this is "nightline." tonight, citizen x. fighting against a crackdown on democracy. hong kong's student protesters standing up to an iron-fisted china. on the front lines of a growing rebellion. one demonstrator's defense of freedom. plus talk turkey, 20/20 with cory booker. undecided voters around the table with the presidential candidate. >> how are we going to implement that? >> breaking down the big issues that could make or break his campaign. >> so i've been doing doing doig on your campaign. but first the "nightline"

five.

good evening. thank you for joining us. new trouble with china tonight. president trump just hours ago signing two bills in support of hong kong's pro-democracy protesters. the president has been walking a tight rope on this rebellion as

he embraces his friendship with china's communist president xi. today we take you inside the fight for freedom. >> reporter: into the heart of a growing rebellion. through the gates of a major college campus, littered with trash, barricaded with chairs. and a makeshift check point for all who dare enter hong kong's uprising. >> you want to look in my bag? >> reporter: as we move through the college quarters, the air is thick with the steal of beer. but they aren't drinking it, they're pouring it out. and everywhere we turn, it becomes clear what the bottles are used we walked into a bomb-making

factory. turning beer bottles into molotov cocktails to use against police. have you been testing them over here? >> yes. this is actually my first time. >> reporter: their practice range, an olympic-sized pool. we've been covering the protests in hong kong since they began and seen this modern metropolis descend into a city of fire. as local citizens fight back against china's growing influence and control. just stay back. back in august we met this man. you won't stop. >> we won't stop. >> reporter: he's a student, but i can't say what he's studying. he's young, but i'm not allowed to tell you his age. he's a protester, but i won't give you his name. he fears for his safety, so i've

dubbed him citizen x. >> i'm born and grown in hong kong. i love how special it is. i love the freedom that we are enjoying, and i don't want hong kong to become just like another city of china. >> reporter: we interviewed him at a secret location, hiding his face and disguising his voice. going beyond wooden sea on tv into the homegrown dissident. >> some people say we are a group of people can chosen hose era, chosen by history. this is our home, and we have to use every measure to us to protect our home. >> reporter: he ra's one of tenf thousands of students in hong kong forced to decide what is freedom worth and what are you willing to sacrifice to get it. are you willing to sacrifice your liberty floor?

>> i'm willing to be put in a jail for months. i'm not mentally prepared for that. >> reporter: what is your goal? are you trying to get independence? >> we are trying to get freedom and democracy. >> reporter: it's 30 years since students first dared the communist party. tiananmen square, one image seared into the global conscience. one lone man defiant against a column of tanks and an entire system. hong kong was free from those shows of force until 1997 when britain handed control of the city to china. beijing promised to let hong kong govern itself for 50 years, but it's been an uneasy compromise. this year, tensions erupted when a law was proposed to allow

citizens to be extradited to mainland china to stand trial. it never passed but lit a fuse. hong kong residents were angry, accusing china of rolling back their freedoms, and hostility between police and protesters rapidly escalated. citizen x is part of the vanguard of the protest movement. they call themselves the valiants, or the brave. those who hold the front line and forcibly confront police. >> we have no other options but to win. this is our home, and we have to use every measure for us to protect our home. >> reporter: we met up with x again ahead of another protest. he and his group began by coordinating at a shopping center, discussing tactics, part ninja, part anime warrior. >> having no leader in this movement is the key essence. the government cannot predict, the police cannot predict.

>> reporter: it's like an oohe . police are going to charge let's go off to one side. let's hunker down over here. tear gas canisters right behind you. we try to stay with x, but in the swirl of tear gas, rubber bullets and chaos, he's okay. tear gas. move, move. these are just crazy scenes here in central hong kong. everyone's running. move, let's go to the side.

one month later, i ran into x at another protest. no time to talk. another time and x takes off, disappearing into the mob. it will be the last time i saw him in person. >> [ bleep ]. >> reporter: move back. >> we're prepared to die. the stronger our passion is the stronger we will be. >> reporter: by november, the violence becomes deadly. another protester shot with a live round. and an argument with protesters leads to a man being doused and set alight. a new tactic emerges, protesters

occupy several college campuses, paralyzing the city. inside the polytechnic university, students show me how they're fortifying the school. >> and then you light up -- >> reporter: but the hardcore battle prep is hereby n that molotov cocktail factory and training ground. within days, the police attack. the and the school is under siege. rubber bullet ts flying in and tear gas. police move in on the campus, so protesters set fires in walkways, on police-armored vehicles, and a massive blaze right on those front steps to block the way. many protesters try to escape,

but most are caught and arrested. in the confusion, we slip back inside the campus where we found hundreds of students stuck and demoralized. >> like there's absolutely no way out. >> knowing that we can go nowhere then we are quite helpless. >> what are we supposed to do? just go out and get shot by rubber bullets and tear gas? or just wait here and starve and die? >> reporter: if you had one final message to the outside world, what is it? >> we need help. >> reporter: within days, most of the students surrendered or got away. then suddenly, last night, we heard again from citizen x in an audio message. he says he was at the battle of poly u, and that he was beaten and arrested. >> i've never experienced the weight, the burden of such a battle, such a warfare, i would

say. it comes with immense pressure. we need to regain our power. we need some more time to reorganize another wave of movement that can really threat then regime that is so corrupted. >> reporter: beijing is watching what happens here, closely. but the question remains, is anyone listening? >> this is our responsibility. so we cannotq escape from this. because, if we don't do it, all of hong kong loses. up next, the undecided and the presidential candidate cory booker, facing real voters with real issues. no matter what life throws down ♪ roomba is up for the challenge. only roomba uses 2 multi-surface rubber brushes that powerfully clean up debris on all your floors. and only the roomba i7+ system

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our special series around the table where voters share a meal and burning questions with presidential hopefuls. tonight, senator cory booker. here here's linsey davis. >> reporter: we're at cory booker's favorite restaurant, blocks away from his new jersey home. >> i actually live right down the street. hello, everybody. >> reporter: we've gathered three undecided voters from across the northeast. >> please call me cory, all right? and is lindsey behaving herself? >> my name is trina jones. i'm from philadelphia. i am a student nurse. mother of four. >> my name is dj. >> i have a dairy farm in upstate new york. >> reporter: and they're here for a lively.

>> can i call you out on a specific -- >> reporter: at times contentious conversation. >> that is absolutely not true. >> how are we going to impleasaimplement that. >> reporter: welcome to an around the table. >> housing security is something i've never experienced. i've only been in a position of figuring out how i'm going to pay my rent. >> this is literally how i began my career, i began as a tenants rights advocate. >> do you think it's a right that we all have -- i have the right to vote for example. is it a right that i'm entitled to safe housing in the united states of america? >> safe, decent, affordable housing is something that everyone should have a right to. >> can we do it? >> yes,qu we can. we can. >> so i've been doing a cram session on your -- >> i'm grateful. >> your plan. >> thank you. >> and i have to say that it's very, very hopeful.

it is about housing as much it is about rural issues. >> their is is something we sho know. there's a president trying to divide us against each other. the more divided we are the more we don't see common cause with each other. >> phyllis, i have a question for you. in your community, a lot of people have conservative views, and you say you kind of understand. where do you think democrats are mission the ma missing the mark and trump has their ear? >> that's a tough question. assurances about maintaining their rights. people really are afraid of losing their rights. >> let's talk about gun control. are you going to take away their guns? >> no. >> i've owned a gun. what i want to know about, we have all these mass shootings. we have, you know, we're not going to take away your guns, but we're going to have to control it and worry about

people with mental issues. what i worry about is the backlash of that in the back of my mind if i go to therapy, using me as an example. if i go to therapy every week or i don't necessarily have a disorder, but i want to be a well person. because i'm the mother of four. is it going to flag me? what's going to happen across the board to everyone, to people who are legal owners? >> have you looked at the other side? how many people who should be able to buy a gun wouldn't be able to buy a gun? >> we're not stopping people who are law-abiding citizens from getting guns. >> i think would be an important message to reassure people that they're not going to be blocked. >> as a guy going all over the country, you want to know the reassurance, people stand up and say they're afraid to send their kids to school. kids are asking with fear in their ice. you need a license to drive a

vehicle. i think it would put it more indisvisible. >> that's big frustration i have, when we talk about common sense, the problems we have predate donald trump, predate barack obama. the system we have in place here, i don't think it's broken. i think it's functioning the exact way it was design. >> there's never been a period in american history. the guardians of our democracy have always had racism, bigotry written into the rules. so i'm not trying to go back, but i do know when we make advancements in this country, we do it together. >> i want to talk about inclusiveness and the dream. right now, it's a lot of hatred. >> yes. >> it's a lot of hatred, a lot of misunderstanding. there is no empathy. what is the plan to combat that, how are we going to implement that? >> i would say also to that idea of empathy, what i keep seeing from all the candidates is how i should empathize with the white

working class male in ohio. you got to feel bad for in guy who lost his job, that's why he voted for trump. i'm tired of hearing that. if i want to empathize with someone having a bad day, all i have to do is walk out my door. >> we live in the same community. the reason i'm running, the main reason to get up every day, i'm tired of politicians like the one in the highest office of the land is trying to exploit our differences. >> reporter: the conversation moves to health care. >> we have a system that's fundamentally unjust. that's why i support medicare for all system and drive down the costs of everything from prescription drugs to everything bureaucracy is driving up for the average person. >> didn't you vote against the ability for people to buy drugs from canada? >> that's absolutely not true. i wrote the legislation to allow importation with senator sanders and senator casey.

>> reporter: in 2017 booker voted against the amendment that called for drugs imported from abroad. your point is for medicare for all but not eliminating the private option. >> my point is we need to get to a point of medicare for all. that's the best system. but i also am very realistic to know that's not something we are going to be able to shift to. >> reporter: the nearly two-hour conversation starts to wrap up. but not without some of the senator's signature humor. you have to come and visit. >> i would love that. i have some great dad jokes for everybody. >> amazing. >> yes, i'm sure your cows are utterly amazing. >> ba-bump-bump. we hope your thanksgiving meal son track like this one. ♪ oh, ho! oh, ho, ho, ho! you... you got me.

uh, what do you want? i've got uh, ai robots, i've got vr goggles. i want your sled, please. no. [ chuckles ] timmy. it'd be a shame if this went viral. for those who never compromise. the mercedes-benz winter event. whoa. he was pretty good this year. of millions of americans during the recession. so, my wife kat and i took action. we started a non-profit community bank with a simple theory - give people a fair deal and real economic power. invest in the community, in businesses owned by women and people of color, in affordable housing. the difference between words and actions matters. that's a lesson politicians in washington could use right now. i'm tom steyer, and i approve this message. breathe freely fast, with vicks sinex. my congestion's gone.

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>> is get that man a plate, yo. >> these new yorkers couldn't wait for thanksgiving. it was a complete holiday meal inside a subway car. turkey, sides, even a table. passengers boarding the packed train invited to join in on the fun. a local caterer donating the feast. and the main ingredient? love thy neighbor. it was the late norman vincent peele who said the more you practice