tonight on kqed newsroom president trump visit california raising millions for his reelection bid and setting up a fight with the golden state over clean air standards. also goveor gavin newsom issues ad crackdown on use of vaping as dozens have fallen ill and two have rodied fm vaping. plus a look toalifornia opera singers who are chance under. evening transept good evening. we begin tonight prwith esident trump's visit to california earlier this week. on tuesday presidentrump kick off two days of fundraisers in california. he met with wealthy donors in

the bay area and southern california to raise millions republican national committee. but he also raise the ire of top state officials announcing his administration would revoke califoia's ability to set its own for field emission standards. since 1970, the epa has granted california a waiver to enforce aggressive air pollution standards that are today followed by 13 other states. threatened legal action and called the move quote a continuation of a political vendetta against california. with is now a senior research fellow from stanfo university michael warren. thank you for joining us. so, president trump, he doesn't come to california very often and what does he do while he's g-standing authority to a's determine its own fuel emission standards. and i think the big question coming out of this is can he this and how is he going to do this. >> i think it's a risky strategy thbut e are pieces of it, pieces of whatthe trump administration proposed that are

unlikely to acally result in enforceable regulations. there are pieces of it we could actually change what californ is and is not allowed to do. >> talk about the rationale from the trump administration about why this isneeded and also talk about the revocation. i think you're talking about those two parts of it. >> so, since the adnt of the clean air act because california has much more challenging air pollution problems that almost any other state in the country, we have ha special authority regulate emissions from cars and trucks. we have use that authority time tuter time, ly i think more than 100 times, to set more stringent rules about the air pollution coming out of tailpipes. about 10 ars ago we arted to expand that authority to include greenhouse gas emissions that are emitted by cars and trucks. and, one thing that trump is doing is saying that the

decision to allow that was sia erpretation of the clean airact. i think there will be a big fight in cothe ts about whether tathat reinterpon of the law is permissible are not. and i think we will have to see how it turns out. what trump is doing is revoking our current permission to have a stricter standard. we have set standards, actually twice, to limit tailpipe emco2 sions, greenhouse gas emissions, and trump has said that the current permitthat california has essentially to set its own rules for carbon dioxide has been revoked. and, the interesting question here is there is no permission to revoke this kind of special waiver in the clean air act. so, there is no controlling la and there is a lot of reliance,

the states and auto manufacturers have assumed that the rules of throad are the rules of the road and they haven't that's it accordingly and 13 other states have also relied on the standard that california ha set. so, that's a much more difficult case for the administration to make. i think it is a muchly risk your strategy. >> talk out that reliance. we have a sense of it because four big automakers signed on to california's tougher fuel emission standards. so, to some massive industry that is relying on this u and as say, several other governments at other partsof the nation. >> that's right. industry, the auto industry has ina plan years advance for new vehicles. and for the mix of products they have to sign them and . then build the factories to build them, and train and higher, hire and train the

people o will do that. it is a very long term product cycle. and, they need stable advance notice of what the rules are going toe for air pollution. because he's doing it, he is throwing that into the air right now so the auto industry is actually not supportive the steps that the administrations taking. that's a big change from a few years ago when the industry was trying negotiate for weakening of the standards knan you , if the industry has notice they might have a different view of what is happening but they are very ch pposed to kind of ripping up the permit. the states rely on the assumed úlevel of pollution coming out the rules for other types of

pollution sources. because they need to achieve healthy air under the clean air thact. so what also does is upset the plannin that states have done to achieve aiquality that iacceptable under the law. >> given all of this, it raises the question of why? why is trump administration doing this? they are claiming it will create safer cars and it will spur job growth but those two assertions have been o lack of a better word. and so, what do you think is motivating this move by the administration and motivating them to doit now? >> i think it is striking that regulated by thgovernment say e we like regulations, don't change them, and the government is changing them anyway you have to look for another i think the reality is that sft trmation in the auto sector that is occurring, the move towards electrification is

scaring big oil. and it is a ightening process prospect for oil companies. and the reasonable conclusion is that what peis hng with fuel economy standards has much more to do thwith protecting interests of companies that drill and produce oil and refined into gasoline than it does with protreting the ins of the car manufacturers. in terms of the claims about jobs, most major auto manufacturers need toroduce a product they can sell everywhere in the world. inorder to d be competitive profitable. the reality is that everywthre else in world, all the major markets, have fuel economy standards that are more stringent than the united states. and so this actually complicates tethe stes for most auto manufacturers because they have to figure out how to sell inefficient cars in the u.s. while theyalso produce cars for sale in europe and

china that are much more fuel- efficient. >> so, even though the political motivation may be, hey, i'm sending a few, oil industry, there are real consequences from taking this action i revoking the waiv. is or t? for example there were other car companies at were goin to sign onto california's tougher standards and maybe they will think that now. what kind of impact do you think this could have both on our greenhouse gad emission air pollution in california? >> i think there's no question that the standers that the atama administration nego with industry and the resources most important st've taken e in the united states to redu greenhouse gas emissions. but they are also saving consumers money. and the interesting coincidence of the attacks on saudi arab which caused a spike in global oil prices which united states is not shielded and consumers

stin the united es are not shielded with this action i think it is striking that we are energy indendent to the degree that we use less oil. not to the degree thod we e more. and -- so, i think the big impacts will be higher greenhouse gas omissions in ant u.s.also a struggle on the part of consumers to afford fuel for their vehicles. >> we will have to leave it there. thyok you. >> thankfor having me on. >> earlier this week state health officials confirmed that he met in tulare county has on died from complinked to the use of e-cigarettes. there are now two deaths and more than 80 potential cases of lungisease linked to ping in california. nation wide, hundreds of cases of illness linked to the use of

e-cigarettes and vaping products have been reported in 38 states according to the cdc. rnmeanwhile on monday go garrison out of the cracked out on vaping products in the state and a marketing campaign to cuci the use of rettes biting his. timing out to talk about this is kqed health reporter. and dr. erika pond, help alofficer for the eda county pubic health department. laura, i would like to start with you. the man who diedad -- his death was confirmed just this week but can you tell us about him? >> he was over b,40 and had had a history of vaping and being treated for lung illness for the past several weeks. and, he cowas the person to die in california. >> of ththe more 80 cases of lung damage in california,bu can you tell us about the cases in alameda county? i understand there were four cases of lung illness in alameda county. ose cases? arities among >> yes, across the state and the country we are using some criteria to define w calling cases. some of them -- all have been

hospitalized and have rays and some ve needed cks x- support whether it's oxygen or extra pressure and in extreme cases they have been intubated anin intensive care. they definitely have all had some use of vaping devices within the last 90 days. and st of thcases have reported either using thc or cbd in the devices. th >> is america -- that is anthe ingredient in mari that makes you hike essentially . >> exactly. >> are they honing on that thc products? >> it's been hard to determine the cause and there are still no conclusions within the state or nation my. there have been conference calls across the nation talking to pulmonologist another clinicians across the country characterize what are the commonalities and common exposures that we are all still stumped and trying to trying to get the vaping lso

cartridges of me of the cases and do different testing but there still hasn't been one thing that has come as a theme acffss all the ent cases. >> not even vitamin e oil. >> i thk that has been reported in some of the cases but not an every single one. >> if the state took some action this week what can you tell us about governor karen newsom's executive order? >> he outlined a few different things pick he wants toput at least $20 million into a campaign, an awareness campaign, targeted at youth so it will have digital tools and online media, social media tools, and he is hopi to ack down on counterfeit vaping devices. and put warnings in stores and on advertisements for the products.>> he also said he personally would love to go further and ban all flavored e-cigarettes from the state but that is not in his authority to do so. >> are flavored vapes more dangerous than tobacco or thc

vapes without the slightest? or are public health advocates using this moment, erika pond, when they y there isa great deal of concern about e- cigarettes to push for tanning flavored vapes. >> i think the issue we ar trying to address with flavored is that is a way to lower children to get children addicted early on. have seen that in alameda county one of our recent surveys that over 87% of you tobacco smokers had used a flavored uc tobacco pr they have products now that have mango, gummy bear flavors, and a is is way to get young youth addicted early on and be lifetime addiction. is not that thflavors are toxic, but it is a way that they are trying to attract young youth early. and -- >> you talked with teens to

babies is the flavors? what other forcesare there that you think are implementing or encouraging teen's to try this? >> i think it's like many le things that peare interested them and they are a teenager. it's a way to rebel but also it is fairly diive. so i mespoken to teenagers said they started because they believed it was healthier because a part some things about it, that is a healthy alternative to cigarettes, but it is stilan addictive product that has nicotine in it. so some of them have become addicted more easily than they l thought they >> one of the other things that really struck me in your survey , erika pond, was the fact that 70% of teen kids were saying they were getting e-cigarettes in stoeys even though can't buy them until they're 21? what does that tell you about how to approach a solution? >> there are a few different things we need to k . i thwhat we are seeing is have done a great job getting tobacco control to reduce the

use of traditional cigarettes overtime. only one and 20 have used traditional ciarettes but yet one in four have a vaped. so, i think dithere are erent issues of access but i think also increasing understanding that this is just as harmful. and we still don't know a lot as shown by all of the serious cases that wedon't know what toxins could be in these products and what is mousing th serious illness much less the long-term effects were still waiting to see. >> today we heard that walmart was going to stop selling e- cigarettes. how big of isa move this from a public health standpoint? do you think other retailers will follow suit? >> i think it's a great move and considering the reach of an walmart. anything we can do to decrease access and as you just mentioned since so many you can get it in regular stores, anythi can do to decrease access and decrease appeal to the youth will help us get our rates >>down.

why are these cases showing up now? i mean, people have been using e-cigarettes for years. why suddenly this surge of cases of lung damage and death? >> that's a great question that we are all ratching our head together and trying to figure out. i think even as we see in the last few months, and the number of cases that are being reported, some of them, e people -- the youth are smoking and their parents and clinicians are just now kind of putting two and two together and some of the first cases reported in alameda county were ill in the hospital over a month ago but then once people were hearing the news and putting two and two together this may have been going on longer and not reported in the same way. pudeic health just us -- ind there may ed be some new toxin or contaminant out there that we haven't yet identified that is causing the >> in the meantime, laura, public health officials, the cdc, they are calling this an

ongoing epidemic. does that mean we will still see a lot more cases of this? and even more deaths? >> it probably does. the cdc has said that she mo anticipate death because there are people who are th grappling with illness right now who might extech -- mie. that total is eight people around the country and it could increase. >> the four cases i mentioned, that have en reported by alameda county, is that the latest number? erika pond? >> it is. but again, i think this is underreported. i think we are all scratching the surfaceof people coming in who might be treated for pneumonia and they got treated with antibiotics, and then they are not getting tter. there is probably a spectrum of illness were not sure of yet. so -- >> for those who babe what would you recommend they do? what symptoms should they be on the lookout for? >> as far as symptoms, would say any kind of difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, a lot of people have actually

presented with more chronic mptoms, tiredness, i even heard a few cases of weight loss over a w weeks or months, and the spectrum has been some people with symptoms only for a few days versus weeks or months. so, again, i think we don't know what's causing this right now and if you can stop vaping we would stop now and certainly not start now peo people to avoid it. >> dr. pond, dr. erika pond, ura climates, thank you both. >> being an opera singis tough enough it is to try making it as an opera singer who also happens to enbe trr. these classical vocalists are blazing new trails in opera. 20 now is the producer of a documentary and a transgender opera singer.

welcome to you both. in 2015, you gave the first transgender vocalists to sing the national anthem at the a's game. let's hear out that first. >> she is her early 30s and starting to hit her stride as a singer. in 2015 she became the first trans-vocalists to sing the national anthem at a t.professional sports ev ♪ oh say can you see e by dawn's early light ♪ >> what was thatkeexperience knowing you are making history? >> it was exciting, it was very powerful. a lot of my friends were in the audience, and there were a lot of feelings, anxiety,

excitement, and i knew at that moment that it was special moment and i'm grateful that they asked to perform it. >> now you are blazing trails in opera. which hard enough to break into as it is. do you give us a sense of what you learned about what it takes to make it in th opera? well, as you said, it's an extremely hard industry and it's not diverse at all. n especially w comes to gender and race and other things like that. so, it's very, very hard for anyone to break inhat -- there are a couple singer starting to ma it to the upper edge lines echelons.

>> so she is a e baritone and maintained her sound when she made the transition. >> she did. >> breanna i want to get into your personal story. even before you try to break into opera you are at a life challenges. that was full of talk what it was like for you early on when your father did not accept your sexuality. >> so, it was very difficult. my youth was very difficult. my father did not agree with me associating myself with the arts and me being an aist was a result of being gay and was very hard. he abused me plenty of times because he felt as if me being an artist was totally out of line with his beliefs as a

pastor. >> what's incredible it was a part of you that knew deep inside that you had a voice >> yeah, a trans activist and journalist said something very poignant and she said that when she discovered who was at the age of 5, that was my first conviction ticket sounds clichcbut at the age of 5 my mind and my body did not fit so i had to deal with th mental struggle that even my family didn't undersernd. and my fadid not understand. so i think what i try to assert myself i think my father pushed back, you know, and he would beat me a lot because he felt as if he couldbeat the gay away but it was the gay issue was a gender issue that the

world has to understand the difference between sexuality and gender. obviously the gender issue. >> what did you decide to beginr your physicasition? >> i decided at 19. it was a monumental moment because mei a trans mail at my college and i did not know that he was trs until we had a conversation at a college party so he introduced me to his doctor and then i started my transition from there. it was an intense process, lots of erapy, fortunately i went to a sct ol that therapand teacher supported me. but, the boys department had an issue with that and i remember when i decided that i was going to sing soprano my teacher said

no, you can't do tha. and i said yes, i will do that. i do not fit lethis w tenor prasanna or visual that they want me to be. that was something i had to fight with. and, i had so manyos friends who pushed me and actually push the teachers allow me to be who i am. i'm thankful for the support. >> there are also hormones associated with the transition. estrogen doesn't change the boys. -- change the voice. >> one of inthe things my documentary was the go to soprano, the glorious voice,

and at the age of 50 i made the difficult decision to begin t takitosterone knowing that it could ruin his career. it was huge risk. he did it and continued and he also courageously documented the process. so, you can actually hear his voice changing in my documentary. through this process he did risk his career as a professional opera singer. >> you mentioned early on ittha diveis an issue 50s that changing weather it be more transgender singers en african-american, latino or asian? >> it is starting to happen a little bit more. we recently had --

>> breanna sinclair, tell us where we can see and hear u next? the palm ring awards and also i make my debut in parts of canada. and it is about nithe hution of folks in a corrupt goved ment. i'm excito play in the opera. ú>> congratulations. and thank you for sharing your story. >> thank you. >> that will it for us. you can hear the documentary on transgender opera singers --

thank you for ining us.

♪[music] m ukraine to iran. the's preside handling of foreign policy has washingtonn edge. i'm robert costa. welcome to "washington week." questions and a confrontation with congress over a whistle-blower complaint. what did president trump say in a hone call a foreign leader? >> i had conversations with many leaders that are alway apopriate. it's just another political hack job. >> the complaint is reportedly about ukraine, which has clashed with russia, and sought u.s. aid. frustrated democrats speak out. >> we can't get a answer because the department of justice and the director of national intelligence will not authorize the i.g. to tell u >> and president trump considers his options on iran following an attack o