Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20170508

Focusing on their patients diet to prevent diseases on the rise. If i teach you how to cook, youre going to improve the types of food you eat and ultimately that is what is going to prevent chronic disease for you. Woodruff all that and more on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. And the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Woodruff in the senate, the attention today was on the investigation into the Trump Administrations relationship with russia, as senators heard from a man who has been in the spotlight for years, and a woman few had heard of before last fall. Lisa desjardins reports. Desjardins at the capitol, a swarm of attention at a russia hearing with two high profile witnesses. One was former director of National Intelligence james clapper. But attention focused on the other former acting attorney general sally yates who first warned the white house that then National Security advisor Michael Flynn had lied about his talks with russian officials. The concern first about the underlying conduct itself, that he had lied to the Vice President and others, the American Public had been misled and then importantly, that every time this lie was repeated and the misrepresentations were getting more and more specific as they were coming out, every time that happened, it increased the compromise and to state the obvious, you dont want your National Security advisor compromised with the russians. Desjardins yates said she made no recommendations, just relayed information that created a compromise situation a situation where the National Security advisor could essentially be blackmailed by the russians. Finally, we told them that we were giving them all of this information so that they could take action, the action that they deemed appropriate. Desjardins 18 days after that private warning, the white house forced out flynn. That was just four days after the news became public. White House Press Secretary sean spicer said this at the time. So just to be clear, the acting attorney general informed the white House Counsel that they wanted to give, a heads up to us on some comments that may have seemed in conflict with what he had said to the Vice President in particular. Desjardins today democrats pressed the witnesses on whether the white house did enough, fast enough. If you had the warning from the white house pardon me from the department of justice to the white house about general flynn possibly being compromised here and then these important National Security decisions that followed would you have concerns about that . Well i would hypothetically. Yes. I mean again i was gone from the government as well when this happened. Desjardins President Trump added his thoughts this morning electronically, tweeting, ask sally yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to white House Counsel. Iowa republican senator Chuck Grassley asked. Have either of you ever been an anonymous source in any news report relating to mr. Trump, his associates or russians attempt to meddle in the election . No. Absolutely not. All this comes as news reports surfaced today president obama warned mr. Trump against hiring flynn just days after the election. For his part, spicer said today those comments were expected. Its true that the president president obama made it known that he was not exactly a fan of general flynns. Which frankly should not come as a surprise to anyone given that general flynn had worked for president obama, was an outspoken critic of president obamas shortcomings, woodruff lisa is here with me now to dig deeper into what we learned today. Were also joined by julie pace, White House Correspondent for the associate press. Welcome, of course, to both of you. Lisa, quickly off of your report, a lot of accusations flying back and forth between the Trump White House and the former obama team. We know one of the things this President Trump has said is that president Obamas White House had given a security clearance originally to general flynn, who they fired as the head of the Defense Intelligence a few years ago. Where does the driewt in all that delay lye . This security clearance is something retired generals have access to. They can ask for it by fact they are retired general. Flynn asked for it in 2016. He was given it by the Defense Department. The Defense Department is looking into whether he lied to them during the clearance security review. A security clearance does not take the onus off an Incoming Administration to do their own vetting and a very important difference about the National Security advisor, judy, its not a Senate Approved position, it doesnt go through all the ethics checks unnecessarily unless the president forces it to. To. Woodruff one other thing you have been looking into today is the question of president obama, after President Trump was elected last november, warning him. What did you find out about that . Right. This is why we have a source telling us from the Obama White House that, in fact, president obama said it was not just about Michael Flynn being a critic of his, but they saw him as erratic, a bad manager and should not continue in government. Woodruff lets pick up with julie pace. You did reporting going into the weekend about the Trump Transition Team coming to the obama team during the transition last november with questions, and what was the significance of all that . Right. I think what this shows is just the depths of the concerns about mike flynn. You had people working for the Trump Transition Team after the election who were concerned that mike flynn, who was going to be having a conversation with the Russian Ambassador that was not unusual, as National Security advisor you would be talking to a foreign counterpart, but mike flynn tid not actually understand the motivation of the russian envoy, that he might not understand what ties he had to russian intelligence, to theyre seeking a classified c. I. A. Biography on the Russian Ambassador that would give the u. S. Intelligence assessments about the envoivment for the Obama Administration, this raised red flags because it thoad showed been trumps own team there were concerns about flynns ability to handle whats an incredibly sensitive and High Pressure job which involves enormous contact with foreign initials, both friendly and adversaries. Woodruff julie, youve learned how r what the obama team was thinking during the transition around grew concerned about what they were learning. The growing concern within the Obama Administration on a number of fronts. You had mike flynn who was going in for his meetings with the counterparts in the Obama Administration and theyd talk about russia and he would essentially dismiss russia as a threat to the United States. That raids concerns. You had worries about handling sensitive administration, documents the Obama Administration was turning over to the trump team, there was concern those were being cop idea and removed from secure rooms, you saw the obama team limiting the information going outside the white house. It also comes at a time when u. S. Intelligence is starting to gather more information that some officials believe shows more ties between the Trump Campaign and Trump Associates and russias meddling in the elections. So taken together from the perspective of obama officials, this created a troubling picture of the trump teams ties to russia. Woodruff the ending of the Obama Administration and a pretty fraught frame of mind over all this . Absolutely. And youve seen that almost continue particularly when it comes to mike flynn. The revelations today i dont think are coincidental that the obama team felt the need to get out there, that the outgoing president was delivering a personal warning to his successor about his likely choice for National Security advisor. When you think about that, thats quite extraordinary. You would expect president s to be giving their successors advice perhaps on policy but to give a specific warning about a potential personnel pick really is extraordinary. Woodruff remarkable regarding. Julie pace of the a. P. And our lisa desjardins, we thank you both. Woodruff well discuss russias meddling with a former Justice Department official, right after our news summary. In the days other news, a federal Appeals Court in richmond, virginia heard arguments over President Trumps revised travel ban. Its the first time its been scrutinized at the appellate level since the ban was reworked in march. The judges are examining a ruling that blocks the administration from suspending new visas for people from six muslimmajority countries. Meanwhile at todays Senate Hearing in washington, former acting attorney general sally yates took heat for refusing to enforce the president s executive order. The move ultimately led to her firing. I find it enormously disappointing that you somehow and decided instead you would countermand the executive order of the president because you happened to disagree with it as a policy matter. I looked at this. I made a determination that i believed it was unlawful. I also thought it was inconsistent with the principles of the department of justice, and i said no. And thats what i promised you i would do. And thats what i did. Woodruff well have excerpts from todays hearing in richmond later in the program. President trump is now working to put his own stamp on the nations federal court system. Today he released a slate of 10 conservative judicial nominees. More will be announced in the months to come, since over 120 vacancies still need to be filled. All of his judicial nominees will require senate confirmation. In france, president elect Emmanuel Macron appeared alongside the outgoing president a day after his resounding victory over rival Marine Le Pen. Macron and Francois Hollande presented a united front at a ceremony marking the end of world war ii, at the tomb of the unknown soldier in paris. Well take a closer look at the election, and what a macron presidency may mean for europe, later in the program. Pentagon officials have confirmed that a military raid last month killed the leader of the islamic states affiliate in afghanistan. The joint afghan and u. S. Operation targeted the Eastern Province of nangarhar. Two u. S. Army rangers also died. The pentagon said Abdul Haseeb Logari ordered a march attack on a Military Hospital in kabul, that killed or wounded more than 100 people. Former president obama is urging members of congress to look beyond party lines when it comes to the future of health care. Mr. Obama weighed in on the issue last night, after receiving the john f. Kennedy profile in courage award in boston. Its the first time hes spoken out since the republicanled house voted thursday to repeal his Affordable Care act. It actually doesnt take a lot of courage to aid those who are already powerful, already comfortable, already influential. But it does require some courage to champion the vulnerable and the sick. Woodruff the g. O. P. s obamacare replacement faces a more uncertain fate in the senate, where its expected to undergo major revisions. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed a law banning socalled sanctuary city policies in his state. The measure allows Texas Police Officers to question the legal status of anyone they stop. Sheriffs who dont comply with federal immigration agents could face jail time. Abbott gave no advance notice before signing the bill on Facebook Live last night. It goes into effect september 1. Elected officials and Law Enforcement agencies dont get to pick and choose which laws they will obey. There are consequences deadly consequences to not enforcing the law. Woodruff the Trump Administration has threatened to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities. Sinclair broadcast group, the countrys largest local tv station operator, has agreed to buy rival tribune media. The deal is valued at 3. 9 billion, but is still subject to regulatory approval. If approved, sinclair would own over 200 stations nationwide. And trading was light on wall street today. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained five points to close at 21,012. The nasdaq rose nearly two points and the s p 500 added a fraction of a point. Still to come on the newshour a former Justice Department official weighs in on the russia investigation hearing. A tough road ahead for frances newly elected president. Arguments for and against President Trumps travel ban in court, and much more. Woodruff with us tonight to discuss todays congressional testimonies and the Ongoing Investigation into russias interference in novembers president ial election is john carlin. He served as assistant attorney general for National Security from 2014 until october of last year. Hes now an attorney in private practice, specializing in cybersecurity and National Security matters. Is john carlin, welcome to the newshour. Thank you. Woodruff so you listened to much of todays hearing, the senators questioning the former acting attorney general sally yates, the former head of National Intelligence, director of National Intelligence mr. Clapper. What did you mainly take away from today . Well, this one thing i heard was a career Department Official describing handling a situation exactly the way it was handled numerous other counterintelligence investigations. That said, highly unusual the individual having secret with russians and intentionally not telling his bosses is the act actual National Security advisor, and you can see why we take that type of situation very secialtion even when its a much lowerranking official that possesses access to our nations secrets, but for the National Security advisor to be secretly having conversations with russian officials, not telling the Vice President of the United States, i cant imagine the situation which would cause more alarm for the career counterintelligence officials. Woodruff its just a natural question, how unusual is a situation like this . Well, in some ways, its usual insofar as the russians are constantly trying to compromise officials, even businessmen, in order to gain access and be able to gain secrets. They think years in advance. Think about one of the cases we prosecuted, the russian illegal case, these are people here under nonofficial cover, growing families inside the United States to maybe be used at some later date. But whats incredibly unusual here is its one of the most important if not the most important National Security figure in ou the National Security advisor. Woodruff i know former attorney general yates and director clapper couldnt answer some of these questions in a public setting but how much can be said about how much actual proof there is that there was collusion between the Trump Campaign and what the russians were up to . Thats not something i can talk about here. I think its important its being investigated by those trained and sworn to do those investigations without fear or favor in a nonpartisan ways. I have trusted the f. B. I. Agents for years. Woodruff you trust them. Yes, woirkd with those folks at the f. B. I. And as a prosecutor at the Justice Department and the career prosecutors there that these are people that dont care about politics, theyre going to follow the evidence where it leads and take it where it needs to go. Weve got to look forward. One reason its important to learn lessons about what exactly it is russia did in our prior election is we heard two more officials along with the current director of the f. B. I. And the leader of the National Security agency say russia is going to do this again in 2020, maybe as soon as next year. We just saw the massive hacking attacks on the french elections. Theyre doing it now in europe. We have to change our policy. Woodruff so what does it say that the i mean, were going back over what they talked about today but, then the acting attorney general goes to the white house to the president s Legal Counsel and says this is what we believe is going on, we believe general flynn has had they contacts with the russians, we think he hasnt told the truth to the Vice President , and then the white houses reaction after a day or so is to say youre fired. What does that tell you . Well, i cant talk about what was going on north dakota in the minds of the white house when they got there extraordinary briefing that said their National Security advisor was compromised by the russians, but the fact is he was fired several weeks later. Woodruff after that. And the other thing that came up today that i wanted to ask you about is the questions from several senators to the acting sally yates, then acting attorney general, about why it would matter that someone in the white house one white house official didnt tell the truth to another white house official . Well, you know, theyre new in their positions. I guess its good that they asked the questions and received the answers from the career la3 enforcement National Security officials about why that is important, at least when the issue is that someone is lying about contacts with the russians and what Russian Intelligence Service have done with that type of information in the past and how they used it to compromise individuals. Woodruff final question. If there were an instance ongoing today and we dont know this at all to be the case of someone in the administration talking to trungses, the Intelligence Community finds out about it, tries to warn the white house, is it possible for the white house to ignore it and to say we dont want the hear that information, youre fired . Or is it going to get the attention of the people it needs to . Well, the only hope it will get the attention it needs to but it is why its important in a nonpartisan way while we have senators like graham and the white house working together, senator grassley asked t appropriately the questions, what are the lessons, are they coming again . The answer is yes theyre coming again. We need to harden our state systems. We need to educate the American People on how the russians are using fake news to try to influence elections and need to do more to deter them working with our allies to cause pain to them to make them rethink this tactic of trying to undermine democracy. Woodruff john carlin, former assistant attorney general, we thank you very much. Thank you. Woodruff now, france elects a new president , after the most closely watched and Divisive Campaign there in decades. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports from paris. Reporter Emmanuel Macron left his home in paris this morning, absorbing the reality that he is frances Youngest National leader since napoleon. translated i will serve you with humility, with force. I will serve you in the name of our motto liberty, equality, fraternity. Reporter macron overcame Marine Le Pens brand of nationalist populism and weathered a suspected russian hacking attack on his campaign that dumped reams of internal email hours before voting began. Hell be inaugurated as frances 25th president on sunday. But even though he won 66 of the vote, analysts said it could not be regarded as an overwhelming mandate out of a possible electorate of 47 million, only 20 Million People voted for Emmanuel Macron. Many of those did so tactically just to keep le pen out. Macron could face a highly troublesome five years in the president ial palace. Analyst Pascal Boniface says the struggles could start early, if macron fails to get a majority in the French National assembly. And he has to create very soon, a Huge Movement and to find a majority. If there is no majority in the national assembly, he will be a president , but a president with few power. Reporter congratulatory messages came from across europe today. Russian president Vladimir Putin offered his, calling on macron to overcome mutual mistrust. Members of the European Union expressed relief. German chancellor Angela Merkel said she was delighted translated he ran a courageous proeuropean campaign. He stands for openness to the world. Reporter boniface says macron has to deal with the fact that 40 of the french electorate are dissatisfied with the e. U. If macron wants to succeed if he wants to make good reforms he must avoid to have demonstrations in the streets. There is a psychological and political walk to do to show that europe is not only for the elite but also for ordinary people. Reporter but there were demonstrations in the streets even today. Activists and Union Members protested in paris, against macrons proposed labor reforms. Some clashed with police, who made a number of arrests. It was a starkly different scene yesterday, as macron supporters sprinted towards the louvre to catch the announcement of his victory. Frances ethnic minorities, who feared the antiimmigrant le pen, were jubilant. This macron supporter repeated thank god in arabic. Marine le pen is a dinosaur, this woman chanted. In terms of economy, social cohesion, everything. I mean she was bad. So were really happy today. And there is so many people who didnt know Emmanuel Macron since one year and now hes president of the republic. Reporter macrons win was particularly sweet for the avaaz internet based Advocacy Group which has been campaigning in europe against right wing nationalists. Avaaz member joseph huff hannon points to the effect of President Trump, who only called to congratulate macron this morning. The past 100 days or so has probably been a pretty incredible cautionary tale from what french people could come to expect from a faux populist, somebody who you know kind of says im going to transform the country and improve your lives without offering any specific policies. You know i can only reporter hannon also believes macrons victory signals that right wing nationalism is on the wane in europe, and portends well for the election later this year in germany, where an anti immigrant reporter frances new president , a man with precious little experience of government inherits a country under a state of emergency. Although he has tapped into a rich seam of enthusiasm amongst young french people, his victory has brought little joy to much of the nation. And he now has to deliver on his promise to unite the country. For the pbs newshour, im Malcolm Brabant in paris. Woodruff for more on the election of Emmanuel Macron, and where he hopes to lead france, i spoke a short time ago with the french ambassador to the United States, gerard araud. Ambassador araud, thank you very much for joining us. So even though we know mr. Macron won 66 of the vote, we also know turnout was down slightly from before, that many french citizens either stayed home or didnt express a preference. Just what is the support for mr. Macron right now . So we have to understand that this situation was totally unprecedented. The two main parties, the socialist on the one side and the conservative party on the orthoside, actually had been defeated in the first round of the election, which means that in the second round you had basically madam le pen and mr. Macron. It was the first time for mr. Macron running for office. So they decided either they were going to stay home or they were going to not express a preference. Woodruff and so how divided is france still . You were telling me with the parliamentary elections coming, its really unclear if mr. Macron is going to have a majority. Well, we have never had such a situation, i guess, in the french political life. You have mr. Macron basically didnt have a Political Party a few months ago, yet has created one, who didnt have any member of the Parliament Supporting him, and we have the general elections coming on june 17t june 17th and 18th. So for him it will be quite a challenge to get a majority in a new parliament. Woodruff so where is france left, then, with the Marine Le Pen brand of populist nationalism . Is it gone . Has it just receded for a short time . How do you see that . No, actually, we are facing the same populist outburst that you have been facing during the last president ial election in the u. S. Or that our british friends have been facing during the brexit referendum. And this is not going to fade away if mr. Macron and his government are not responding to the concerns of these voters. So, in a sense, we have five years left to avoid a final victory of populism. Woodruff what do these voters want and what does it mean for the European Union . For now france stays in the European Union but do you think so thats a secure decision . Age lot of french feel frightened by globalization and, in this country, globalization basically is put in the eyes of the voters the responsibility of wall street or washington, d. C. It is seen as the fact of brussels of the European Union, so fighting for globalization means for a lot of french fighting against a European Union. So if a sense if you reassure the french voters that their life in the global world, you know, really i think that the question of the European Union will be solved. Woodruff so we know President Trump was saying pretty favorable things about Marine Le Pen during the campaign b hays now called mr. Macron to congratulate him. How would you describe the relationship right now between the u. S. And france with mr. Macron . For the moment, the relationship between our two countries is excellent for the simple reason is that once more or soldiers are fighting together side by side against international terrorism, in africa or in lebanon against i. S. I. S. When i met mr. Mattis he immediately told me the french are our best allies, and i think that is the most important. Woodruff finally, mr. Ambassador, mr. Macron had relatively little during the campaign to say about foreign policy, about his view of the world. What is is known about that . How does he see frances role . First, i think that is quite important in our times of universal skepticism, he wants in a sense to move forward into europe integration. So his first visit will be berlin where he will meet chancellor merkel, and i am quite sure they are going to speak about the next steps in our european endeavor. Woodruff and a visit to the u. S. . Actually, he will meet President Trump o at the n. A. T. Summit on may 25th in a few weeks because they will be in brussels and agree to the meetings in brussels. Woodruff there is reporting you will be called to serve in the macron administration. My fate is in the hands of god. Woodruff ambassador gerard araud, thank you very much. Thank you. Woodruff President Trumps travel ban got its First Federal Appeals Court review today. The arguments mark the biggest test yet for the president s revised executive order to suspend travel to the u. S. For people from six majoritymuslim countries. William brangham has that story. Brangham at the center of todays arguments before the Fourth Circuit is whether the president s second executive order is motivated by National Security concerns, or whether it discriminates against muslims, which would be unconstitutional. Among other issues, the judges will decide whether the president s own words about muslims can be used against him. Heres an example from a Campaign Rally in december of 2015. Donald j. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the United States until our countrys representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. Brangham to go through todays arguments im joined by marcia coyle, chief washington correspondent for the national law journal, and a newshour regular. Welcome back. Thank you. Brangham so you heard what i said at the introduction. Is that roughly the contours of this, the president arguing this is all about National Security, his critics saying no, its religious discrimination. In fact not just his critics but the lower Federal District court in this particular case found that the primary purpose of the order was not National Security, that was his secondary purpose, that this was a muslim ban and that thi there was a violation of the First Amendment establishment clause. So as we go into the federal Appellate Court here today, the argument breaks down in two ways. The government is still going to argue its National Security and its relying heavily on a Supreme Court case from a number of years back in which the court said, if the president has a legitimate and bona fide reason for his or her decision about how to permit or disallow the entry of aliens into this country, thats it, thats sufficient, and the governments lawyer said that there is a legitimate and bona fide reason here, National Security, and, so, court, your job ends basically there. Brangham lets listen. This is judge keannan having a discussion with jeffery wall in the trump strainchts what in the next of executive order number two supports the conclusion these aliens from these countries, these 82 Million People, would be detrimental to the interests of the United States . I dont think what the president was saying was i know them all to be dangerous. He is saying im not certain. What he said is, i find it would be detrimental to Little People from countries we know to be dangerous, that have deteriorated over time, until i have had a chance working with my cabinet officials to assess the vetting procedures for those countries. He said it would be detriment knoll the face offuncertainty, a reasonable finding, one an executive official could draw. I think there is no question it would survive review. Brangham thats the argument all along, the president has authority and this is in the interest of the country. Thats right and the government doesnt see any violation of the establishment clause, and we know the establishment clause does not permit the government to disfavor religion. The governments attorney today said there was nothing in this order that had anything to do with religion and the president , even though he earlier made statements about a muslim ban, clarified his position later after he took the oath of office to insist hes talking about terrorism and territories, not religion. Brangham in fact, there was an interesting moment today in the hearing where the judge asked, lets just say the president had taken back some of those comments about muslims would this be allowable. The president repudiated his statements in campaign and postelection about the muslim ban, what if he repudiated them all . I think it would be a significant fact. I dont know whether would that change the result . I think that simple repudiation might not no, would not change the result. Let me follow up, then. What if he says hes sorry every day for a year. Would that do it for you. Is this heres thish ershoe, your honor, what establishment applause prohibits is targeting and denigrating a religion at a minimum, thats what it prohibits. The question is would reasonable people see what he was doing in total as achieving that effect. So you say reasonable people today would say he doesnt really mean it when he says hes sorry . Your honor, i think its possible that saying sorry is not enough. This, again, is an exchange between judges, but this time, with the lawyer for the challengers to the order, the aclus lawyer, and he is saying, basically, look, you have to look at the evidence in this particular case. The aclu believes that this was not a National Security purpose, that this was a muslim ban, and because of that, a violation of the establishment clause, to the aclu lawyer told the judges there are really three categories of evidence you should be looking at here. First there is the order on its face. Its not facially legitimate he argues because, even though it names just six countries, there are other countries that have been found to be associated with terrorism by the United States that are not on that list. This is just muslim countries. Secondly, there are the president s statements, and as the aclu lawyer said, sometimes saying youre sorry is not enough. These statements, he claims, continued after the president took the oath of office. So its not Just Campaign statements. Then the final category of evidence, the lawyer said, had to do with some reports that were leaked or released by the department of homeland security, that basically said that the order itself would not prevent terrorism in the United States. Brangham how unusual is this, marcia, to have the words of the president and his own Administration Come back to be used as evidence against them in court . I think its quite unusual and it obviously is an issue of contention among the various judges that have had to deal with this executive order, and i think, going forward, whoever loses either in this particular case or in a case in hawaii that will be heard in another week, and there are many other challenges pending around the country, will take the case to the Supreme Court, and there the Supreme Court will, again, have to deal with the relevance and weight of the president s statements. Ultimately, i think it will be the Supreme Court that will have to resolve this tension. Is this just to be judged on the basis of National Security, or does the religion clause jurisprudence come in as well. Brangham marcia coyle, as always, thank you so much. My pleasure. Woodruff when you go to the doctor, its not unusual to leave with a prescription for medicine. But some doctors are experimenting with a new kind of prescription one for fresh, healthy food and as the movement grows, more doctors and Health Professionals are getting more training in the kitchen. Special correspondent Allison Aubrey of npr news has the story. We have the minerals and grains that are going to lower Blood Pressure. Reporter at Casey Health Institute in gaithersburg, maryland the doctor is in. But your appointment might just be in the kitchen. This is called the physicians kitchen and tonight primary care doctor nicole farmer is prescribing food. So as you can see eating whole grains you can control diabetes and Blood Pressure, but also prevent Heart Disease. Reporter this doesnt mean giving up favorites like pancakes instead the goal here is to make Breakfast Foods healthier using grains like buckwheat and millet. I feel like its important for me to spend my time here in addition to the exam room. If i teach you how to cook, youre going to improve the types of food you eat and ultimately that is what is going to prevent chronic disease for you. Reporter the most recent evidence comes from a study published in the journal of the american medical association, researchers found that here in the United States about one out of every two deaths from Heart Disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes is linked to a poor diet in the United States. Thats 1,000 deaths every day. Paula fischthal knows that all too well, her dad died early of a heart attack and her mom had diabetes, with this Strong Family history, she was really concerned. Thats how she ended up here. When i first came here dr. Farmer diagnosed me with pre diabetes. And i really didnt want to be on medication. Reporter fischthal has changed her whole relationship to food. She tossed out processed snacks and shes cooking with fresh ingredients. Ive gradually, gotten rid of the starch that goes with dinner and its more vegetables and protein. Reporter she also started yoga classes and over the last year shes lost weight, now her blood sugar has returned to normal and this means shes no longer considered to have pre diabetes. Her story fits with the conclusion of the most comprehensive study ever on Diabetes Prevention. It was a federally funded study carried out by the National Institutes of health with collaborators at 27 sites across the country they found when people change their diet to lose weight and become more active it can be more effective than medication in preventing the disease. Doctor farmer tells all her patients about the study. The Diabetes Prevention Program Study taught medical science that we dont need to jump the gun when it comes to prescribing medications to prevent diabetes and that the most effective thing we can do is to promote a healthier diet and to promote them to engage in regular exercise. Reporter and meeting patients here in the kitchen, farmer says, is the best promotion. The idea that you can bring doctors and other Health Care Professionals into the kitchen to teach people that changing their diets can actually help them prevent disease, is starting to catch on. Inside this stone fortress is the Culinary Institute of americas napa valley campus. Here some 500 doctors and Health Professionals recently got a crash course in how to build food and nutrition into their medical practices. They spent four days sauteing, slicing and tasting. Its put on by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute and a few dozen Food Service Companies who sponsor the event. At this conference, we bring in some of the top nutrition scientists in the world to say look heres the evidence that eating these foods keeps you healthy or reduces your risk of disease, whereas eating these foods really speeds up your risk of Heart Disease cancer diabetes. Second the chefs at the Culinary Institute who are not just great chefs, but Great Teachers say let me show you how to do that. Reporter doctor David Eisenberg from harvards school of Public Health is master of ceremonies and founder of this event, its called healthy kitchens healthy lives. One thing hes trying to change may be surprising. Most doctors, he says, arent taught much at all about nutrition. Today most medical schools in the United States teach less than 25 hours a of nutrition in four years. The fact that less than 20 of medical schools have a single required course in nutrition its a scandal, its outrageous its obscene. Reporter primary care doctor Helen Delichatsios is speaking at the event. Shes been teaching her patients about nutrition and cooking for seven years now, at Massachusetts General Hospital in boston. Many people come to their doctor and have high Blood Pressure and high cholesterol. One somewhat easy answer is to send them away with one prescription for their Blood Pressure and one prescription for their diabetes, one prescription for their cholesterol when in reality if you work on the underlying root problem which may be poor diet and physical inactivity that fixing those may address all of the concerns at once. Reporter delichatsios has figured out how her practice can get reimbursed for all the cooking and nutrition instruction. And shes sharing this information with other doctors at the conference. Doctor joseph wetterhahns hospital just installed a teaching kitchen. Hes a primary care doctor in a rural area of upstate new york, this with the proper billing and coding so you can do this to break even. Reporter after attending this conference a few years back, sanjeet badwain was so inspired she convinced Yale Medical School to let her teach a new class called culinary medicine. Shes a primary care doctor at yales Medical Center in new haven connecticut. When dealing with medical school residents, i often felt that residents were ill equipped they would say to me, well i dont know that maybe we should send them to a nutritionist or uh would kind of give some really broad stroke Nutrition Information like off the cuff a lot of patients really come in just really desperate for like good information and good direction. Reporter eisenbergs vision goes way beyond just doctors in the office. If were going to build teaching kitchens in hospitals, maybe we should also think about building them in k12 schools, and why stop there how about corporate places and retirement communities. Reporter one of the largest Food Service Companies in the world is already on board. Compass group u. S. A. Runs Food Services at schools, Nursing Homes and corporate offices. Theyre planning to build 20 teaching kitchens this year. We have the polyphenols in grains that are going to lower pressure. Reporter back in gaithersburg, maryland, physician nicole farmer says one stumbling block for her patients can be cost. But she shows them that healthy choices arent necessarily more expensive. We got a whole bag of millet for less than two dollars, this contains about three to four servings about enough for three to four meals. Reporter so what about some of these others farrow for instance . So farro, farro will cost about the same as a good quality brown rice. Reporter farmer says you may have to shop around a little bit or go online to buy these grains, but they are available including in stores that accept snap benefits foods she introduces patients to can also over the last decade eisenberg says watched as this movement has started to take off. There are now hundreds of teaching kitchens across the country. I realized wed reached a tipping point, weve now got cleveland clinic, kaiser permanente, harvard, princeton and the university of texas and 20 other University Systems making this available to their trainees. Reporter im Allison Aubrey of npr news for the pbs newshour in napa valley, california. Woodruff if youre looking for healthy recipes, you can find five ideas at pbs. Org newshour. Woodruff finally tonight, our politics monday duo is here to unpack the aftermath of the republican Healthcare Plan passing the house, new concerns about possible conflicts of interest in the Trump White House, and former president obama speaks up about his signature legislation. For all that, tamara keith of npr and amy walter of the cook political report. And welcome to both of you. And before we talk about that, we are just literally in the last minute or two watching some new tweets from President Trump. Amy, he is essentially saying that todays hearing on capitol hill about the russia investigation, what the white house was told by the then acting attorney general, hes saying its all old news, that the fake news had to be disappointed. He is calling the entire investigation a hoax. He said when will this taxpayer funded charade end. I guess its not surprising. Its not surprising and the short answer for when it will end is not anytime soon. In fact, its more likely we are talking about tease issues well into 2018, and that is the reality of how much staff that the house and the senate still have to get to that they havent begun. The Sally Yates Story today did not produce any bomb shells, but that doesnt mean this is now going to go away in the near future. Future. Woodruff and the former assistant attorney general said its pretty clear the russians not only felt they were successful this time, they are going to keep trying in 2020. Yes, and that is why that sort of concern is why members of congress are going to keep investigating this, whether President Trump wants them to or not. President trump often takes these sorts of investigations or hearings as coming after him, where many members of congress see this as going for information and not necessarily trying to undermine him, but, of course, the resistance does see it as a chance towndz mine him. Woodruff it seems like a hundred years ago that the house of representatives finally unvoted to undo, at least to pass a replacement bill for obamacare. Theres already been ads run in congressional districts around the country for and against republican members depending on how they voted. Do we know whether this is a plus or minus politically for these house members . If youre sitting in one of these competitive congressional districts, you might think were already deep into the middle of a midterm election. The number of ads running now and will continue to run. Democrats believe this is a potent issue for them in the election, and they remember what it was like when they were on the other side. Thats the reason why think its going to be so powerful. Back in 2010, when they were the ones voting for a bill that was controversial, pushing it through on a party line only vote, they suffered the consequences. It was a toxic vote for them, they lost 63 seats that controlled the house. Democrats are convinced this will be that kind of issue for republicans. There is not a lot of polling out. One poll that came out today showed 31 of americans supporting it. Compare that to how americans feel wasnt the obamacare which is now at about 48 , so thats not great. The best news for republicans is that republicans are supportive of it, about 75 supportive of it, but the intensity on the other side, people who say they oppose it, are much higher. Woodruff we are months away from the midterms, its november of next year, tam, and you still dont know what the senate will do. The senate will take their time. They are waiting for the Congressional Budget Office to come back with a score of the house bill, thats something that the house didnt wait for. Theyre also saying theyre basically starting fresh and doing something on their own. There is a deadline here. The way theyre trying to do this is through this budget reconciliation process. Thats why they dont need any democratic votes in the snrat, but that turns into a pumpkin at the end of september. So there isnt much time, and there is a big challenge here. On the house side they need thread and need toll get the number of votes they needed, the to get the Freedom Caucus and the moderates to come along. The needle is different on the senate side they need to thread, and how they combine those things if the senate is able to get things done with a much tighter margin than they had in the house is unclear it was it is a different calculus in the senate. It is. Woodruff the thing to remember is no matter if we see the senate bill on the president s desk and it looks different than the one they voted on, they own that vote they cast the other week and all that went along wit. Thats why when we talked about these ads as a preview for 2018, for those people sitting in this district, what they are watching are images of a baby with a respirator, a pregnant woman whos looking distraught, talk about the fact that there are costs that are going to go up, seniors are going to pay more, preexisting conditions will exist, those ads will run throughout 2018, regardless of what the final bill looks like. Woodruff something completely separate i want to ask you both about and you have been doing reporting on this, the president s soninlaw Jared Kushner has separated himself from the family business, a successful real estate business. His sister was in china over the last few days talking about special treatment possibly for people seeking the eb5 visas. Its complicated but matters in terms of people looking at whether there is any conflict of interest here. Thats right and the Kushner Organization pol apologized fory misunderstanding or impression at the could be left that she was trying to use her brothers position. Jared kushner said he will not involve himself in these visas as theyre considered. This is a Controversial Visa Program for as little as 500,000, investors, foreign nationals, can invest in the project, a real estate project typically and get a visa that a gets them on the path to citizenship to become a citizen of the United States. Woodruff well, were only a little bit of time left here, but its just another case of what the Trump White House has to be on the lookout for. Yeah, right, and heres an opportunity, its a president who wants to push for Immigration Reform who could have talked about reforming this very issue. Woodruff politics monday. Thank you both. Im Judy Woodruff for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, and well see you soon. And thats the newshour for tonight. Im Judy Woodruff. Join us online and again here tomorrow evening. For all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by and by the alfred p. Sloan foundation. Supporting science, technology, and improved Economic Performance and Financial Literacy in the 21st century. Supported by the john d. And catherine t. Macarthur foundation. Committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. More information at macfound. Org and with the ongoing support of these institutions this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org