>> building a better bay area. moving forward. finding solutions. this is abc7 news. ♪ kristen: hi there. i'm kristen sze. you are watching "getting answers" on abc7. every day, we talk with experts, we talked with experts about issues important to the bay area, and we get answers for you in real time, something new will soon be taking off from sfo sfo has landed a deal with zip air at japanese low-cost airline and that is one of the many things the airport is doing to accommodate the extra volume of travelers expected this summer. we will have more from the airport spokesman next. for more severe weather, what are we going to do in terms of the coastlines? the warning from the surfrider foundation. they will be with us to talk about the expected impact they

were more ocean and climate will have on our weather and how we can prepare. first, announced california has secured an emergency stockpile of an abortion pill in the wake of a ford road court ruling -- federal court ruling blocking another abortion pill. the judge reversed the fda's long approval of mifeprist potentially blocking access to the medication across the country. joining us as a professor at san jose state university focusing on reproductive justice. thank you so much, professor howard. give us the latest on the multiple efforts underway right now to overturn that ruling that overturned the fda approval for this particular drug. >> it's been so complicated. only a few months -- in only a few months, we have seen dramatic changes in the legal landscape around abortion. what happened on friday was two quarts, the texas and the

washington court, both came out with fairly contradictory rulings about the legality of mifepristone, onemedications weo the texas court says the fda must remove approval from the drug. the washington court says that we must maintain the status quo using that drug. the fda does have discretion, in terms of which of those rulings it will follow. while we are working on an appeal. the doj and some of the pharmaceutical manufacturers appealed today. the appeal goes to the fet circuit which is fairly conservative. they have asked the fifth circuit to sort of push a pause button on the texas ruling going into effect this friday. they have asked for them to push the pause button why the appeal goes through. kristen: if they push the pause button, how long can that pause period be?

and during this time, there is no supply. >> correct. it is correct. that would maintain having fda approval and you could be prescribed this in states where it is currently legal. just like you can now. the pause button could last for some time. if this case does end up going to the u.s. supreme court, it is possible that it will be paused through the end of the summer. kristen: meantime, states are trying to stockpile abortion medication, massachusetts, today california, the governor announcing they got 2 million doses of the other abortion pill, that would be misoprostol. talk about what that means. >> misoprostol is the other drug that we use and medication abortion. it can be used safely on its own to terminate a pregnancy. so if the fda does remove

approval, you can still safely terminate a pregnancy using misoprostol. preparing for that to happen, some people are preparing to stockpile misoprostol. if you do miso only, you do need a little bit more of the substance so that is contributing to the stockpiling measures. kristen: what is the key difference between those two? >> in terms of the pharmacology? kristen: without going too deep into the science, wondering if i have misoprostol, is that good enough? >> mifepristone essentially cuts off the hormones that supported pregnancy. so, if you have that, it sort of cuts of these hormones -- that is what mifepristone does. misoprostol causes uterine contractions. currently the fda approved method for medication abortion involves first taking mifepristone then 24 to 48 hours

later you take four misoprostols, two in each cheek and you let them dissolve over the course of half an hour. if you are going to do misoprostol only medication abortion, there is a world health organization approved protocol to do that safely. it is slightly less effective than the combo. but it is still a safe way to terminate a pregnancy. kristen: is it misoprostol also in danger of being taken away? i think the basis for this particular ruling in texas was not that abortion pill's in general should not exist, it was how the fda approved mifepristone in particular, right? so it shouldn't affect the other one. >> hypothetically, it shouldn't. however, the texas case sort of sets a precedent where if any pop-up legal advocacy organization decides they have a problem with a medication that's already been approved by the

fda, that they will be able to cherry pick and get it canceled, which could potentially be true for misoprostol. however, misoprostol, we use it for a lot of things. it is not only an abortion medication. you might know it as used for gastric ulcers, we even given to animals. they have it at the vet's office. approved long ago. doing that will be more complicated technically, to remove fda approval for this medication. so many people rely on it outside of the scope of abortion. however, it seems like the political will is there in some courts. and the ability to bend the rules. kristen: so if not that route, perhaps another route will be sought. let's talk about mifepristone. what do we know about the safety of it? i think i read a study that shows it is lower risk than penicillin and viagra? >> yep, it is very safe.

as one of the most studied drugs that we have. it is safer than taking a tylenol. the claims that were brought to the texas court were really grounded in inaccurate, biased science. this was a lot of anti-abortion ideology language that we saw in this court case. the idea that it is unsafe is just not accurate to say that. in some ways, it sort of shows us the extent to which this court is willing to act politically. which is not the way that courts are supposed to behave. they are supposed to be apoliti cal, objective arbiters of the law. but an antiabortion group found an antiabortion judge to push in antiabortion agenda. kristen: the recent bans on abortions in red states led to an increase in the use of these abortion bills. >> absolutely, it has.

abortion bills have been a lifeline for people. even before roe v wade was overturned, we know that over half of abortions in the u.s. now occur through medication. medication abortions. in places where you can no longer have a legal abortion, people have been acquiring mifepristone and misoprostol through various networks, some of it is prescribed by physicians overseas and they send it to the u.s. some of it is acquired through the black market. you can go to a pharmacy in mexico and ask for mifepristone and maybe it is being brought into the u.s.. but people have been relying on this as a safe way to terminate pregnancies within this new highly criminalized, highly illegal landscape. kristen: what about in california, where surgical abortions of course remain legal and we don't see any potential changes to that? is it still an important place for the medical pills, medical

abortions here? >> absolutely. the reproductive justice framework would suggest that we all deserve the right to determine the outcome of our pregnancies. and that we should be able to use the available technology to do so. many people prefer medication abortion because it feels a little bit more natural, it is more akin to a miscarriage. some people like the privacy, that you don't have to go to a place. this is something that you can do in the privacy of your home with a loved one. some people prefer it for those reasons. also suggesting, we are in calirotections here but there was an f or ongoing right now to ban abortion at the national lecture -- there is an effort on going right now to ban abortion at the national level. so it is really important for californians and the people who are coming to california to get care that has now been made illegal where they live. kristen: before i let you go,

just wondering, since the issue with mifepristone was not with the drug but the approval process. could it just be run through the process again, and how long would that take? >> that's really interesting. actually, not sure about that. [laughter] i will say though that the statute of limitations for bringing the suit challenging the drug, it is many years too late. this drug has been approved for about 23 years. the statute of limitations is six years. so it is pretty late. if they had to reestablish this, i think that would also be somewhat unprecedented. kristen: grace howard, thank you so much. >> thank you. kristen: next --in recent atmoserici'ig oge co. why we can expect stronger storms a h

i was injured in a car crash. i had no idea how much my case was worth. i called the barnes firm. when a truck hit my son, i had so many questions about his case. i called the barnes firm. it was the best call i could've made. your case is often worth more than insurance offers. call the barnes firm to find out what your case could be worth. we will help get you the best result possible. ♪ the barnes firm, injury attorneys ♪ ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪

kristen:lite stiour retmpher ris stmso hit r coastline, are we doing what's needed now in order to protect our coasts? joining us like to talk about this is stephanie s., senior manager for the surfrider foundation. thank you for your time. not sure if your microphone is on. you've got that? >> yes. >> there you go. kristen: surfrider focus is on protecting the world's oceans, waves, beaches, tell us how climate change is threatening these areas you are trying to protect. >> has our climate is changing, we are continuing to see these increasing impacts.

as we saw with the atmospheric rivers this past winter, they are only going to increase in intensity. the reason why that is is because as the atmosphere's warming, it is holding more moisture which means more storms and intense weather and longer. the atmospheric rivers we had this winter because about 80% of the damage we have seen in flooding in our sta. scientists predicted is going to cost about a billion dollars annually to keep up with the kristen: that is a lot of money. what coasts, infrastructures? >> infrastructures have been condemned, there were massive amounts of impacts to whether it be coastal infrastructure, piers, and really the whole way that our communities are functioning on our coastlines, as we have these continuous

downpours of major rain. kristen: well, we have certainly seen evidence that -- or have you seen evidence of the storms will become more frequent? >> we do. we have trackers on the east coast. for decades we have been working on them with their extreme weather and we are starting to see it in california. the past five years, thereen iny atmospheric rivers, but also marine heat waves. so our entire time it -- climate is greatly warming. . unless we cut greenhouse gases, we are only going to continue to see these impacts. but, california's ahead of the curve. last year in 2022, we passed 40 different bills to slash greenhouse gases and the governor promised $1.5 billion to nature-based solutions. using nature to protect nature and keep our communities out of harm's way. kristen: i know there's a lot of

advocacy in what you do as well, but for those who need more proof, i want to ask if you have seen harmful algal blooms on the east coast. >> yes, we have, again, that continues to have an uptick as well. it is a combination of these increasing storms, more storms mean more pollution, pollution gets into our oceans and creeks -- it is naturally occurring, but when you have these extra nutrients, the pollution coupled with extremely warm and water, it exacerbates the situation. really on every quadrant of our coast around america, we are continuing to see these impacts. but there is hope. i want to go back to recently at the federal level, we passed legislation that communities can go and get money from the federal government to do long-term planning for sea level rise and extreme weather events and also do these nature based solutions. we really need to push our decision-makers to go after these funds and work with local

communities to plan for these long-term impacts. kristen: what are some nature based solutions? >> it is really as simple as doing restoration. constructing a dune that's been built upon where it no longer can withstand extreme weather or sea level rise events and making it back to its natural basis. there's also something called blue carbon ecosystems, which are like mangroves, even though we don't have them on the west coast, saltmarshes, seagrass, not only do these protect us from storm increases, but also help pull carbon from the atmosphere. those are really easy examples and it is a burgeoning feel that we are starting to see and it gives me great hope because more communities aren't lamenting these nature be solutions. kristen: are there also great impacts to our air quality or water quality as well, due to the changes we are seeing? >> absolutely, kristen, that is such a great question. at the surfrider foundation, we have to make a connection all

of the time to this increasing ring we are seeing and water pollution. when we had the atmospheric rivers, surfers hellbent on the coast were lamenting the fact that they could not swim because from new orleans to mexico we had millions of raw sewage that entered our water after these atmospheric river's. -- atmospheric rivers. the more that we use fossil fuels, the more we have greenhouse gases trapped in our atmosphere, we are going to have air problems and discontinuing perpetuation of a warming climate and more rain and more storms and pollution. kristen: one thing you also point out is the effect of sewage spills and urban runoffs that could come with these increased flooding situations and rain and storms, right? >> exactly. that is what we are seeing. when hurricanes happen in the east coast, for instance harvey, 50 million gallons of sewage entered a smoke and unity any flash. now we are setting to see on the west coast a lot of the infrastructure really needs to be updated. going back to the positive

solutions at the federal level, t,se bcificay ilati rucon gi mupgrade the wastewater systems and to do that long-term sealevel rise planning. roads that are in harm's way as well and really taking those federal funds and applying them to our local communities to have no solution so we can get away from the increase of all this pollution due to climate change and more rain. kristen: stephanie sekich, fro the surfrider foundation, thank you so much for your time. san francisco international airport is living up to his global reputation. a new low cost international airline is coming to sfo. it will make san francisco the fourth u.s. destination for this airline and there are other expansions going on as well. here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85,

and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. the three what? the three ps? what are the three ps? e three ps of life insura fed a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54 and was a smoker, but quit. you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65, retired, and take medications.e? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80 and i'm on a fixed income. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. that's less than 35 cents a day.

you cannot be turned down because of your health. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock so your rate can never go up for any reason. options start at $9.95 a month, plus you get a 30-day money back guarantee. so call now for free information and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. use this valuable guide to record your important information and it's yours free just for calling. so call now for free information. kristen: if you thought last

summer was the season for revenge travel, this summer will be revenge plus. this will be the first summer since the pandemic began that many popular destinations in asia will be open to tourists. sfo is seeing airlines offering new routes to serve eager travelers. joining us live now is the spokesperson for sfo, doug, do tell us more about extensions and service, good to see you. his travel back or -- is travel back or will it be back fully pre-pandemic levels? >> we are getting closer and closer with every day. when we look back at the most recent month of march, we were at 87% of pre-pandemic levels. that is the closest we've been since the start of the pandemic. this international traffic is really the last piece of the puzzle. especially traffic to asia. the big element holding back our recovery was travel to asia, particularly china. now that china has dropped its travel restrictions,

we are seeing airlines returning service there. united is a good example. they've already started flying. to hong kong and shanghai. some carriers will begin service at sfo this year as well. there is more ground to recover but we are headed in the right direction. kristen: we are at the gateway here to asia, that is for sure. in terms of asia now finally being open, including japan, there is a new low-cost carrier coming to sfo, and it's called zip air, tell folks about zip air. >> this is exciting to have a low cost international carrier. zip air had been interested in sfo for a while. they will be launching on june 2 and operate flights five days a week using a boeing 787 dreamliner. i just went online to look at some of the fares and they are dramatically lower than some of their competitors. so they are definitely -- so there are definitely going to be good prices to be found for

people that want to go to tokyo this summer. kristen: i'm going to take a closer look at that, from sfo, where they fly to? tokyo? anywhere else? today go to kyoto or osaka, or just tokyo? >> once you get to tokyo, you could connect on other zip air flights, but from sfo is going to be that nonstop to tokyo. kristen: give me a sense for what the airfare is. i think this summer i was pressing it out to at least $1700, maybe $2000 round-trip. what are you seeing? >> what i am seeing are prices that might undercut that by as much as half. kristen: what? >> there are definitely going to be good deals to be found. kristen: possibly $1000 round-trip to japan? >> possibly. there's probably some additional fees that factor and but definitely some good prices. kristen: does it feel like a low-cost carrier? we don't have to go into the whole business model but what makes it a low-cost carrier? do you get the regular experiences? the amenities and services expected?

>> yeah. i think that really it relates to their business model. a lot of low-cost airlines go to that single type of aircraft that reduces a lot of their operational costs. you only need to train pilots on one type of airplane and only need to have parts for one type of aircraft. a lot of airlines operate so many different types of airplanes, that adds a level of complexity and cost. think about southwest airlines, a great example of one that only uses one type of airplane. that helps keep the cost down. he also mentioned the other -- kristen: you also mentioned the other airlines resuming or adding services to china, taipei. but i understand for those interested in european travel, there is also a new service, also low-cost, to london with a new airline as well, north atlantic -- norse atlantic? >> they also announced plans to launch nonstop service from sfo to london's gatwick airport. that will be in july.

there's another good example of, you've already got existing airlines are flying to this destination but now you've got a new low-cost option. anytime we see something like this happen, it's really travelers that not only are there good fares available, but often it triggers a competitive response from the existing airlines, because they want to be able to match or be competitive in the market. so it's really a good thing to see these low-fare airlines. kristen: it sure is. in the past year, the story has been airline tickets cost so much. they can charge it because people will pay it. competition is good. with the return of travelers and volume, are you making improvements at sfo to accommodate them, from food to transportation? i know you had runway repairs. are you ready, is what i'm saying. >> we certainly are. we've had a lot of projects on hold. we are starting to reinvigorate

the projects now that our financial picture is in much better shape. we are looking at -- we have postponed about 20 construction projects during the pandemic. we are starting to reactivate those. there are others we have continued to work on. the harvey milk terminal one is one. we've got the final phase of the terminal. that should be done not in time for summer but by next spring. we are also currently doing a runway project and our goal is to have that done prior to memorial day weekend. so we've got everything go -- everything ready to go for the summer travel season. kristen: thank you so much for your time. we will

kristen: thank you so much for joining us today for "getting answers." we will be here every weekday at 3:00 p.m. answering questions with experts from around the bay area. "world news tonight" with david muir is next. ♪ ♪ >> david: tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. the horrific mass shooting at a bank in louisville. two officers shot. one in the head. police say a bank employee open fire in the conference room. several more wounded. he had one in critical condition. undergoing surgery. authorities on the scene in a shoot-out with the suspect. some employees locking themselves in the vault. governor andy beshear clearly shaken today, revealing this is his bank. two of his close friends among those killed if you're into night, law enforcement telling abc news that the suspect left a note to his parents and friends.