>> moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc7 news. kristen: you are watching "getting answers." we asked experts your questions to get answers for you in real time. we talked to the former prime minister of haiti as the country faces a margaret crisis, natural disasters on top of the pandemic. how this impacts the u.s.. a local school district is facing staffing issues that is leading to other problems including no breakfasts for the students. we begin with breaking news. >> this east bay car chase going the wrong way on interstate 80 in berkeley started with a robbery report in hercules.

the driver sped into berkeley, eventually going the wrong way on 5-80. the car is driving in circles on the freeway, hitting at least two other cars. the driver got off the freeway in oakland and drove into emeryville on city streets. the driver and the two passengers started running. one woman was caught near the embedded vehicle, one man surrendered as he was soon on someone's balcony. our new screw at the scene was there as police searched the abandoned car and found backs of cash in the trunk and the backseat. -- bags of c of c o the backseat. before 2:00, chasing a car on highway 24 in berkeley through the tunnel. the car matched the one that was reported stolen and it was used in three laptop and cell phone robberies last night.

police spotted it this afternoon and followed it onto 24. the driver stopped on the freeway past the tunnel and he and his three passengers came out with their hands up. this is shutting down the freeway for a little while and made traffic into the county a mess. we get word that it is getting better now. once again, we have the latest on these two situations on news at 4:00. an infrastructure abortion bill, a lot is happening these days. congresswoman, has been congresswoman spear, i know he has been a busy day. washington has been facing several big problems. let us start with the economic calamity. the u.s. may run out of money and not be able to pay its debts. unless congress raises the debt

ceiling. that is greek to most people. explain what that actually means. >> there's only three countries in the entire world that has a debt ceiling. the united states, poland, and denmark. it is and can stick almost -- it is anacon the republicans 20 in a bipartisan fashion seven times in the past seven years -- joined in a bipartisan faction in the past seven years. they decided they do not want to pay their debts. this is like dine and --, we already incurred these debts. only 3% of the debt has been occurred during president biden's terms. 97% has been incurred in previous administrations. 7 trillion in the tru

administration. there is no reason except they want to sabotage president biden. kristen: saying how in the past the parties have come together, i know to a typical person if i go to a restaurant and order something or i buy a house and i do not pay. i could lose the house. what could happen if america stops paying its debts? >> we default, the stock market will careen. people would lose their jobs. you will have social security recipients not receiving their checks. this is serious business. it is a game that is being played by my colleagues that is very destructive. most of their special interestss

are clamoring for them to do the right thing here. is grossly irresponsible. kristen: what is the deadline? >> october 18 is when the debt limit reach its saturation point. the country would come to a screeching halt. kristen: we have two more weeks. i want to talk about president biden's agenda. he had to cancel a trip to chicago in order to stay in washington and work with the different factions to get an infrastructure past. -- bill passed. are you losing hope? >> i am not optimistic. we have an infrastructure package that will generate 2 million jobs over the next 10 years. the percent of them will go to men. we have another infrastructure

bill that includes parental leave, childcare, the potential for generating 3 million jobs for women. we see the lowest per dissipation of women in the workforce since 1988 due to covid and lack of childcare. both have to pass. can we get joe manchin and kyrsten sinema to come along? it appears that they are not willing to do so. kristen: we will see what happens here. i know you're busy with the pentagon officials including joint chiefs of staff. testified before you and the armed services committee. he has acknowledged that he and others had advised president biden to keep of hundred -- to keep 2500 troops in afghanistan.

you think president biden made a strategic error in not keeping the troops there? >> there is no way we could have kept troops there unless the taliban agreed to it. they had not agreed to it. ideally, to leave troops there if we were working with a combination of the afghan military and the taliban. press trump -- pres -- pres -- negotiated only with the taliban, he said the deadline, that was back in february of 2020. he said everybody out by may 1. we were able to negotiate a couple more months, it was important to end this war. i want to turn to something that i noticed you were passionate about. when texas passed the most rigid of abortion law, banning it at six weeks of the station.

you gave an impassioned speech on the house floor. saying that congress needs to pass legislation that protects women's rights to choose. can you share your story with us? >> the reason why it is so personal is i had a second trimester abortion. a fetus was carrying dropped through the cervix into the regina. i was not going to retain it. to divert percent of the women in this country, one in four women will have an abortion. for our colleagues to suggest that that they have the right to tell me how i should interact with my physician on medical decisions. they don't want to wear a mask on the house floor. it says it all. it is, they want to be able to inject their's firm into --

their they call a woman. they are birth, not pro-life. it is the complication of roe v. wade which denies viability of -- defines viability of a fetus at 24 weeks. it is in question. it is important for us to codify what has been president in this country for nearly 50 years. kristen: i know it has been busy for you, thank you for talking with us today. >> great to be with you. kristen: we will talk with a former prime minister of haiti as that country deals with several crises and they are impacting us in the u.s.. we will take a short break on the air.

margaret's escaping poverty, natural disasters, flooding the border, seeking asylum. it has been a challenge. joining us now is the former prime minister and the longest serving prime minister of haiti. thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. kristen: i understand you are living in miami. where are we seeing the flood of migrants now? i know there has been things that have happened to haiti in the past years. >> haiti has had the distinct disadvantage of having one of the worst possible look in the

past 10 years. had two major earthquakes, over 220% of our gdp destroyed. we have 250,000 people dying. the last one destroyed 80,000 homes. our president was assassinated which created a complete chaotic situation. the people are either very difficult -- are in a difficult stage right now. it is not clear when elections are going to be held to have a new democraticly elected government and have a partner. this tuition is dire. -- the situation is dire. kristen: the elections have been pushed to next year? still unclear? >> yes. kristen: that is partially driving the panic and need to leave.

many are coming from central america where they have been for a few years. what is happening there that they feel the need to pick up and try to come to the u.s. now? has there been policy change their? -- there? >> there was a rush in chile an brazil. there was a change of government in july -- chile. the president actually made changes to the immigration law. jobs dried up for haitians living in the limbo. many of them went to brazil. there is a lot of issues with jobs in brazil. they are economic r seeking better jobs and lives for their family. with a new administration in the u.s., there has been a lot of

information, misinformation, about their likelihood of them getting the possibility of entering the u.s. to get jobs. that is the message, wege, wege, about 200,000 patients between july -- chile and brazil. if something is not done in haiti to make it more it is going to be a problem that is ongoing. kristen: before we get to what holistic solutions might hate -- help haiti, i am sure you have seen the images of border patrol. customs on horseback, some who describe their tactics as aggressive when confronting the migrants. did you look at it that way? what is your view on how the u.s. at the border is dealing

with the migrants? >> i thought it uncalled for. and really heartbreaking to see. they are human beings. they were not aggressive, there were just crossing the border. they going back to mexico. they went back to get food for their children that were needing food. we saw a patrol ag saw a p whips and treating these haitians like animals. this is completely unacceptable. kristen: you think americans view patient migrants -- haitian migrants through a different lens then from other countries? >> the u.s. is a country thattrt receives immigrants.

it has a long history of receiving immigrants. there is a large haitian community. there has been at the debate on u.s. policy towards haitians. there has been some would favor better living conditions and better immigration status for haitians living in the u.s.. it is a general climate of anti-immigration, worldwide and in the u.s. as well. that ultimately should be viewed as people coming to seek a better life. i understand that for this event, i think the policy should be to invest in the country of origin's to discourage people from making this hazardous trip and risking their lives and the lives of their children. kristen: are you happy with who

has been allowed to stay in the sense, 4000 have been sent back. thousands, do not know how many, some have been allowed to stay. mostly families as opposed to single people. do think that is the right decision? >> it is a humane decision. one that shows thatt incidence in the border were taken that way. they were not taken lightly and measures have been taken. i have seen statements from the administration officials saying that they would rectify and condemn the whipping of our brothers and sisters. this is a step in the right direction. kristen: i want to explore what you meant by investment in the infrastructure of haiti. to get to the problem at the root. so that they have a reason to stay. what kind of investments? >> the last earthquake destroyed

80,000 homes. 80,000 families are sitting on the streets and have little to look forward for a better tomorrow. those families look for have larry little to look for. -- they have very little to look for. this has almost $1 billion of damage in haiti alone. it will not be able to face such a incredible -- an incredible amount of funds needed to build back. there needs to be a change of paradigm when you look at international development aid. everything goes to the humanitarian assistance. short term, nothing to help the

people rebuild. what happens is after a few months, they feel that their only solution is to leave the country and to seek a life elsewhere. if you invest, if you help rebuild, if there is coalition, you do not have a pressure on max -- you do not have this pressure on mass exodus. kristen: the ngo money is drying up as well and becoming spotty. it is not a permanent solution. what about the democratic infrastructure? is there any way that the international can -- community can stabilize that? >> there was a president. that also adds to and pressures on the ground. it creates a sentiment of this

despair but there is going to be no tomorrow for haitians. there needs to be answers. that is what i call for apia international commission of inquiry to get to the bottom of it. -- an international commission of inquiry to get to the bottom of it. there is a room with 12 bullets and there is a lot of finger-pointing. there needs to be a credible international body that takes this and gets to the bottom of this. for haitians to feel that people have their back. kristen: my apologies, thank you we are time. -- for your time. they talk from someone from a local school hey, i just got a text from my sister. you remember rick, her neighbor? sure, he's the 76-year-old guy who still runs marathons, right?

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it is having a cascade effect. joining us is dana, board director, president of the san francisco vice school district board of trustees. >> thank you for having me. kristen: staffing shortages are pretty common. in your district, that has led to the loss of breakfast? >> it is not an ideal situation. as you mentioned, meniscal district in california and throughout the state are facing staffing shortages. we are seeing shortages in many areas. within our nutrition services program, the shortage has been so severe that we have had to temporarily suspend serving breakfast at our middle school and high schools. we are offering second chance breakfasts as well as fist at several of our elementary school sites.

-- breakfasts at our our our school sites. kristen: isn't that breakfast now mandated by the legislature? as is the free lunch? >> we are still the free meals when it comes to lunch. any student who is interested in taking a meal may have access to it. in terms of breakfast, we are working, i have watched our human resources work harder than ever and pull out creative avenues in order to address the staffing needs so that we can re-permit the breakfast program -- re-implement the breakfast program. kristen: why are people not applying for jobs if that is what it is? >> at this time, there is a variety of reasons.

we have faced shortages when it comes to professionals and districts have utilized many avenues. hiring and partnering with contract agencies in bringing in agency hires. there are not agency hires for classified employees. while we have not been able to shield our students from the shortage and our nutrition services program is easily. there are many concerns. concerns amongst the public when it comes to applying for school districts. some people are concerned about returning to work and working in person. that makes it challenging. our human resources department is casting a wider net when it comes to outreach. going so far as to sent recruiting parents, talking to

pta organizations, working with our adult transition program. we have students who are working in our adult positions program in our nutrition services program. we are working hard to ensure that we are staffed enough in order to make sure that every student has access to breakfast. students are hungry, they have trouble learning and focusing. kristen: studies do show and confirm that. we will take a

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tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. the meeting at the white house just a short time ago. president biden and top democratic leaders and their urgent efforts to save his agenda. will the house still vote tomorrow on that $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal already passed in the senate? money for roads, bridges, broadband, clean water. nancy pelosi and chuck schumer leaving the white house just moments ago. with progressives saying they won't support that bipartisan bill unless there's movement on the larger human infrastructure bill, expanding health care, child care, early education, fighting climate change. moments ago, speaker pelosi was asked, will there be a vote tomorrow? and how she answered. rachel scott live on the hill. news on the pandemic tonight. the cdc issuing a new and urgent