this is abc 7 news. kristen: you are watching getting answers. we are asking experts your questions every day to get answers for you in real time. today, we have the executive editor from cnet to break down why airlines are canceling your flights over 5g service. also, a supermodel is with spread a message of body positivity and self love. a lot going on in washington dc. the congressional battle over voting rights and president biden's to our press conference that just ended minutes ago.

it comes as problems from covid to inflation challenge america and frustrate americans. joining us is jackie spear. it's great to have you on. >> how are you? kristen: doing just great. today, president biden just wrapped up that news conference. he admitted he has not accomplished as much as he would've liked on social spending, voting rights, he calls himself an optimist. do you think he is optimistic? are you optimistic? >> can be saved. it needs to be fashioned differently in order to get the requisite number of votes in the senate. it's important to realize we have a razor thin majority in the senate. anyone senator can become king or queen because their vote is

so critical to passing legislation. we have seen affair of the amount of that from senator's mansion and cinema over the last few months. but, in terms of build back better, where we would provide childcare that was going to be no more than 7% of the income of any one family, where we would have universal pre-k, those elements could be saved. it's important to save them because we have seen 1.3 million women leave the workforce since covid, the lowest number of participation in the workforce since 1988. it's important to have the infrastructure bill which created one million jobs a year, that we have a jobs bill for women, that is what build back better is about. kristen: in terms of build back

better, the president talked about the potential of breaking the bill up into chunks. barring able to get some republicans or mansion to agree to filibuster changes, tell us how this could happen and which chunks are most necessary. >> we can do that and not be subject to the filibuster rule if we do it through reconciliation. the two components i mentioned in particular, both the universal pre-k for all kids in america, that means there will be about 20 million kids who are not in pre-k now who will be, it will be a huge benefit to them, and frankly to our economy over the long term. making sure the childcare is available to all families at a cost that would not exceed 7% of their income.

those two components can pass in reconciliation, and i do think there is a greater likelihood the two senators were jordan in that measure. kristen: some voters believe they elected president biden to right the ship, via caretaker, not to be transferred transformational -- he said he is not overreaching. today he said he is not bernie sanders. what do you think he means by that? >> d window is bernie sanders, he ran as a centrist. i believe he is a centrist. many of these issues deserve our attention. former president trump tried to get in to structure bill passed over and over again. he had infrastructure week and he would roll in semi's to try and make the case. never delivered. president biden did deliver.

in terms of some of the other issues, childcare, pre-k, our friends and allies in europe already have those programs. we are not breaking new ground. it would be a great benefit to families in the united states. i do think he is a centrist, and for the most part is ruling as a centrist. kristen: i want to talk about voting rights protection, a vote could come tonight, but it seems all but doomed. how would you explain to californians why we should be alarmed if no federal law is enacted because of what is happening in other states? >> california has a robus voting rights package in place. everyone can vote by mail, everyone in the state will get a ballot by mail that they can choose to vote or go to the polling place. what has happened across the

country, we have now had 35 states, 49 states to pass laws to restrict voting rights. 19 of the states passed 30 laws that will restrict. you won't be able to vote by mail, you can't be offered water if you stand in line. some states are empowering the secretary of state to actually overturn the results of an election, which can't possibly be constitutional, but these laws have been passed. the voting rights act has always been in existence to deal with what has been discrimination against black voters. we fed richard nixon and ronald reagan and george h bush, george w. bush all support and pass and sign those voting rights extensions, basically says in those states where there have been efforts to discrimination

against black voters, we will have these legislative totals reviewed by the department of justice before they can go into effect. that was overturned in 2013. we're are trying to write that wrong, and that is what is problematic. the probability is, do we want to make it easier to vote or harder? should we make election day a holiday? should everyone be able to get a ballot by mail? those are the kinds of questions that are being asked around the country. california is in good shape, everyone has the right to vote by mail and we have made it as easy as possible. kristen: inflation. americans are feeling squeezed.

what can the federal government do to help with that? >> we have to make sure the supply chain is moving. we did not see an ability to access toys we wanted, and the resources we needed for family dinners. but, the price of gas is very high in california. the price of food products, whether it's milk or eggs has gone up. we need to address that. i think the president is going to do everything he can to make sure that happens, certainly as it relates to gas, we have released our supply of gas to make more gas available so it would bring down the costs. again, saudi arabia and some of the big oil countries are restricting the distribution

right now. that is part of the problem as well. kristen: americans are tired of the pandemic. the latest surge is the last straw for a lot of people. people are confused by the mixed messaging coming out of the cdc and delayed tests and getting masks out to people. >> i am as tired as you are about this. i am very happy we are keeping our kids in school. they have lost a year of their education during covid, so that's really important. i think omicron appears to have reached its peak we recognize that this variant has crippled us, it has not gotten it all the way down. we are going to recover from

this. in terms of masks and home testing kits, they are now available. some argue it's coming late, but at least we will have them. we will have them if there is another variant. the masks are very important. kristen: are retiring if i am right, there are twice as many democrats as republicans not seeking office. do you think it is just time tie do you think among the veterans there is this sense that maybe there is a sense of frustration or fatigue with what american politics has become lately? >> the decision for every member

is different. i would continue in this job for another 10 years. i have a spouse that wants to spend more time with me. i am being responsive to that request after 20 years, i have decided it's time to come home. that does not mean i will not be involved in the knee, i intends to continue to be active, but i will do it from a different place. kristen: do you think bipartisanship is possible in america? >> i think it has to be. we're in a toxic environment right now. we have got to do our part in finding ways to work together. i am working closely with the ranking member to find ways we can work together as it relates to military personnel issues in the armed services. i am hopeful that my colleagues are doing the same.

kristen: we thank you for what you are doing, but what can we do as citizens? >> i think it's important to convey to the powers that be that we should find - is not where we should be fergus . it always takes compromise. it's important that not be a dirty word. perfect should not be the enemy of the good. sometimes that happens in the way we do business, and sometimes we pile a lot of issues into one bill when it would be better served if we took parts of them and try to. we have to talk to our colleagues. kristen: thank you so much, always a pleasure speaking with you. appreciate that inside. coming up next, 5g fears.

airlines are concerned about cell phone technology.

u.s. has caused major flight disruptions and cancellations, a showdown between airlines and cell phone carriers. airlines warned it could interfere with aircraft technology, making it unsafe to land. cell carriers, verizon and at&t have agreed to limit the service around some airports for now. it's very confusing. joining us is the executive editor and head of news cnet roger chang. thank you for your time.

what is 5g? it is like 4g, it's like cell service but faster and more capacity. the last couple of years, carriers are rolling out 5g networks. those networks have been even slower than 4g, but what they are turning on today is an upgraded version of this. you would actually be able to get it, but they run into interference with the airliners and airports. kristen: let's expand not more.

how does that technology interfere with the plane's instrumentation? i understand it has to do with radio waves, but give us a short explainer. >> essentially, the radio frequencies they are using sit at a frequency that is very close to the frequencies used by planes. to figure out what the height is. there is concern that because there basically right next to each other, there is a chance that they would interfere with each other. pirates are -- pilots would be unable to land planes. there is a lot of question about how big of a risk there actually is, because these concerned popped up late in the game. this has been tested for two years, and we are only

hearing from the airlines of the last two months. it's an interesting case, but carriers like verizon and at&t do not want to be blamed for flights being canceled, so they have agreed to delay the rollout around these airports. kristen: for how long? >> unclear. they basically deleted indefinitely. keep in mind, they have turned on the networks elsewhere. across the country, verizon has said 90 million people are covered. it's largely focused on the airports and credit areas around that. i am laughing with you, clearly a work from home situation, so i will try to wrap it up with you soon put other countries already have 5g, so it's not new. shouldn't the safety question be

resolved already? >> that's why there are questions about what it is the airlines want. there are countries including japan, just yesterday japan airlines canceled incoming lights into the usb as of this issue. there are a lot of questions about it, the emirates airlines ceo talked about how there is something about how the u.s. tunes their antennas that makes it a situation but to be perfectly frank, we have been trying to verify, the carriers have maintained the party line that the radiofrequency is safe and have been tested but there are concerns. >> i have to ask you, why are we just talking about this now? where was the discussion over the past few years?

this is not like a several year process. >> that's a fantastic que's a fa to your point, this has been around and tested. carriers spent $80 billion on this last year in high-profile auctions. there was a lot of time for the faa vocalize concerns. it's unusual they are coming so late in the game when the spectrum has been around, and we all knew the spectrum was going to be used for wireless service. kristen: unusual and frustrating. thank you so much, really appreciate your time, thank you. coming up, she paved the way for full figure models. now she has made it her life's

in. an important message for all of us. for decades, a supermodel has been a champion for self-esteem. she believes beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and she is joining us now to share her message of body positivity. >> so nice to say hello, good afternoon. kristen: you were the first plus size supermodel. oprah called to the godmother. for the young and watching, when did you get started? >> i got started about 30 years ago. my joined with ford models back in 1996, i was a revlon model in 1997, road folks and had some clothing lines and hosted tv shows. i have been doing this work for quite some time. it all revolves around positive body image and diversity,

inclusion, the array of beauty kristen: those concepts seemed normal now, but they were not when you were starting out. now we see so many different shapes and celebrities and models. do you think we have evolved far as a society? >> i am happy to see we have taken nice leaps and bounds forward. i am delighted to see more diversity on the runway. i am very happy to see in campaigns with a variety of women, it's very healthy for our society to be able to see ourselves reflected in the image of beauty that is out there. there is room for growth, and there are a lot of parents and caretakers, social media b, so

online there are a lot of filters, a lot of misconceived notions of beauty that we just have to keep our eyes open. kristen: it could lead to low self-esteem. if you have a teenager, you talk about kids, what your advice to parents? >> you model the behavior that your children will adopt, and the first thing i ask is please do not put a device into your three-year-old hands, they know exactly what to do. we don't want those neurons firing in such a way that they become addicted early on. and then try to take the device away when you want to put on your parameters. at a young age, no cell phones at the table, do not bring them into your bedroom.

if you have a charging station and do check it before you go to bed, some parents have to lock them, that is a sad state of affairs. kristen: we do those things in our household. i want to talk about the pandemic because it has led to changes in our bodies, one study found that calls to the national eating disorder association help on increased 40% during the pandemic area give us some tips on how we can manage those feelings, anxiety over our looks her health. >> right. instead of thinking about what is going wrong with our bodies, we have to realize we could not get outside and do the regular walking around, being active. for some who like to get out into nature, go on hikes, you could do that, but right here, right now, what can your body do for you now?

does it allow you to taste really good food? does it allow you to have this human life? it does. we can not be on the eating comfort food, thank god we had comfort food, but within reason. we need to have more fruits, vegetables and life-affirming keep us going and having our bodies work well. yes, you can have a few cookies, but not the whole box. kristen:

kristen: thank you so much for joining us. we will be here every weekday at 3:00 on air and on livestream

answering your questions. we will be back here tomorrow. stick around for world news tonight. tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. president biden holding a mrathon news conference. what he told the american people late today on covid in the u.s. and on inflation, what to expect. on voting rights, with the debate under way at the capitol tonight. also, the president's new promise for his second year. the breaking headline on what he's now willing to do on his domestic agenda. that major bill with universal pre-k, child care, climate. and his message on vladimir putin tonight already making global headlines. mary bruce at the white house, rachel scott on the hill, ian pannell in ukraine. tonight, the coronavirus. how to get those free at-home test kits. tens of millions of americans already ordering theirs. also, what dr. fauci said about children under 5 and vaccines.

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