mike pompeos got many skills but hes not a diplomat. Hes not a diplomat and hes not really an independent voice on Foreign Policy. Mike pompeos chief asset to donald trump is that mike pompeo supports the president. Now, that might be good in terms of politics. It might be good for Donald Trumps ego. But it is not necessarily good if you want a diversity of voices when you talk about serious issues. The third the other thing that ill mention beyond that is that okay, fine, David Shulkin might go at veterans affairs, rick perry at energy. If h. R. Mcmaster goes as National Security adviser, the only really stable force within the white house, and i say this fully knowing what im putting forth, the only stable voice now is really jim mattis at defense secretary. And can he really hold the line as trump really relies increasingly on a family and friends Foreign Policy . Im not sure. So in terms of moderating forces youd say hes the only one left now in the white house. So his position is absolutely key. Yeah, its absolutely essential. We thought at one point john kelly the chief of staff when he was brought in last july that he would work with mattis, he would work with masterson and he would counteract some of the president s harder right advisers, he would temper the president s impulsiveness. That hasnt happened. Kelly is now basically covering for trump. Masterson is now under attack from another again, a faction within the white house, again, from the altright. And the attempt there is to put more someone friendly to trump in at the National Security council. Whos going to pop up and say look, we really need to consider what were doing in afghanistan or in iraq or on palestine. Mattis is the last person and he can only really speak from a military standpoint, not as much from a diplomatic point of view. Okay. Scott lucas, as ever, thank you for joining us. Thank you. Now, Stephen Hawking, one of the brightest scientists of the modern age, has died at the age of 76. A look at his life and legacy when we return. Stephen hawking has died at the age of 76. Considered by many to be one of the worlds greatest scientists. Many bestsellers including the landmark a brief history of time. He was diagnosed with a. L. S. , a degenerative disease, when he was just 21 years old and told he had only a couple of years to live. The university of cambridge, where hawking taught, has put up a memorial page for him. Colleagues are paying tribute to him noting his brilliance and exceptional contribution to scientific knowledge. Joining me now by phone is dr. Jose bieda, a Senior Research associate at the university of adelaide in australia. Just take us through stephen hawks contribution, if you would, to sign. Hello, max. Well, Stephen Hawkings was one of the pioneers in studying the concept of black holes. Black holes now we know are so important, this knowledge, because now we can understand better how galaxies behave, why they behave as we observe galaxies, and thats because in the center of every galaxy there is a massive black hole. But only 20 years ago all this was a concept. Somebodys idea. But was not proven. Only 20 years ago it was proven. The existence of black holes in the center of our galaxy. And then we know the center of every galaxy is a black hole, and thats thanks to the great contributions of Stephen Hawkings. What does that mean, though . What does that matter to our understanding of the world and how it operates . Well, they are massive because they concentrate such a great amount of mass in a small volume of space. So its such a big concentration that it forms a singularity. Singularity is also a word that was introduced i i believe by Stephen Hawkings. Black holes to the point when it reached this level of concentration and singularity where the Gravity Force is so big, so huge that nothing escape it. So theres the concentration of that in a small tiny space of volume created singularity, which attracts. Nothing escapes from its surroundings. And toy and such a carry on. Im sorry. Such a big force that keeps together galaxies. So the stars are together orbiting around. And that is because its a massive black holes creating a big Gravity Force that keeps it all rotating around the galaxies. Around the center of the gral xi. That what happens in our galaxy and other galaxies. Dr. Bellida, thank you very much. Our technology and Business Correspondent sam burke is with us as well. Because he wasnt just this sort of great mind, this great scientist. He was also a celebrity, wasnt he . And he brought glamour to this world. And i think even if you didnt understand the science he was talkb people were inspired because this was a man who was only given a few years to live and in spite of the a. L. S. He lived an incredibly public and engauged life. Everything about him in our society would have said or suggested that he wouldnt be part of our society, bound to a wheelchair. He couldnt speak with his own voice. He didnt care about any of that and forged on. He said, the fact that my disease has progress so slowly and ive been given more time should give hope to everybody. He faced death every day effectively, didnt he . So that would have defined how he viewed life. Exactly. And weve heard from the people who knew him that he just forged on. He would take the whole team of nurses with him if he had to. Think about having to use a voice synthesizer. This is the way most people know his voice, the only way they know his voice. But he just kept on moving forward. And so i think it was that inspiration combined with the brilliance and this uncanny ability to communicate with the world despite all the challenges that made him so accessible to the world. And if we just look at some of the tweets people are sending out right now i think it speaks to the various communities that he touched. If we start with that tweet from Neil Degrasse tyson, it shows how he touched the community of science. His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake but its not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure. Sundayar pachai, the ceo of google, and i think this represents how impacted technology, which is of course closely linked to science. The world has lost a Beautiful Mind and a brilliant scientist. And then the executive producer of the simpsons, matt fellman, saying, farewell to Stephen Hawking, the most intelligent guest star if the brief history of the simpsons. I think that one is really important because it shows he knew he could take these other mediums to communicate the message of science, whether it was the simpsons or star trek. Just a couple more i want to show you because i think they really represent whoa was. Nasa. If you look at this tweet from nasa, they say, remembering Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist and ambassador of science. His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we and the world are exploring. May i keep flying like superman in microgravity as you said to the astronauts on the International Space station in 2014. And the last one a funny one, because he did have a good sense of humor. This coming from another icon, cnns larry king. I once asked Stephen Hawking in an interview what puzzles him most in all the universe. Women, he answered. He will be missed. Someone said when given the opportunity would he rather meet newton or Marilyn Monroe of course he said Marilyn Monroe. His relationships came up in the film of course. Hes had a very Colorful Life and he was this sort of larger than life figure. Do you think that that had an impact on the science because it drew more people into the science . I think it gets back, the fact youre mentioning the movie and we know about his personal life and his relationships, plural, from his former wife to a different wife, he was involved in that movie and i think that speaks to the fact that to communicate in this world, even to be a scientist in this world, that it has to be done through television, through social media, through movies. He consulted on that film. And again, i think that gets back to whether its being on the simpsons or being in a movie, he knew that to get science to the masses this was the way he had to do it. Hes made a huge contribution. Is samuel, thank you very much indeed. Now, russia is reacting to the uks ultimatum with a demand of its own. Just ahead, why the kremlin isnt giving an explanation about the poisoning of a former russian spy and his daughter. But im not standing still. And with godaddy, ive made my ideas real. I made my own way, now its time to make yours. Everything is working, working, just like it should if youd have told me three years ago that wed be downloading in seconds what used to take minutes. That guests would compliment our wifi. That we could Video Conference and do it like that snaps . If youd have told me that i could afford a gigspeed. A gigspeed network. Its like 20 times faster than what most people have. Id of said. Id of said youre dreaming. Dreaming definitely dreaming. Then again, dreaming is how i got this far. Now more businesses in more places can afford to dream gig. Comcast, building americas largest gigspeed network. Breaking news this hour. Democrat conor lamb is claiming victory in a special Congressional Election in pennsylvania. If he holds on, it would be a huge upset for donald trump, who won the district by 20 points in the 2016 president ial election. Right now the race is still too close to call for cnn. We are waiting for absentee ballots to be counted before we do call it. Republican rick saccone says hes not ready to give up just yet. Now, russia is ignoring the uks demand for a response to the poisoning of a former russian double agent and his daughter on british soil. The kremlin denies involvement in the nerve agent attack on sergei and yulia skripal. It says there wont be a response until this receives samples of the chemical substance. Meanwhile another russian exile has died in the uk. Police say the death of putin critic nikolai kushkov at his london home is unexplained. So far Authorities Say theres no evidence linking it to the poisoning of the skripals. Cnn has the latest details on the story from multiple angles for you. Erin mclaughlin is in salisbury for us in england. Sam kiley, though, reactions from moscow. Take us through the reason whys moscow isnt responding to this ultimatum set by the uk. Well, in sort, max, it is because in their view under International Treaties designed to get rid of chemical weapons such as the one allegedly used in this attempted murder in salisbury the convention is that the accused nation would have ten days to respond. That is the interpretation of the russians. So theyre saying first they need ten days and secondly they need to see the evidence before they can respond. Now, this novichok nerve agent was produced in the 70s and 80s, max, by sovietera scientists in order to circumvent already signed agreements with the United States principally but with other nations too to get on a multilateral basis, to get rid of chemical weapons. In other words, they were the sort of weapon that could not be so defined at that time as a chemical weapon. Amid all of this confusion, of course, it is confusion precisely that the russians are trying to sow. Looking for glimmers of light between the position of theresa may and her european allies, theresa may and the trump administration, so that they anticipate or are keenly awaiting what it is that theresa may may come up with later on today in terms of her response and the british response to these attacks that have been going on in the United Kingdom now over some years. But from the russian perspective theyre also warning that reports in the United Kingdom press over, for example, possible retaliation in the cyber realm, in other words, a cyber attack coming from the United Kingdom would be seen as highly provocative and they have already said that theyre seeking assurances from the United Kingdom that that kind of thing wont be employed. So really theyre sitting back and letting the british wriggle on this one because of course this country faces president ial elections which are essentially a foregone conclusion on sunday but nobody is under any illusion that Vladimir Putin wants to see a maximum turnout at a time when hes anticipated to win and has completely embassy claited the opposition. And theres no better way than galvanizing the russian electorate than perceiving or creating a threat or perception that theyre under threat from overseas, max. Sam, thanks. Erin, Prime Minister may has put herself in a position, hasnt she, where she does know have to come up with some sort of response because the deadlines passed. What do you expect to hear from her . When do you expect to hear from her . Well, max, she is expected to chair a meeting later today of the National Security council where it is expected that she along with intelligence chiefs will go over a range of options out of that. Then she will appear in the house of commons for Prime Ministers questions, then make a statement. British media is reporting that she is looking really at a range of possibilities. The london times is reporting theyre looking at the possibility of some sort of psych e cyber counterstrike against russia which would of course provoke russia. Russia saying it will respond to any measures taken as a result of this. Also another option theyre looking at the potential for targeted financial sanctions against vinsz individuals perceived to be close to Vladimir Putin or the kremlin. Its not clear how much support within the eu they will get for those economic sanctions, for any economic sanctions, given the eu seems to be divided on the topic as well as the uk standing within the eu due to brexit. Also potentially considering the possibility of expelling diplomats which some are saying is assured to happen but there does certainly seem to be political pressure there for her to take strong action today out of that National Security council meeting. Max . Erin in salisbury, sam in moscow, thank you very much indeed. Well be following all those developments over the course of the day. Some civilians are now being evacuated from syrias Eastern Ghouta but hundreds of thousands still remain trapped, including an American Woman whos urging President Trump to take action. Ive been here for five years under siege, and i was quiet. I feared to say anything. But now im coming out because its life or death. Its life or death for the people. My name is jeff sheldon, and im the founder of ugmonk. Before shipstation it was crazy. Its great when you see a hundred orders come in, a hundred orders come in, but then you realize ive got a hundred orders i have to ship out. Shipstation streamlined that wh the order data, the weights of , everything is seamlessly put into shipstation, so when we print the shipping ll everythings pretty much done. Its so much easier so now, were ready, bring on t. Shipstation. The number one ch of online sellers. Go to shipstation. Com tv and get two months free. At the Marine Mammal center, the environment is everything. We want to do our very best for each and every animal, and we want to operate a sustainable facility. And pg e has been a partner helping us to achieve that. Weve helped the Marine Mammal center go solar, install electric vehicle charging stations, and become more energy efficient. Pg e has allowed us to be the most Sustainable Organization we can be. Any time you help a customer, its a really good feeling. Its especially so when its a customer thats doing such good and important work for the environment. Together, were building a better california. Democrat conor lamb is claiming victory in a special Congressional Election in pennsylvania. If he holds on, it would be a huge upset for donald trump, who won the district by 20 points in the 2016 president ial election. Right now the race is still too close to call for cnn. Were waiting for absentee ballots to be counted. Republican rick saccone says hes not ready to give up. Now, in the seven years of the Syrian Civil War the regimes offensive to retake Eastern Ghouta has been one of the deadliest. On tuesday 100 civilians were evacuated from the rebelheld enclave, but 400,000 others are estimated to be trapped there. Food is close to running out. And the syrian army is showing no signs of stopping until it fully recaptures the besieged damascus suburb. Jomana karadsheh joins us from amman, jordan. Shes been speaking with women trapped in Eastern Ghouta. How are they surviving, jomana . Reporter well, you know the situation is absolutely horrific. A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding inside Eastern Ghouta. When you talk to the aid agencies. And when you talk to people inside. They are really terrified of what is going on right now. Youve got this regime offensive. The regime is closing in on different parts of Eastern Ghouta, and people are really concerned about whats going to happen to them. We spoke to one woman who is desperate for the world to hear her voice and help her family. We woke to the sound of a russian warplane bombing us. Were all scared sitting in basements. Reporter she says her name is deanna lynn, a 44yearold american from michigan trapped in syrias hell on earth. She wants the american president to save Eastern Ghouta. I would say to President Trump that he has to make a move. He has to put pressure on any tyrant in this world. He has to put pressure on Bashar Al Assad and his regime. He has to put pressure on russia and iran. Theyre all a part of p slaughter in Eastern Ghouta. Reporter the u. S. Ambassador to the u. N. Nikki haley says the United States is prepared to act if the u. N. Fails to demand a ceasefire. The mother of eight has been living here with her syrian husband for nearly 20 years. Like most in Eastern Ghouta, with nowhere safe theyve been driven underground. She spoke to us over a shaky internet connection. Maybe the hardest thing in the world to be a mother here in Eastern Ghouta. We see our children in danger every day. We fear they will be hurt. They will be injured. When i hear the bombs i tell my children to lay on the floor. And i know its not enough and its not safe. Reporter the situation in Eastern Ghouta is catastrophic. Doctors without borders says bombs raining down on Eastern Ghouta have claimed more than 1,000 lives in just two weeks. Now it seems a matter of time before the regime recaptures the area. My message to the world is let your voice be heard. Dont just dont just be quiet. We have to say something. Ive been here for five years under siege, and i was quiet. I feared to say anything. But now im coming out because its life or death. Its life or death for the people. Reporter a message to a world that many feel has turned its back on syria. And you know, max, this one woman says she still has hope and she still has faith in the International Community and the world trying to help and save syria. But when you talk to most of the people there, they really have lost faith in the International Community. They say all they hear condemnations and statements coming out from the International Community. And just explain why some of the people trapped arent using these corridors that have been created by the regime. Well, you know, there are two corridors that were designated by the regime and the russians that would allow for the evacuation of civilians, you hear on a daily basis some of the reports coming from the russians or the regime saying some number of civilians have managed to leave. But its only been very small numbers. Both sides. The regime on the one side, the rebels blaming each other for why that is. The regimes line has been that it is the rebel groups or as they call them the terrorist groups inside Eastern Ghouta that are holding civilians there as hostages, using them as human shields, and that theyre targeting the routes that lead to these corridors. So theyre not allowing people to leave. But when you talk to some of the people there, of course the reblds deny this and say its the regime thats constantly bombing these areas, not allowing people to leave. When it comes to the people, max, theyre absolutely terrified of trying to leave. One, theyre pinned down in their basements because of this constant bombardment that has been going on for more than three weeks now. But theyre also scared and terrified of what theyre going to find on the other side of these humanitarian corridors, where theyre going to end up. These are r. Jeegimecontrolled areas and people are in fear of what mate happen because theyve been living under rebel control for nearly five years and they say they would be treated as traitors. They worry they would end up in jail or even worse. Jomana, thank you. Students across the world are standing up against modernday slavery and human trafficking. A look at some of their amazing efforts for you when we return. , but im not standing still. And with godaddy, ive made my ideas real. I made my own way, now its time to make yours. Everything is working, just like it should in honor of my dad, who was alzheimers. I decided to make shirts for the walk with custom ink, and they just came out perfect. 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Cancel anytime, and your books are yours to keep forever. Listening, is the new reading. Text listen 5 to five hundred five hundred to start listening today. Were marking my freedom day here on cnn. Seven years ago this month our network began its fight against modernday slavery with the launch of the cnn freedom project. This year its evolved into a worldwide event driven by students to raise awareness about the impact of slavery and human trafficking. Weve dispatched correspondents across the globe to cover this story for you, and theyll be bringing us live reports throughout the coming hours. At this hour our Becky Anderson joins us from a school in abuy dabbi and farai savenz oechlt is at a school in nairobi in kenya. Becky. Reporter max, the shocking fact is there are more slaves in the world today than there have ever been. That is a fact. 40 Million People around the world in forced labor, in forced marriages, exploited as domestic workers, as drivers, many of those in this region, the middle east and north africa. And 1 in 4 of those slaves are kids. Kids like these joining me here today at the American Community school. And that is why a day like today is so important. Its kids like these around the world who are standing up and saying enough is enough. This is a day of global action. And all these students here and many others at this school in abu dhabi have been learning about what freedom means. Lets ask them. Im going to go along the line. Dont be shy. What does freedom mean to you . Freedom to me is being able to share my thoughts and opinions without fear of consequence. Very good. Freedom to me is being able to express myself without fear of what other people will say. And you really mean that, right . Yes. Freedom to me is the ability to make both the meaningful and trivial decisions in my life. Does living in a region like this make even more of an impact when were talking about freedom . I think it does. Because here we have a really nice life and there are some people out there who dont get a life like we do, so its important for us to raise awareness to our community that there are people out there who have lack of freedom. Excellent. Abdullah. To me freedom is the ability to make your own choices and express yourself freely. Yeah, these kids really know where its at. Mansour. To me freedom means that everyone has access to fundamental human rights. And you didnt just learn that, did you . No. You mean that. No, he does. Weve been having a discussion here. And these guys really get it. Let me just move down here as well because as we ask what freedom means to these students danielas got a really good example. Daniela, this piece of art is beautiful. Its yours. Tell us what its all about . So i made this piece of art because i am so passionate about art, my whole life ive been doing art, and i feel like my freedom day is such an important thing. Especially now since theres so much slavery going on in the world. And i made it to represent the chained hands that are all around the world. Just walk us through this. Because viewers, isnt this absolutely stunning . Youre how old . Im 14. Youre 14, and youve made this. Just talk us through your thinking behind this. So my thinking, i started with the chained hands because ive seen so many videos, so many documentaries on this and theres just so much happening today about slavery, exploitation, and there are so many people suffering and i wanted to represent their hands of people being shipped, being human trafficked every day. Fantastic, guys. I know youre all nodding away here. Well done, daniela. Youve been raising awareness, which we all understand is so important if we are to stop this scourge of modernday slavery in the future. What have you been doing, oksana . Ive been raising awareness and raising funds for children in ukraine who could potentially become victims of trafficking. And through our little help we might be helping the Bigger Picture in the end. Bless you. Fantastic. Oksana, daniela, thank you. Thank you to all of you. Lets come down here because alis at the board. Ali, a lot of your mates have been writing on this board. Just walk us through what weve got here. So one of the our friends said to not worry about my safety, which i think is really important. To speak freely and have no oppression. To be yourself and not let anybody change or stop your dreams. And then what i wrote, which is to be able to express yourself without fear of judgment, which i think is all very important. Amazing stuff. Two boards full of ideas. This is the American Community school in abu dhabi. There are hundreds of students whove been involved in what is this global day of action. So from us to you, three, two, one. Hashtag my freedom day. You can do better than that. Three, two, one. Hashtag my freedom day back to you guys. Wonderful. Thanks, becky. From the middle east we go to africa and get the story from farai. Is its same one there, or is it different . Last year we broadcast to you from maranga county back in the Central Province of kenya. This year 2018 were in a completely different spectrum. Were at the Independent School of kenya, which is really at the top end of schools in this country. I can see cricket fields, basketball courts, and an array of international students. But they too are concerned about freedom. Remember were living in an age where i as a black african could be sold in libya in a slave market. Many are crossing the mediterranean and drowning in great numbers. Were living in an age where paem arent sure if its safer to be a woman or a man because both sexes are really stand a great deal of risk of becoming slaves. Now, the school here, Independent School of kenya, have created their own board. Theyve left messages here including freedom is the ability to choose very, very fair sentiment there. And everyone is writing things like the ability to be yourself. So at the moment the kids are still in school and theyre in class. Well maybe wait for a break. But we were talking to one of the School Teachers here. This is pamela peppers. Pamela. What are the students preparing for today . Thanks so much for having us today. Its actually the International School of kenya. International. Thank you very much. Weve had a lot of great things happen at the International School of kenya the last three weeks. The freedom wall where Community Members have been able to come and post what freedom means to them. Also an awesome music video that was starring some of our students from middle school to high school. Batesed on the freedom song from pharre pharrell. And later on well lbs having a Freedom Day Panel where some of our students will be talking about modernday slavery sxishz to do with squlafr and child trafficking. Later on until day we have a debate and this idea that 110 girls were abducted in nigeria. Does that touch them at all . Are they in touch with the modern world . Are they informed enough . Or are they all about their celebrities and makeup . Well find out during the course of the day, max, but its very important that theyre all engaged and theyre all very interested in what freedom means to them on this freedom day on cnn. Look forward to it. Farai in kenya. Well be featuring schools and students around the world on air and online on cnns facebook page. Use the hashtag my freedom day. You can search stories or share your own using that hashtag. Thanks for joining us. Im max foster. Early start here for viewers in the United States. For everyone else ielt be back with more cnn newsroom in just eye moment. Do stay with us. It took a little longer than we thought, but we did it. You know, were still fighting the fight. Its not over yet. No official results in pennsylvanias special election, but the democrat is claiming victory this morning in a district trump won by 20 points. Do republicans now have a steep hill to climb ahead of the midterms . More upheaval in the trump administration