This leading lady has mastered the art of herding clowns. A tip of our giant hat to the first female ring master of the ringling brothers circus. But first the nightline five. Number one i good evening, thank you for joining us. Reports of Russian Hackers attempting to influence the election have some members of the Electoral College rethinking their votes. At least one is paying a price for it, receiving hate mail and threats. But he says the anger of his fellow americans will not deter him from putting principle over party. Heres abcs david wright. I like that putin called me brilliant. Reporter from russia with love. Or at least with strong admiration. I think its great of russif and the United States can get together. Reporter donald trump has said hed like to improve u. S. Relations with moscow. Wouldnt it be great if we got along with russia . Is that a bad thing . Reporter all the more alarming then that 17 u. S. Intelligence agencies say russia tried to interfere in the pleakz. Tonight as the russian president arrived in japan, his spokesperson laughed off any suggestion that Vladimir Putin personally ordered the effort to hack the u. S. Campaign. But u. S. Intelligence Officials Say theyre convinced he did. For something to be proved at the highest levels of the russian government, something of this importance, that would require the personal approval of the president. Reporter and tonight, president obama seemed to agree upon. When anying fr foreign gover tries to impact the integrity of our leakedz, we need to take action, and we will, at a time and place of our own choosing. Reporter the very idea of Russian Hackers mettling in a u. S. President ial election, sounds like the plot of a cold war political thriller. Hes the kindest, bravest, most wonderful human being ive ever met in my life. Reporter the manchurian candidate updated for the digital age. Kindest, bravest, warmest, human being ive ever known. Reporter but as farfetched as it sounds, that notion is giving members of the Electoral College second thoughts. This week, they signed a letter requesting an intelligence briefing before they cast their votes monday. Im one of them. I sign onto that letter. Im concerned when a Foreign Government interferes with our elections, theyre not doing it with our best interest in mind. Reporter trump critics are jumping on the bandwagon, trying to sway the Electoral College. Republican members of the Electoral College, this message is for you. Reporter today a group of famous actors, including some veterans of the west wing, released this video appeal. As you know, the constitution gives electors the right to vote for any eligible person. No matter which party they belong to. Reporter the actors insist the Founding Fathers intend the Electoral College to safeguard against an unwise choice. By voting your conscience, you can give the house of representatives the option to select a qualified candidate. The trump camp is outraged. Just today he tweeted, if russia or some other entity was hacking, why did the white house wait so long to hack . Why did they only complain after hillary lost . Of course thats misleading, the complaints have been around for months. It even came up in the debates where trump denied being putins puppet. No puppet, no puppet. Youre the puppet. Reporter to get some definitive answers on what the Electoral College and how its supposed to work, weve come to nps ha Independence Hall and the constitutional center. Its a nonpartisan center, devoted to informing americans about the rules that sevrve as the foundation of our democracy. Jeff rosen is its president. These are the Founding Fathers. Here it is. This is the constitutional convention. And this is the only place in america where you can find statues of the framers that look exactly like the real guys. Rosen says its true. Alexander hamilton did intend the Electoral College to be a sort of protection against mob rule. What would these guys make of the hamilton electors, the faithless electors, who are planning to switch their votes . Sohamilton thought that the electors could exercise independent judgment and would be an elite check on the passions of the mob. Reporter he said hamilton lost out to james madison. After the election of 1800, madison founds the First Political party, the democratic republican party, and pretty soon its the Political Parties and not the independent electors who are actually picking the president. So the Electoral College after that is just a vestige of this original system . Exactly. Thats a good way to put it. Is there anything in the rules that says how the electors should cast their votes . There is stuff in state rules that say how electors should cast their vote. This elector from Washington State cofounded a rogue effort called the hamilton electors. Hes trying to get all 538 electors behind a unity republican candidate that isnt donald trump. What Alexander Hamilton outlined about the Electoral College was the fact that they were a last line of defense ganes an unfit president. Reporter this week, they went to court, challenging a state law that obliges them to vote for the winner of the general election or face a fine. We strongly believe thats an unconstitutional law, and we want to prevent the State Government from being able to impose that fine. Reporter but even with that law still in place, he says hes willing to risk the thousand dollar fine, in order to vote his conscience. We believe donald trump is clearly unfit for office. And we want to encourage and want any republican electors and democratic electors who want to make that choice as well. Reporter other electors say theyve been bombarded with pleas to go rogue. One iowa elector said hes had more than 100,000 calls, letters, or emails urging him to do it. Texas elector chris soup rein said after he wrote announcing his plans not to vote for trump, hes gotten lots of positive feedback. You are an inspiration. Love trumps hate. And a few death threats. The worst thing ive received in the mail is a threat to rape my wife and daughters before they kill me, if i do not vote for mr. Trump. Reporter he said he supported trump during the election, but is now convinced trump is unfit to serve as commander in chief. I saw someone who was more interested in his own power than he was in our institutions. I had to look at, is he constitutionally fit for the office i am expected to vote for him on. Reporter its unclear in the end how many electors will go rogue. Today the a. P. Informally polled the Electoral College members and found only one of them plans to do it for sure. But especially this year, we know the polls can sometimes be wrong. Brett shifalo of the hamilton electors insists the number is much higher. I believe between 50 and 75 republican electors have deep, grave, concerns about donald trump. Reporter true, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, but for better or worse, that wasnt the contest, was it . The Electoral College vote, the one that takes place monday, isnt a scene from hamilton. It its not even a scene from the west wing. Ive got a meeting on the hill. You go get them, mr. President. You have the opportunity to go down in the books as an american hero. Who changed the course of history. Reporter dont hold your breath. Next, a reporter going into the depths of illegal trafficking to shine a light on International Black markets. And later, a look at the first female ring master of the ringling brothers circus. E. I didnt think there was anything else to talk about. But then i realized there was. So, i finally broke the silence with my doctor about what i was experiencing. He said humira is for people like me who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohns disease. In clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief. And many achieved remission. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. If youre still just managing your symptoms, talk with your gastroenterologist about humira. With humira, remission is possible. What bad knee . Ull ask what throbbing head . Advil makes pain a distant memory nothing works faster stronger or longer what pain . Advil. And let roomba from irobot help with your everyday messes. Roomba navigates your entire home. Cleaning up pet hair and debris for up to 2 hours. Which means your floors are always clean. You and roomba, from irobot. Better. Together. Nothseafood celebration. Self like red lobsters holiday so try new dishes like the new grand seafood feast, and the new wildcaught lobster shrimp trio, with a lobster macandcheese topped lobster tail. Come treat yourself to feast fit for the season before it ends. Tonight we take you inside the dark world of trafficking. Through the eyes of a woman who has made it her mission to live in it. Her new documentary series uncovers some uncomfortable truth and exposes the methods of brutal criminal enterprises. Heres abcs linsey davis. Reporter these situations are really delicate. This 28yearold is traveling through bulgaria, on her way to meet with someone most young women fear. So ive been told that this is the former house of a drug barron who is now in prison. This is where the pimp wants to meet. Reporter shes here to investigate the dark underworld of sex trafficking. When she comes face to face with a man who spent years as a pimp, he tells her, if im looking for a woman to be a prostitute, i dont look at her physical appearance, i look at her character, so i can manipulate her more easily. She doesnt seem to flinch. So you were never afraid of being caught by the police . Reporter he says, i had protection. Pimps pay police. Thats how it works. Though small in stature, or maybe because of it, shes adept at extracting details of the criminal underworld from the people who conduct business within it. People want to talk. Its cathartic. They can express or tell a secret that theyve been holding for so very long. We live in a black market world. Reporter now the face of the dock yuseries, the traffickers. With the right money, you can buy anything. Reporter shes exploring illegal, often dangerous and multi billion dollar world of black markets. Drugs, sex, and even human body parts, all sold by vast criminal networks. Reporter tracing the paths of weapons, counterfeit drugs, human organs, from consumer to source. These are the drugs. Reporter often finding herself in all sorts of compromising locations. Whats going on here in the street is really, really intense. Reporter amsterdams seedy red light district. God, its so weird. Reporter is where she begins her look into trafficking women for the sex industry. They look quite relaxed. They dont look like theyre having a bad time. Reporter the sex industry in holland is an illegal billion dollar business, but local authorities suspect many of the women on displays are being forced to work. It is big mother. If im a prostitute, i can use it again and again to make money. So its easy money. If you compare it to weapons and drugs. Poor women of dollcolor are most ignored, politically, socially, and economically in the world. Nobody cares about these women. Ive just got a message from a girl who says that shes being trafficked and she wants to talk to me. Reporter a local reporter helps her meet this woman, who says she was forced to work as a prostitute for three years. Minimum, i have to sleep with 30 guys per night. 30 men . Yeah. My body was so tired. Reporter she says she was sold into prostitution by her grandmother. How did they break you . They beat you and they rape you. Reporter her pimp, also tattooed his name on her wrist, branding her as his property. In bulgaria, where shes from, its estimated as many as 10,000 women and girls are trafficked into sex slavery every year. And i am supposed to have these profound reactions about what ive just felt, but more than anything, i just feel hollow. Reporter she says her experience as an afghan refugee, helps her see nuance in the world which is so often portrayed as black and white. Im a muslim, im a woman, im immigrant, im western and eastern. All those things are strengths. Reporter shes also outspoken for a journalist. Because if you dont know how big the problem is, how the hell can you come up with a solution . Reporter a trait she traces to the discrimination she experienced after september 11th, growing up in the united kingdom. It wasnt just the fact that i was a muslim. It was the fact that i was an afghan. So i was going through school at the time. I was in high school. And i had chairs thrown at me. It was one of the things that made me a strong individual woman, and it was one of the reasons that i dont let anyone take my identity away from me. Reporter shes written about the need for activism in the era of brexit and president elect trump. Your reaction to brexit and now donald trump becoming elected . Thats my reaction. Its a tumultuous time and its easy to scapegoat it. So it becomes very, very important for people who think like me, who are kind of in my position, to speak up. Reporter even, it seems, when her own assumptions are challenged and she finds herself jumping to unexpected conclusions. She leaves bulgaria to investigate traffickers targeting refugees fleeing syria, locatings an admitted trafficker in greece. He says he can provide anything his clients want, from women and girls, to new born babies. He brags did kidnapping a young syrian girl. Do you not care about them as people . [ speaking Foreign Language ] reporter but the conversation unexpectedly turns. He admits hes responsible but said that complicit cops and a corrupt legal system are more guilty. You know things have fallen to pieces when youre siding with a trafficker. I feel like i have no idea whats going on here. This guy is one of the worst people ive ever met. Reporter but why would he talk . What does he have to gain . He explained coherently, theres bad people like him, but then theres the people who buy his product. Those are normal folk, people who have jobs, wives, husbands, who are fathers and brothers. So who is the bad guy in that situation . Reporter she identifies poverty as the underlying motivator for people who turn to illegal trafficking rings. Nobody wants to be a poacher, nobody wants to be a sex trafficker. They end up there. Given the right opportunities, given the right situation, people will choose good and will want to do good. Reporter an optimist for sure. But also a realist when it comes to criminal markets around the world. Theres one lesson in every blk market, and its that you and i, were culpable. Reporter what message do you want people to take away from the traffickers . I want people to watch the traffickers and feel responsible for the world around them. Reporter for nightline, im linsey davis in new york. Watch the double episode Season Finale of the traffickers this sunday at 10 00 p. M. On fusion, or get the season pass on itunes now. And next, it takes a strong woman to tame a tiger tamer. A look at the first female ring master of the ringling brothers circus. Abc news nightline, brought to you by ford. This holiday, get an amazing deal on americas most awarded brand, during the ford year end event. Ford, the brand with the most 5star ratings. The highest owner loyalty. And awardwinning value from kelley blue book. Giving drivers what matters most. Thats how you become americas bestselling brand. Shop now during the ford year end event. Get a thousand dollars ford smart bonus cash on select models, on top of all other great offers. See your local ford dealer today. With advil, youll ask what sinus headache . What stiff joints . What time of the month cramps . What nighttime pain . Make all your pains a distant memory with advil the worlds 1 choice what pain . Advil. And let roomba from irobot help with your everyday messes. Roomba navigates your entire home. Cleaning up pet hair and debris for up to 2 hours. Which means your floors are always clean. You and roomba, from irobot. Better. Together. And my cold medicines ugh, iwearing off. Chtime im dragging. Yeah, that stuff only lasts a few hours. Or, take mucinex. One pill fights congestion for 12 hours. No thank you very much, shes gonna stick with the shortterm stuff. 12 hours . Guess i wont be seeing you for a while. Is that a bisque . I just lost my appetite. Why take medicines that only last 4 hours, when just one mucinex lasts 12 hours . Start the relief. Ditch the misery. Lets end this. Its great little moments like these i dont want to miss. But when im worried about all the things that might happen, its hard to live in the moment. Protect the great moments in your life with an Affordable Health plan through healthcare. Gov. Because the majority of people who sign up qualify for financial help, most dont pay full price. Most can find plans with monthly premiums from 50 to 100 dollars. Having a health plan means less worry and more great moments. Visit healthcare. Gov. Enroll by december 15 for coverage starting january 1. Youre watching nightline, honored, winner of three emmy awards for excellence. Good choice. And finally tonight, the greatest show on earth just got greater. Ringling brothers and Barnum Bailey circus has reached a new height, this time announcing their first female ring master in its 146year history. Kristin Michelle Wilson is seeing the world after outperforming a hundred applicants from all over the country, who also auditioned for the job. Thats really one of the best things about being a ring master, you get to be yourself, but you get to be the grandest version of yourself. But the 35yearold florida native never clowned around about her circus prospects. Aiming high and always shooting towards her dream. Ever since i was a child, i have loved performing and entertaining, so to join the greatest show on earth is truly just the biggest thrill of my life. Replacing former ring master david shipman. And taking her place as the 39th ring master in ringling history. The greatest show on earth reporter shes singing and presenting some of the most daring acts across the globe. But her first performance next year will be in her hometown of orlando. Ringling made big changes, from dropping elephants, to the first female ring master, backed by a crew of daring trapeze swingers, tiger tamers, and highflying acrobats. Shes sure to be a tough act to follow. Kristens success reminded us tonight of the power of dreams. It was first Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who said the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Thank you for watching abc news and as always, were online at abc news. Com and our Nightline Facebook page. Thanks for the company, america, goodnight. Welcome to Hometown Heroes week. For us, this week is all about paying tribute to some very special people whove done some truly amazing things. You cant put a price on the things these people have done, but a Million Dollars isnt a bad place to start. So lets play who wants to be a millionaire. [cheers and applause] welcome, everybody. Its Hometown Heroes week on who wants to be a millionaire. I love this week. Todays Hometown Hero received global attention as the pediatrician who was the whistleblower who exposed the flint, michigan water crisis. Today we are celebrating her efforts by giving her a shot at 1 million. From flint, michigan, please welcome dr. Mona hannaattisha. [cheers and applause] doctor, how you doing . Awesome. Good to be here. Honored to have you here. Thank you for coming. Honored to be here. Thank you. Happy that you have a shot to do some good and make a Million Dollars today. Okay, again, this was a global story, the flint, michigan water crisis and the tainted water. You were the first one to shine a very bright light on this problem. Right, so its a disaster, and actually, the people of flint were the heroes in this story, and for 18 months they were complaining about their water and unknown to them, really to the world, that it was contaminated with lead
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