>> this is abc 7 news. kristen: hi. i am kristen sze. you are watching getting answers. we ask experts your questions to get answers in real-time. today, san francisco's new district attorney already taking a sharp turn from her predecessor. brooke jenkins signals support of a police plan to crackdown on crime by expanding live surveillance. our media partner the san francisco standard will be joining us with details. also, things are looking better for the ancient sequoia trees that firefighters are desperately trying to preserve in yosemite. we will talk with the yosemite conservancy about why you should really care about mariposa.

first, another bombshell hearing held by the house january 6 celeste committee. then-president trump wanted to lead supporters in a march to the capital but wanted it to look spontaneous rather than planned. >> trump sent out the tweet with his explosive invitation. trump repeated his big lie and claimed it was quote, specifically impossible to -- statistically impossible to have lost the election, before calling for a big protest in d.c. on january 6. be there. will be wild. kristen: tha member congressman jamie raskin. joining us live to share the biggest takeaways from today is the associate director of research at stanford center on democracy, development, and the rule of law. thank you for joining us. guest: thank you so much. kristen: so if each hearing

tells a story, what was the big story told today? guest: the big story told today was part of the committee's ongoing attempt to tie president trump directly to the events of january 6. so while in the past they have shown how he had a pressure campaign and a public campaign towards public officials and elected officials to try and overturn the results of the election, today really showed that when he ran out of legal options, he marginalized his own legal staff in the white house and relied on a team of quote-unquote crazies, and incited mob violence through social media channels and through his known associates, including groups like the proud boys and the oath keepers, to march on the capitol on january 6 and storm the capitol when the election was being certified. kristen: let's zoom in a little on stuff you just said. did the committee actually produce a smoking gun today? do they have evidence that

showed trump sent that violent mob? guest: they had many tweets, for example, showing that he had planned something big or january 6. -- big on january 6. she remembers rudy giuliani told her something really big is happening. today they indicated staffers had told president trump that there was violence attached to these groups, that they were coming to washington, that he could hear them from his office, and he seemed very pleased by. so it shows he had knowledge of their intent and he felt very excited about the possibility of the organized militias being in town the day of the election certification. kristen: was there also a draft tweet that was not ever sent? guest: there was a draft tweet that was with the national archives about a plan to march to the capitol. he also, there was a lot of

back-and-forth about the way he revised his speech the morning of january 6 at the national mall, indicating that his staff were reluctant for him to send the tweet, they were reluctant for him to amend his speech in ways that identified mike pence, or called on people to march to the capitol, but at the last minute he inserted that language. kristen: you also talked a little bit about the crazies, if you will, that is a where they used, in that there were outside advisors that more and more got trump's ear as opposed to the white house officials, the white house counsel. talk about that tug-of-war. guest: so, i think that the most frightening aspect of these hearings has been trying to eliminate -- to delineate what is a coup attempt look like. what we are seeing is when you have legitimate political advisors were white house insiders repeatedly telling the president he has lost the

election, that he really has no fair claim of fraud, seeing that he has turned into a different group of people who are trying to find extrajudicial ways to overturn the results of the election. that is what we heard today, he wanted to bring the lawyer sidney potter on board, rudy giuliani was on board, john eastman, who created a legal quote-unquote theory about mike thence's ability to overturn the election. they wanted to pressure election officials to provide alternate slates of electors. these are things that have never been done before in u.s. history, and they increasingly were able to influence president trump in his ideas about his ability to overturn the election results. kristen: some of this evidence presented in the testimony of white house counsel pat cipollone, who was mentioned frequently in the hutchinson hearing. we heard today from, for the first time, from a defendant, someone who was charged with taking part in the riot.

why is that important? guest: it was the first time that the committee heard from people who were responsible for some of the violence. president trump has maintained that he did not have anything to do with the mob. what we heard today from a former oath keeper as well as an individual who traveled to d.c. january 6 is they acted in accordance with what they saw to be a call from the president to go on january 6 on the with weapons and organized online with groups like the proud boys and the oath keepers across different kinds of groups as well. some conspiracy theorists who are followers of qanon. roger stone and michael flynn both had oath keepers and proud boys by their sides acting as security guards. so it really showed that there was a very organized campaign among these different groups and the two individuals who testify

today said that president trump was at the top of that organization. kristen: so what is next? we have had a bunch of these hearings already. guest: we have had seven. there is one more next week that is supposed to talk about what happened in the aftermath of the violence. on january 6, once the capitol had been stormed, president trump had plenty of options as president to deploy different kinds of forces to quell the violence. he could have made a statement to try and stop the violence earlier. so the committee is going to get into what he did do, and more importantly, what he did not do, and how he might be legally culpable. then the committee will issue a final report in the fall. kristen: these hearings have sought to send an unmistakable message that our democracy was under attack january 6, that we almost lost it. looking at the big picture, do you think we can still lose it? guest: i think that one thing that has been made very clear as

these committeemen hearings are happening, we also have riemer elections happening not just for midterm congressional races but state-level offices, like lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. these are not offices he would necessarily pay a lot of attention to but some are running, campaigning on the big lie. so what we have heard from the oath keeper today is that these elections, election integrity, election legitimacy, is something you have to work to maintain, that we cannot allow our institutions to be co-opted or manipulated bipartisan elected officials, or worse, by extremists or people with authoritarian inclinations. so, the first thing to do is to hold people responsible and accountable for the day of january 6, but also to try and restore democracy at the state and national level by

remembering that our democratic principles rely on free and fair elections and a peaceful transfer of power. kristen: so what i am hearing is yes, we could still lose it, if the things we need to do are not done. guest: that is right. it's slow sometimes for public sentiment to change, but one result of the hearing will probably be a much more unambiguous relationship between president trump and the actions that were taken in the fall, in november, december 2020, and the day of january 6, to overturn an election result. after that it will be very difficult for the republican party to nominate donald trump for president in 2024, and it will place pressure on future elected officials who campaigned on similar issues to explain why they would not contest an election, why they would not do the exact same thing if they lost. these are the kind of democratic agreements that we need to be able to get from people who are

running for public office. kristen: all right. didi, thank you so much for your insight. we'll be right back. san francisco's new da visits the city's most troubled neighborhood with promises. - you okay? - there's a flex alert today so i'm mentally preparing for the power outage. oh, well we can help stop one because we are going to reduce our energy use from 4-9pm. what now? i stepped on a plug. oh that's my bad! unplugging. when it comes to preventing outages the power is ours.

appointed district attorney is moving to tackle the issue of rampant drug use on city streets. brooke jenkins is meeting with residents of the tenderloin today and promising action. >> the tenderloin and the open air drug markets are one of my top priorities, and will be one of the top priorities of the san francisco district attorney's office. and i am committed to them, just

like i did the entire city, to making sure that we end these open air drug markets and clear the streets so the kids and people who live here and go about their daily lives without being scared. kristen: so there is that, and our media partners of the san francisco standard also have a story on their website about jenkins' first big policy move, backing a plan to expand live video surveillance. joining us live is a reporter from the standard. good to see you again. guest: thanks for having me. kristen: you didn't in-depth interview with the new da after she was appointed. what did she say are her priorities? guest: right now, she has not really laid out a lot. her priorities are tackling drug dealing in the tenderloin and also making sure that people are held accountable for anti-asian hate crimes. so she has signaled what direction she is going in but in terms of strategies she has not told us a lot yet. kristen: so we will see, but she

did go to the tenderloin today, that's an area plagued by problems including drug use and open-air drug markets. what does cracking down mean to her? what concrete action did she say she was going to do today? guest: it is a good question, and we still don't really know yet. i have asked for that question certainly before. what she has said is she is going to work more closely than her predecessor, jc booting, with police and other city agencies. she also has asked her staff to compile all of the open drug plea offers that are still pending. presumably to review them and determine whether or not to revoke any of those proposals that were issued under boudin. kristen: so she is also throwing her support on a plan. the mayor and police want to tap into home cameras.

so many people have them now. to see in real time some situations to help stop crime. explain this particular proposal? guest: this is a postal that has really developed over months of debate between the mayor and supervisor aaron peskin. what this proposal would do would be to enshrine the live surveillance that police already view in san francisco. they would take it a step further by allowing the police department to live monitor privately owned cameras when there is an active misdemeanor or felony. so police want to be able to do this with the mayor's support because they say it will help them fight drug dealing and also other issues that are facing the city. kristen: is the da's office support critical in getting this greenlighted and moving forward? i assume her predecessor said no

to this. guest: so, jenkins on monday, this was her first substantiative policy proposal. she submitted a letter to the supervisor urging the board of supervisors to adopt this proposal. so this is really the first time we have seen her come out and say something that is really substantial. kristen: of course civil liberty groups are vocal and they have strong privacy concerns so we will see if they are able to ameliorate them in the days ahead. but i want to know what you think, because the fact this is even being considered, does that say something about the level of patience people have left for crime? guest: yeah, i mean, civil liberties groups are definitely concerned about this, and they actually filed a lawsuit previously and were unsuccessful in convincing a judge that the use of live surveillance by police was illegal and violated

local law. so we will see. kristen: look, she has used crime stats to hammer boudin during the recall process. does she feel she should be judged by the numbers as well? guest: it is a good question. she has been really focusing on is number one, messaging. so, saying that as prosecutor, she is going to hold people accountable. i think what she is getting at is that could have a deterring effect. in terms of how she should be judged, she is also really going off of how people feel about crime. so if people are feeling safer, then i think she believes she will have been successful. she was really hammering boudin not necessarily on the crime stats but a general sense that san francisco is becoming unsafe right now. crime actually dropped at the beginning of the pandemic under boudin. it did start going up over his tenure, but depending on what crimes you looked at.

it was an increase over the pandemic lows. kristen: which mirrored a lot of the other big series -- big city experiences as well. how much time does she have to produce results? november is when there'll be an election for the office. will she run? will boudin run? guest: presumably brooke jenkins will run, she has indicated she will. it is unclear right now if boudin will run. he hasn't said one way or the other. we do know he has had a lot of life changes recently. he is a new father, he was just married when he got his job. and some other things have happened, so he may just choose to take time for himself, or he could run this november or potentially run down the line. if jenkins runs and wins in november, she will have to run again just a year later, because she is only completing boudin's term he won in 2019.

kristen: that is a lot of going to the polls for voters. you can check out more of the san francisco standard's reporting on their website, s.f. standard.com. we will bring you more segments featuring their city-focused journalism. coming up in our 4:00 newscast, team coverage on the city's handling of its growing drug problems on the street, including more of da jenkins' meeting today with residents of the tenderloin. and we will be right back with a conversation about the wildfire situation in yosemite and how it ma

kristen: the washburn fire burning inside yosemite national park is putting so much at risk, including a historic and iconic grove of about 500 giant sequoias known as the mariposa grove. joining us live is frank dean, president and ceo of the yosemite conservancy, a

nonprofit that raises funds to preserve and protect yosemite. thank you so much for your time. guest: happy to be here. kristen: this is one of the biggest attractions in yosemite. it has been 20 years since i visited it i remember it was otherworldly and beautiful. and we need it to be unscathed. so what is the latest? i hear the grove is in a safer position now. guest: it is. the washburn fire started july 7 and it started right on the edge of the grove. unfortunately the winds blew it north almost immediately away from the grove. so the grove has largely been spared. there are a few large trees that were partially burned but we do not think they will die. the flames were not as high as the crowns of the trees, so i think we are in good shape, at least the mariposa grove. kristen: we tend to hear more about redwood trees here in northern california, but we should be just as proud as these sequoias. tells about how this growth came to be. guest: there are 500 large,

iconic sequoia trees in the mariposa grove. the significance is the trees are obviously beautiful, but they are so unusual that in 1864, president lincoln signed a law that created the mariposa grove act that preserved the grove for all time. it was the first time in world history that a tract of land was preserved for the common good. yosemite valley was also preserved in that act. these are spectacular trees, and they are the largest living organisms on earth. kristen: how big do they get? guest: well, they can be 100 feet around. if you were to have several people trying hold their hands and go around, you would probably need about 30 people to circle the tree. they can go about 250 feet high.

they can also live as long as 3000 years. kristen: wow. how old are these ones in mariposa grove? guest: there are a few trees over 2000 years old. there are some amusing specimens, including the grisly giant, one of the largest trees in the park. it is a spectacular tree. and i think that tree is 2000 years old. kristen: how resilient are they? they can take some fire, and i am in fact -- and in fact you always hear fire as part of the process of the circle of life, if you will, in the forest. guest: lisa sequoias have evolved over -- the sequoias have evolved over eons to be resistant to fire. their bark is one foot thick, so they are resistant to fire. they also have a lot of tannin inside the tree that helps repel insects. i used to say, these trees are

too big to fail, but in recent years with climate change, we're starting to become more concerned about them being more vulnerable. kristen: let's talk about the many threats they face today. i know that they need the sierra snowpack and i know that is being chipped away. but talk about why they are being threatened and why we really need them, especially now. guest: with the drought that has been going on for several years in the sierra, that is less snow and less water for the trees. it also weakens the trees so they are not able to repel insects as easily. they actually use water to push insects away. it is sort of how they work. they are just using all the water to survive. that is why they are vulnerable. there is a bark beetle that has been attracting -- attacking the trees at the very top which is

never been seen in recorded history. so they are vulnerable right now. kristen: why do we need them so much? what do they do for us and our earth? guest: they store a lot of carbon, which is helpful for climate change. but also the trees are just so inspiring. they are beautiful, they make us think we on ourselves and our immediate issues and problems. yosemite is such an inspiring place and the sequoias are a big part of that and why we want to preserve them as much as we can. kristen: your group just completed a massive restoration at the grove a few years ago. i understand it was $40 million. what was done? guest: we partnered with the national park service and we removed all the development from the mariposa grove, including roads and culverts and things like that, improve the drainage across the shallow roots of the trees. the idea was to improve the health of the trees but also create a different experience.

instead of having a parking lot among the trees, you board a shuttle bus and it takes you there and you walk among the trees in a more peaceful way. that was our largest project to date and in partnership with the national park service. so we're committed to these trees and we want to make sure this grove survives and continues to inspire americans going forward. kristen: they are amazing. for folks who want to learn more, visit yosemite.org. getting answers continues in a moment, but first, you can get more with our abc 7 streaming tv app any time available on apple tv, android tv, fire

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kristen: t tonight, breaking news in new york city. the deadly accident on the hudson. the boat sinking. a child among the dead. also, the chilling images just made public tonight from inside the uvalde school. what those images reveal. and the the explosive claime today at the january 6th hearing. the bomb shell allegation in front of the american people against former president trump. congresswoman liz cheney suggesting the former president allegedly reached out to a witness that the american people have not hear from yet. she said the committee reporting it to the department of justice. and tonight here, for the first time, the american people hearing testimony from former trump white house counsel pat cipollone, describie ing an unhinged meeting inside the white house. the extreme ideas proposed for trump to hold onto power.