>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. kristen: hi there. i am kristen sze. you are watching "getting answers," on abc 7. every day, we talk with experts about issues important to the bay area, and we get answers for you in real-time. today, a program to help incarcerated californians become firefighters. we will check in with a man who helped start before three and fire equipment program reason fr celebration. also the number of americans suffering from, suffering from autoimmune diseases and neuro-immune diseases have really skyrocketed

since the pandemic, and now a new institute to celebrate the diagnostics. itart.ta- who ih theofho first, california's lieutenant governor is out of the gate. elena announced in his tweet she is running for governor in 2026. craig governor gavin newsom will be out and as it -- and it is expected to be a crowded field. during is now to discuss this is politico reporter jeremy white. nice to have you back on. jeremy: thank you for having me. kristen: so this announcement from kounalakis is kind of early , isn't it? jeremy: it is. the day after gavin newsom was reelected, we heard chatter about who the front runner might

be for 2026. there is no doubt the lieutenant governor and others had already been thinking about this, and she had been quite candid, more so than other contenders thatheg to pursue. the fact that she is jumping in, not so much of a surprise. the early nest of the timing may be a bit more of a surprise. kristen:kristen: are the advantages fundraising, name recognition, that sort of thing? jeremy: absolutely. the earlier you can get started in lining up potential endorsers the more advantageous, and also it can create potentially the impression of frontrunner status you have the field to yourself and you are more able to shape the narrative without other people in there. i have no doubt that as we get closer to 2026, there will be other candidates in there, but clearly the lieutenant governor's awesome exam it -- saw some advantage in not being quiet, yes, this is a job i want, jumping in early, and having the field to herself for

a while. kristen: talk about who kounalakis is and her background. even as lieutenant governor, you can be a background. jeremy: that is right. it is a steppingstone, a position with a lot of inherent power. before this job, kounalakis' biggest distinction was serving as an ambassador to hungary. she was a fundraiser for candidates like hillary clinton, which is something your average voter may not be as aware of but certainly something that in the political world helps you build connections and that no doubt was related to her securing that ambassadorship as well as something that is an asset in a statewide race, being able to draw on those powerful fundraising connections. kristen: she also talks about her background as the daughter

of greek immigrants and understanding immigrant issues in california. how did she compare on the issues and where is she on the political spectrum relative to newsom? jeremy: i would not say there is a ton of ideological difference there appeared i would say the lieutenant governor is a progressive democrat in good standing, like the governor pence she has certainly emphasized reproductive rights, again using some of that fundraising ability to help steer millions of dollars toward the ballot measure this last election. i do not know how much we will see between the lieutenant governor and the current governor or other democrats that might be running, which, again, could point to an advantage of getting an early and establishing yourself if you know there will not be that much real concrete difference on the issues to help voters decide. kristen: who are other possible contenders, both on the democratic and the republican side? jeremy: attorney general rob

bonta has logged -- has long been seen as a leader. the current leader of the senate, toni atkins, who turned out this year. someone who a lot of folks do not think it is done with public service. current and former statewide elected officials, the treasurer, betty expressed an interest. i would not rule out javier becerra, the california attorney general, someone who might possibly be a contender. anytime the california governorship is available, there is no shortage of ambitious democrats in the state who look in the mirror and see a few governor, but it is going to be an expensive race, i have no doubt, and, again, the more people, eleni kounalakis or who else is in there, now for the other contenders. kristen: what will gavin do come 2026? of course, there is a 2024

presidential speculation, all parties believe biden will announce this week he is going to run for reelection. where does that leave newsom? jeremy: i think it has been fairly clear for a while now that the door is closed for gavin newsom in 2024, with president biden likely running for reelection, as you said. it seems quite likely as soon as this week announcing that reelection campaign. governor newsom has really strenuously made an effort to show he is on team biden and is a good team player, but i don't think anyone doubts he has national ambitions, seating this new pack with $10 million, he pledges to go into red states and take the fights to governors in places like texas and florida. 2028 i think is what you are circling on gavin newsom's calendar now. it is a long ways out, and he still has another two years in the governor's office before he -- excuse me, another three

years before he will be turned out. so a long ways to go, but the governor has been making a lot of moves in recent years to elevate his national profile, even if that is more for 2028 van for 2024. kristen: i gotcha. the democrats, as we discussed, seems to have solidified their support for president biden, even though his polling remains middling, if you will. is there just no one else? what do you think? jeremy: i think there is a lot of peril in giving up incumbency and going with an open field, one in which there is not necessarily a clear replacement. still questions about vice-president kamala harris and her viability to step into that role. joe biden, for the concerns about his age, and somebody who not only, you know, a lot of democrats have accomplished a fair amount in a narrowly divided congress, but has proven he can beat donald trump, who is

still leaving a lot of poles to be the nominee again could i think in a lot of ways this is a case of the safer and more proven option, even as there are , of course, some nervous democrats out there wondering about joe biden's age. kristen: on the republican side, is former president trump still be clear leader amongst gop hopefuls, despite his trial starting tomorrow, and of course he has been indicted in a hushed payments case? jeremy: i think if you look at the polls, they show former president donald trump is still in a very strong position could i do not know that i can say he is necessarily the front runner. that is probably something other national reporters would have more insult -- insight on than i, but it would be foolish to count him out. recall candidate jumped in a few days ago. jeremy: i do not know that larry elder had much more of a chance of winning the republican

nomination than he did of unseating gavin newsom, but he is clearly someone who spoke to the republican base. he vaulted over other republicans, more established people who had held office at the top of the field. larry elder clearly gained some traction in the recall and is taking another shot. hard to see how he gets past a donald trump or ron desantis, but, again, i think he has demonstrated some traction and appeal with conservative states. kristen: before i let you go, a lot of talk this last week on whether senator dianne feinstein, the 89-year-old senior senator from california who has been out with shingles for six weeks and not able to vote, should she just resign altogether and not just a burly step away from her committee appointment? what does the smart money say now? jeremy: i think there is an unknown variable here, which is the extent of senator feinstein's health issues and the extent to which they might decline or improve.

but i think ther fundamental dynamic that is not altered, which is that she is somebody who has a lot of pride in her accomplishments, to the point of stubbornness, deepening on who you asked, and talking about her potentially resigning or setting aside has been swirling for years, and the clear consensus i get from people around her is that that type of talk only makes her less inclined to step aside and more desirous of serving at the end of her term. so i think of course there is a scenario in which potentially the illness gets debilitating enough that she truly cannot do it, but i do not think because for her to resign are likely to encourage her to do so. i think, if anything, it will do the opposite. kristen: all right, jeremy white, political reporter and author of "the playbook," thank you for your time. jeremy: great to be here. kristen: coming up next, helping a critical employee shortage by training inmate firefighters for the jobs. we talk about the man behind the

nonprofit helping fill a critical staffing need while

kristen: there simply not enough firefighters to battle wildfires across california. u.s. forest service and interior department are short 650 firefighters just in our state, and calfire is facing a major staffing shortage ahead of fireside -- fire season. joining us is royal rainey, cofounder of the forestry and fire recruitment program, a nonprofit designed to support the transition into professional firefighting. royal, thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. kristen: for people who have not

heard of the forestry and fire recruitment project, tell us about it i understand for people who have never done it, it is for people who have already learned some entry firefighting skills while incarcerated, right? royal: absolutely. the forestry and fire recruitment program is a nonprofit that helps recruit into the firefighting profession. we basically gave basic certifications necessary to work for the forest service, and also the california firefighter work and crew, and help to, you know, just understand the lifestyle changes that they will have to make in order to be in public service, because folks that know about, you know, people going to fight fires and camps, they consider that a zero, but now actually becoming a hero is

something they will take on, so this is imperative. kristen: before we get into the training program, i know there are many facets to it, royal, this is a very personal venture for you, right? royal: yes. yes, ma'am. i was actually a fire camp myself, wanted to do this professionally, did not have the platform or the pathway to be able to make it happen. me and my cofounder, brandon smith, made it, figured o can we make it happen, for folks that are serious about professional firefighters and, you know, but five years later now, we have helped over 175 people get jobs at the fire station. kristen: that is amazing. i know from your bio that you serve six years in prison to die wonder, during that time, how did you get involved -- in

prison. i wonder, during that time, how did you get involved in firefighting? royal: a year in prison, you know, you get evaluated every year, on a point system paired once mypoints got to a point where i was able to go to fire camp, i jumped on it immediately. but i did not know what i was getting myself into, right? [laughs] being a firefighter is definitely a challenge mentally, emotionally, physically, but i felt in love with it. once i realized it, what i want to do is just to figure out ways to make that happen. ow, you could be able toy notou utilize the skills that you receive in fire camp and capable to come home is amazing to me. a lot of folks who want to use those skills, want to be better people, want to, you know, the

successful in their life, and i believe this is a pathway for them to be successful. kristen: we want to show fantastically from a weekend graduation ceremony, because you guys recruited your first class, right? you gave them the training. this is really emotional and so fantastic. look at this for the folks who will now become firefighters after completing your program, tell us a little bit about these men here. and i think i see a woman, too, right? royal: this is not a woman. we have a socal cohort. this is a group of guys, you know, committed and dedicated to being better people come and that is where i think in our program we kind of first emphasize, because in order for you to be a public servant, you have to have your mental, you know, and emotional together, you know, it is just important that you understand that, you know, thiss t a:0job, actualla t

you arn the they just got a lot of grit. they got great work ethic, and they want to continue to be better. all of them, i'd take my hat off to them and being committed and trusting us as an organization to help guide them and direct them. we know that they are going to be successful, because we have a mentorship, and we constantly check in with them and are going to be able to help and guide them. kristen: i tell you, i understand it was quite the grueling training, so they should be very proud indeed. in 2020, the governor signed a bill to accelerate the process of expunging the records of formerly incarcerated firefighters. have that have -- have that had an impact on your lives and your program? royal: absolutely. i was in cohort two and socal, he got his record expunged he

was a surgical tech before he committed his crime. once he actually, you know, got his record expunged him he got his license back, and now he is in idaho, probably making more money than me right now. people that opportunity,opportse we have folks like bernard, giving him that opportunity to even maybe become municipal firefighters in the future, you know, or just have those opportunities is just amazing, the options. kristen: that is fantastic. for folks in the public who hear about this and feel if they want to get involved and support your work, how can they do that? royal: so they can go to the forestry and firerp.org. they can definitely donate button and donate to us,

because we are a 501(c)(3). they can volunteer, if they are interested in that. even if somebody that you know that is interested in fighting fire, or have that previous experience, you know, teenagers, we tell them to focus on getting teenagers involved in this, going to the inner-city, talk about opportunities before. they even go to prison. that is one of the most important things to look at. but forestr out. kristen: royal ramey, thank you t you, isten. kristen: a take leader has taken on an impressive side gig.

n: since the t uro-immune accessisdeweke lg

game -- investment in this field, a former executive -- meta-executive founded it, now the ceo of instacart. joining us is fidji simo laura, cofounder of the institute. this was born in par your own personal journey, right? can you tell us about that? >> yeah. a couple of years ago, after many months of doctors appointments across the country, i was diagnosed with a condition, and -- a neurological condition, and i realize that the level of care and research happening in this case was sorely lacking.

we solve problems, and i wanted to to h laura on my journey, and together we decided to create the research and medical center thatutince yr laura, which one do you prefer? laura: laura is just fine. kristen: i see that the center is ai enabled. how is ai a component of the research you are fostering here? laura: we are really investing in the latest technologies, so we are using it in the diagnostic patients, particularly in assessing their conditions, the neurology and it comes across the entire

organization. kristen: got it. what are your immune access disorders, and who is impacted? laura: right. we all know someone in our lives who has a constellation of symptoms, going from doctor to doctor, still struggling and searching for answers. they may not even have a narrow elastic disorder, which arrives from the nervous system and immune system. because the nervous system and immune system are everywhere in the body, they can have multiple symptoms affecting multiple body symptoms. they are hard to diagnose. we focus on the par system and we are not actually taking clues from other parts of the body that will help you diagnose the systemic disorders earlier. a good example includes many autoimmune conditions, like so again system -- rogan syndrome

or lucas. also gastrointestinal systems like irritable bowel. and the automatic controls everything in our body that we do not think about until something goes wrong, and then all we can think about is controlling, you know, temperature regulation, heartbreak, endocrine system, our immune system, and as you mentioned, also conditions such as long covid that we are hearing a lot about, all of these conditions fall under the umbrella of neural and astec disorders. kristen: it is amazing to me that you can maintain your highly demanding job. it could not have been easy. i know that is partly why you want to launch this. tell our viewers how you can get involved, looking to become patience at metrodora.

fidji: go to fill out a form. we have door the countr figure s wrong with them, so the mayo clinic, they are sending stations to us. and we from salt lake city because it is -- we picks out lake city because it is easy to access, the institute is 10 minutes away from the airport, so it is very convenient to just go there and get treated. kristen: thank you so fidji simo, dr. laura pace, coming to talk to us about

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kristen: thank you so much for joining us for "getting answers" today. tonight, several developing stories as we come on air. taco tucker carlson out on fox news. new reporting inside the operation. the mid air emergency onboard american airlines flight. flames shooting from the engine. foxnews parting ways with tucker carlson, their top rated hose. no reason given. the move comes just days after fox's $787 million settlement with dominion voting systems. ng aer ht,nchor aain n yk.eportida msi t