today on getting answers. the bay area's kristi yamaguchi gets her own barbie. the olympic champion figure skater will join us to talk about what this means to her ahead of asian american, pacific islander heritage month. have you ever dreamed about living the lifestyle of the rich and famous? how about buying a private island? mega yacht or floating villa? a new showroom in san francisco is helping the super wealthy acquire the ultimate status symbols. but

first, one day, three legal battles for donald trump. his immunity case before the supreme court, his star hush money trial in new york, and a ruling in his defamation appeal. you're watching, getting answers. i'm kristen sze. thanks for joining us. now, the biggest of trump's court cases today was at the supreme court, where the justices heard three hours of oral arguments over whether donald trump is immune from prosecution in the case, accusing him of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. the court's ruling will have implications not just for this november's presidential race, but for future presidents to come. joining us live now to analyze today's developments, uc law, san francisco's sullivan professor of law, david levine. professor levine, thanks for joining us. >> anytime, kristin, thanks for inviting me. >> all right. a lot to talk about. the supreme court heard trump's claim, of course, that the federal charges brought by special counsel jack smith,

accusing him of plotting to overturn the 2020 election must be thrown out because he is immune, because he was president. what is that based on, nothing. it's not in the constitution. and no president has ever asserted this before, so it's, and it's been rejected soundly by two lower courts, by the trial judge in that case, as well as by three judges of the district of columbia circuit court, but it's gotten a hearing in the supreme court, but there's no textual support for it. there's no historical support for it. it's a question of is there a practical support for it? >> okay. if not explicit, are there still things in the constitution that have been interpreted to mean that presidents should be given broad latitude to do what they think is right in the moment, and then maybe if it turns out to be judged to be not right, or perhaps even criminal, that they would still be given some leeway. is there anything like

that at all? >> well, there are supreme court cases that have made interpretation. so, for example, we know that presidents are immune from civil suits, from private litigation, often for matters that are within their the outer perimeter of the job of being president, but that doesn't include everything. that's why, for example, one of the cases we may talk about the defamation case with jean carroll was able to go forward because defaming somebody from the white house is not part of your job, so we know that we also know that that as a policy matter, the department of justice has long taken the position that a president who is in office should not be prosecuted. but on the other hand, in the united states versus nixon, the us supreme court said that executive privilege is not sacrosanct and that there are times when the president has to yield documents. and so we just have never had this specific issue come up because a president has

not been indicted or a former president has not been indicted before we came close with mr. nixon, president ford decided it was not in the interest of the country to go forward with a prosecution of mr. nixon. and so he pardoned him. but the assumption at that time, 50 years ago, was that mr. nixon, as a former president, was indeed subject to prosecution. so the supreme court has not weighed in on this, so it's worthy of their weighing in, but they don't have text to support the position. all right. >> so what did the justices seem to think today based on their questions? if you can read the tea leaves and trying to gauge what they're thinking and how they might rule here. >> sure. i mean, it seemed as if the concerns were on the one hand, is it more dangerous to have a president who can feel as if there's nothing that he'll ever be found responsible for while in office, and therefore, you could do just any old thing you wanted to. and, you know, the example that we've heard in

connection with this case is could you order seal team six from the military to kill a political opponent? would that be okay as president and mr. trump's lawyer suggested? yeah, it would be. by and large, that would be all right, because the presidential immunity. so is that so? one on the one hand is are we worried about a president going rogue while in office not having to worry about any responsibility? or as some of the justices express, some concern? are we more worried about the fact that zealous prosecutors in the next administration, or the one after that, might want to go after their predecessors, and that you'd end up with this round robin of one successor going after the predecessor? on and on and on. and so which is the greater evil? some of the justices seem to think that a rogue president committing crimes without worrying about responsibility was the greater evil, versus the at least theoretical risk that prosecute would get out of hand, and that none of the guardrails a grand

jury, prosecutorial discretion, a jury of the peers, trial judges that none of those would be sufficient protection. so we'll see how the important thing is, how the five of them come out. >> right? >> right. and of course, however they decide it's going to have major ramifications, not just for, you know, this current cycle, but future presidents to come. what happens after they ruling, i guess, does it go back down to the lower courts? does it delay the trial? does it somehow go past the whole presidential election timeline, maybe, maybe, maybe that's why we don't know. see at one end if they were to rule in totally in favor of mr. trump, then the whole case, the whole case in front of, judge chutkan in dc, the january 6th case would be simply dismissed. we would be done with it. and on the other hand, if the government wins entirely, then an order would come out and judge chutkan could restart the engines on that case and get moving toward a trial

and the middle positions where maybe this is where the justices are going to be, is that there's going to be some preliminary work required by the trial judge to sort out what might be protected, meaning things within the official responsibilities of a president versus things that are not within the outer perimeter of the job. things that the court was talking about as private matters. and so the government's position, the justice department's position today was, was that operating a coup was not within the outer perimeter of being the president. elections are matters for states. the way we've set it up, because we end up with the electoral college electing the president. and so the president in his official capacity has little to no role in elections and certainly no role in preventing the peaceful transfer of power. so the government wants to say, even if there's immunity, maybe someday in some area that's not this case. and so it should be full speed ahead at the district court level, or

will there be something in between requiring the trial judge to engage in some preliminary sorting between what might or might not be considered official, and therefore what might or might not be private and chargeable in this case? >> all right. >> hey, we have about 45 seconds, but i really want to ask you about his other big case today. the testimony continues in his star hush money trial in new york today, david pecker was back on the stand. that's the former publisher of the national enquirer who explained the scheme that they employed to bury a story about an affair with a star that would have could have humiliated trump before the election. is that an illegal conspiracy, and is trump responsible? have they established that? >> well, this is strong evidence going in that direction. kristen. so with the new york, the manhattan da's theory is that this wasn't just hush money to prevent somebody from embarrassing the president with his family, but rather it was all about election interference.

and so what the government is doing is that they're setting the context. the context was that the access hollywood tape had come out. the context was that mr. pecker and the national enquirer had helped mr. trump in silencing cases of stories before, and that immediately after access hollywood, all of a sudden, stormy daniels gets paid. so the idea is that pecker is putting trump in the room. it isn't just michael cohen and david pecker on their own. it's trump working with pecker and cohen to have a plan to silence these stories before the election, so that they would not affect the election, so that the government wants to say it's all about election interference and it's all it goes right to trump and the defense wants to say it's not election interference. and trump knew nothing. >> all right. i mean, there are different cases, but one can certainly say there's a narrative emerging there. professor david levine, thank you so much. appreciate it okay. >> anytime. thanks for having

me. >> coming up next with olympic gold medalist and bay area native kristi yamaguchi. she's going to be joining us to talk about her latest honor. it's about this big

she's a best selling author, children's literacy advocate, and a mom. we're talking about the one the only kristi yamaguchi. and now she's got her own barbie to celebrate aapi heritage month, which begins next week. mattel has released the kristi yamaguchi doll as part of its inspiring women series. it's available for pre-sale now on amazon, target and walmart, and more. so joining us live to talk about

this exciting honor, the pride of fremont and the bay area is kristi yamaguchi. hey, barbie. >> hey, kristen, how are you doing? >> all right. okay, we'll go with our real names. i was just getting into the spirit of things here. hey, can we see that? is that the barbie behind you? that kristi barbie? >> there it is. a sneak peek. yeah. they're only available for preorder right now, but this is the packaging. and you can see the little, flower bouquet which is replicated after the one i was holding on the podium. >> i remembered, of course, i watched those olympics, and i was like, yes, she landed them all. woohoo, look, you're an olympic champion. you've achieved everything. but is that every bit as much of a dream come true for you to have that barbie? >> it's pretty cool. i mean, it's a huge honor and especially being a part of the inspiring women series and, you know, i mean, joining so many of my idols like maya angelou and anna

may wong, doctor jane goodall. so you know, all of these women that they featured have, you know, broken down barriers or paved the way or taken risks and doing, you know, incredible things. so to be able to join them is like a huge honor, i know. >> right? i mean, and coming right ahead of asian american pacific heritage month certainly is a big deal, right? talk about how this doll, what it represents and especially when you consider your own childhood, why it means so much. >> yes, definitely. i mean, i think, you know, one thing that i'm really proud of is that it's it tells the story not just of my olympic achievement, but, you know, being the first asian american woman to win olympic gold in the winter games and in figure skating, and then, you know, and then some of the work, that i've done after to, you know, continue on. so, so, yeah

so it's a, it's a really neat thing to, to be able to celebrate and hopefully, younger generations can learn of the story and maybe connect with it a little bit and be inspired to just really go after their, their own dreams as well. >> absolutely. gosh. and just looking at this dress, the one that you wore that's now on display at the us figure skating museum, it looks just like the doll. they did a really good job with that. did you have a hand in that? like were you part of the designing process? yes, definitely, you know, the team at barbie was really so great at, looking at the details and, you know, asking about them or what are there any changes? and, you know, i did do some and, the dress that, you know, is such an incredible replica of lauren sheehan is the designer. and she was tickled pink that, you know, her dress was going to be immortalized on a barbie, but then also, you know, my bootmaker who's local bay area, san carlos company, harlick, has their logo on the skate because,

you know, my skates have that logo on it. so down to every little detail, the little gold bow in the hair, so that was pretty fun. >> yeah. no, it's totally perfect. and can i just ask you, like, i know you have two teen girls, right? what do they think about this? i mean, usually they think bombs are pretty uncool, but did this change things? >> oh, totally. they were like, well, how do you qualify to get a barbie? basically they're like, wait, what, but you know, obviously they're 19 or 18 and 20 and we're very love the barbie movie. and, you know, that whole resurgence of the brand and everything. so, you know, i think, you know, quietly, they're probably thinking, oh, that's kind of neat. but still, you know, i don't i'll never be on the level of, you know, like, greta gerwig. yeah, yeah, for sure for them. but that's okay. that's all right. >> that's totally okay. you

know, inside their hearts, they're so proud of you. and honestly, like in, you know, somebody else like taylor swift, i know she's probably been to the white house, but you were just at the white house too, right? representing there at the state dinner that president biden hosted for the japanese prime minister. >> yes, yes, it was a beautiful state dinner. yes. it was, so decadent and, you know, really inviting, i think, to have, prime minister kishida there and his wife, was a really nice showing of friendship and, collaboration and connection, you know, to between us and japan. so it was really a beautiful evening. it's just kind of takes you back. you have live music in almost every room and corridor you're walking down, so, yeah, it's kind of a dream, really. >> yeah. it's surreal. right. but can we pause? i just want to look at that dress that. i'm just going to admire that for a moment, because you rock that. and that was so, so pretty, and

here you are with one of your daughters who looks amazing as well. and she's so tall, christie. or maybe it's just because you're so tall. i know i'm short, but she is over six, five, six. >> so definitely got the height from dad. >> oh, hey, i know you're also very busy with your childhood literacy nonprofit always dream. you started providing books and reading to children to now providing tablets and digital libraries, and your latest effort is to help cause really near and dear to you, right? in maui. >> yes. no. we're really excited. our program always reading is expanding to more and more schools. you know, currently we, you know, we're in over 20 schools, next year we're going to be in 40 schools, throughout california. and hawaii. so, two new schools that we're bringing on in, in hawaii are, two elementary schools that are right in lahaina and, you know, obviously with that devastation that happened, they

are very, welcoming to any resources that are able to provide for their, children and their, their keiki and their students. so we're really excited to be able to go into those two schools, and, and, you know, bring our program to the four and five year olds in that area. >> that's amazing. i know you have a gala in hawaii next week as well, but people can support you and your work, the great work that your nonprofit does by, well, in part by getting the barbie right. so should we put that up there, sure. yeah. >> there it is. and, you know, mattel did do, a grant to two organizations, in honor of the barbie, one to aspire, which supports, young asian american, girls to be leaders. and then in, we, they split it with, always dreams. so really, really, really nice. >> well, congratulations. you are my favorite barbie. the barbie inspiring women. kristi yamaguchi collectible doll, you

can get it now on presale. and it will ship this summer. kristi, thank you so much. >> thanks, christine. you're always so supportive. appreciate it. >> good to see you. bye bye. thank you. and coming up next on getting answers. our partners at the san francisco standard have a snapshot of what it's like to live like the rich and famous in san francisco. private islands and mega yachts. yep. you can

question, how about just a floating villa or just a helicopter? maybe those are more your speed. there's now a new showroom in san francisco's jackson square that can help you with the purchase. our media partner, the san francisco standard, published this new article about private islands worldwide. for the majority of us who can only dream of these luxuries, we have so many questions about this company. so to answer our questions, astrid kane, senior editor at the

standard, who wrote the piece. hey, astrid. >> hello. how are you? >> i'm doing just great. thank you so much. but apparently you are doing better than me, because apparently there's this amazing showroom where you can, you know, see and buy amazing places that they opened. and you were on the invite list. guest list? is that what it is, a preview, astrid, i, i mean, anyone can go. >> it's actually open to walk ins. it is not by appointment only for the ultra affluent among us. you are more than welcome to check it out. >> oh, okay. so we can still talk. i thought you were on this level now, and i, you know. okay but i still rented the mission. okay, excellent. but, astro, is this a thing? i mean, a market for private islands. enough of a market here that there's actually a company that does this. >> i share your sense of surprise as well, but apparently, yes, there are dozens. owns maybe hundreds of islands worldwide, some in the tropics, some on, you know, lakes in the interior of nova scotia and canada. that can be

purchased outright or rented. >> right. so i guess i imagine you don't just go to remax and say, i wanted those. so you come to a place like this. so give us the experience, walk us through. i know you went in for a tour. >> yeah. so it's called private islands worldwide. that's the name of the showroom, and it's a joint venture between two german firms, uh- vladi private islands, which, as you imagine, is the real estate broker to people with a lot of money and a major floating solutions, which is a builder of ultra luxe super yachts and floating villas. and they naturally go together so you can buy your own island and buy your own yacht and dock it right next to it and live out your days in paradise. >> oh my. yeah, of course, because you can't have a floating villa or a super yacht without the island. uh- can you? right. >> pretty much. yeah. i mean, in a way, it is kind of a sustainable practice in a sense, because if you buy an island and you don't want to despoil your little slice of paradise by

bulldozing trees or clear cutting a forest to, you know, build your giant mansion, you would have your, you know, habitat just docked offshore so it remains pristine. >> okay, you know what? i like that excuse if you want to call it that or whatever. that's a good argument to make. so what what is this place? can you do you recognize some of these places? we're showing uh? >> well, a lot of the islands are, you know, little private islands here and there. there are not a lot of household names. oh, i see some countries, you know, make it very difficult for foreigners to buy property like this. others are more than eager to have the investment capital flowing in. but it's funny, the showroom itself is very low key. it looks more like an art gallery. it is certainly not ostentatious or vulgar or tacky. it's quite, quite upscale and understated. >> i mean, the way you describe it, it's almost like, i don't know you and i walking into a car dealer and say, we're looking for a four door, you know, this gas mileage. show me what you got. except i mean,

innocent in a sense. >> yeah. like all of these yachts are custom products, right? like, they start at $370 million. and that's before you load it up with helicopters or fancy artwork or smaller boats that you launch to your private island from your super yacht. and when you start adding those up, it can come to 100 million or more. so we're talking half $1 billion. okay. >> so i mean, i don't know if you got to the bottom of this, but how much does the broker make did these companies make in these transactions? i mean, you know, usually when you have a real estate sales, it's like, i don't know, 3, 6, but is it like that, 6% of 350 million is a tidy sum, isn't it? they were very discreet about all of the financials. they, you know, apart from the and customer prices. yeah. they wouldn't tell me anything. yeah. they said they have kind of a market in europe, a substantially larger market in the middle east and a small us market, which i imagine

would, you know, quite a number of those people would be here in the bay area. >> right. i was going to say, did you see, you know, mark zuckerberg in there when you were inside. no, he's got kawhi and most of it already at this point. so i don't know if he needs another island. all right. well this is fascinating. astrakhan. you come up with the most interesting story. so always enjoy talking with you. >> likewise. thank you so much. >> so when i hit the lottery now i know where to go. >> all right. >> you can check out astrid story and more of the san francisco standard's other original reporting on their website, sf standard .com. and abc7 will continue to bring you more segments featuring the standards city focused journalism. twice a week right here on getting answers at three. and don't forget the nfl draft is tonight. you can watch it live right here on abc seven. round one kicks off at five. then don't change that channel because you'll want to see after the draft with abc7 news sports director larry biel. we'll

tonight, donald trump's historic legal battle simultaneously unfolding in multiple courts. and the stunning decision, harvey weinstein's conviction overturned in new york. first, the supreme court takes on donald trump's claim of absolute immunity, hearing arguments over trump's efforts to avoid prosecution for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. the justices citing the massive implications, drawing lines between political and personal actions. justice neil gorsuch declaring they are, quote, writing a rule for the