joining us now is dr. monahanna-attisha, the pediatrician who helped expose the elevated blood lead levels in flint's children. [ cheers and applause ] you can hear the way that she is viewed in this town, the spontaneous standing ovation for dr. mona. [ cheers and applause ] welcome -- the community appreciates you. >> lots of heroes. it took a village to save a village, so lots of hero. >> also want to bring in state rep sheldon neely who said he warned governor snyder about the water crisis in flint a year ago. >> a year ago. >> i want to bring in ana johnson, the principal of this very school, holmes s.t.e.m. academy and who now like a lot of other leading educators here is confronting what the schools' role is going to be in doing right by flint kids throughout their childhood. thank you for being here, all leaders and heroes in the story in your own way. dr. mona, i want to start with you. you're the person who first told not just flint but told the world that flint's kids were exposed in such big numbers

attisha known locally as dr. monay was right and the state eventually had to she had turned in. but the doctor. dr. attisha known locally as dr. mona, she really was right and the state eventually had to admit it. and at his big flint press conference, rick snyder and his senior administration officials had dr. mona standing right up there with them, like part of their team. and the governor talked about how excited he was to work with her, specifically, how thankful he is for her work. he name-checked her several times. that said, dr. mona did not speak at that event. she just stood there. and there was this one -- intriguing moment when other people were talking, but she stood there, shaking her head. >> our most recent data indicates that 43 of 2,182 adults and children tested had elevated blood lead levels since october 1st. this includes kids under the able of 6, and 13 adults. as part of this, once a child had an elevated blood level result, the department of human services is working with the general see health

. >> professor marc edwards from virginia tech, and dr. mona hanna-attica sounded an alarm. >> this is what was coming out of their tap. >> reporter: professor marc edwards, a water safety expert from virginia tech, alerted the public for the first time this fall that flint's water contained high levels of lead. >> there is no safe level of lead in a child. none. >> reporter: after hearing about edwards' study, dr. mona hanna-attica, a flint pediatrician, discovered that dangerous blood lead levels had doubled after flint tapped into the river water. >> for two years, for almost two years, they were told, you know, the water's safe. it's being tested. we meet all regulatory, you know, guidelines. you can drink water. so there's a huge loss of trust. these are government agencies, whose only job is to ensure water is safe. and they failed. they failed at every level. >> reporter: late today, the governor released e-mails showing how his office handled the flint crisis over the past two years. scott, several show that the governor was aware of re

but the doctor who discovered them, dr. mona hanna-attisha, refused to accept the state's denials. officials finally acknowledged the problem by declaring a public health emergency on october 1. on thursday, dr. hanna-attisha was named the head of new puic healtinitiati to coat the iact on tse exposed to the lead contamination. we are joined now by dr. mona hanna-attisha. this is truly astounding, dr. mona, ice you are known. can you talk about when you realized that especially children were being contaminated by lead and how the state responded? collects so in late august, we were hearing reports from the virginia tech group that there was lead in the water and when pediatricians hear about lead anywhere, we freak out. we know lead. and lead, as you set them is a known potent reversible neurotoxin. we wanted to see if the lead in the water was getting into the bodies of children. that is when we started doing our research. what we found was alarming. the not surprising based on what we knew about the water. childrenntage in tripled -- doubled in the whole city. in some neighborhoo

that said, dr. mona did not speak at that event. she just stood there. there was this one -- intriguing moment when other people were talking, but she stood there, shaking her head. >> our most recent data indicates that 43 of 2,182 adults and children tested had elevated blood lead levels since october 1st. this includes kids under the able of 6, and 13 adults. as part of this, once a child had an elevated blood level result, the department of human services is working with the general see health department to follow up case management. >> this is not subtle. this is the director of the michigan health department talking about how many cases they found of elevated blood lead levels, and dr. mona is right there, shaking her head, no, no, no, no, no. and we saw that, we wanted to know, what's the problem there? what is she reacting to so strongly on this day when supposedly everybody is at least supposed to look like they're on the same page? joining us now is dr. ateesha, a pediatrician in pediatrician from flint. i hope i'm not getting you in trouble by

they did nothing wrong except being poor. >> in may, professor mark edwards from virginia tech and dr. monaannah attisha sounded an alarm about lead in flint's water. >> governor says look, you can have anything you want. anything, mona. >> i want a rewind button to april 2014. that's what i want. because you can't undo this. you cannot undo this. >> reporter: if there has ever been a u.s. city in need of a rewind button, it's flint, michigan. more than a third of the people here are living in poverty. life expectancy is 10 to 20 years shorter than the rest of the state there is not a full-scale grocery store anywhere in sight. >> and then we got lead? if you were to think of something to put in a population to keep them down for this generation and generations to come, it would be lead. it's just a loss of words. >> reporter: but they, dr. mona, leanne, the 100,000 citizens of flint have to believe that clean water will return one day soon. do you know why people have been putting you on tv lately? >> yeah. >> why? >> because they wanted to put us on tv so they could see us. >> because you

none. >> reporter: after hearing about edwards' study, dr. mona hanna-attica, a flint pediatrician, discovered that the number of children with dangerous blood lead levels had doubled after flint tapped into the river water. >> for two years, for almost two years, they were told, you know, the water's safe. it's being tested. we meet all regulatory, you know, guidelines. you can drink water. so there's a huge loss of trust. these are government agencies, whose only job is to ensure water is safe. and they failed. they failed at every level. >> reporter: late today, the governor released e-mails showing how his office handled the flint crisis over the past scott, several show that the governor was aware of residents' complaints about water quality as far back as february. >> pelley: adriana diaz with some of the emergency water rations there. adriana, thank you. well, you just heard the apology of michigan's governor, rick snyder. this afternoon, the governor told us there is extensive ongoing testing of the lead levels, and we thought the public w

it's just a loss of words. >> reporter: but they, dr. mona of thousands of citizens of flint have to believe that clean water will return one day soon. do you know why people have been putting you on tv lately? >> yeah. >> why? >> because they wanted to put us on tv so they could see it. >> because you're handsome. >> yep. >> yep. >> dr. sanjay gunpoint tax, cnn, flint, michigan. >> the story out of flint is just heartbreaking for these families. >> it's unreal what has happened. it really is. >> reporting from dr. sanjay gupta, and we'll stay on top of that story. >> we're back with more cnn newsroom after the break. i'm natalie allen. >> and i'm george howell. stay with us as we bring you full coverage of the next hour of the winter storm that is threatening to impact millions in the northeastern part of the united states. you're looking at a early morning picture of the u.s. capitol. >>> well have more on the u.s. student arrested in north korea. you're watching cnn. our cosmetics line was a hit. the orders were rushing in. i could feel ou

they have put dr. monattisha in charge of it, which is about the only thing in this whole crisis that seems right and competent, nightly. details on how to support the flint kids fund are online right now. maddowblog.com or flintkids.com. >>> here's an update. when i asked hillary clinton tonight about the lead poisoning in flint, michigan, i was surprised by the intensity of her interest in the story, how much she knew about it, but also the force of her critique of governor snyder. she called him out for refusing, as she put it, him refusing for asking for federal help. she said she was outraged business his failure to fully engage the federal government. given what said and the sort of ferocity, we turned around right quick and asked governor snyder for comment tonight. we gave them a transcript of her remarks and we asked for a response. we did get back a smidgen of news. governor snyder this week spoke to the white house and homeland security secretary jeh johnson about what kind of assistance the fede

tony, you heard the governor there talk about dr. mona. dr. to for a very long time about the crisis there. and that was a waste of time. >> you're absolutely right. and that is the first substantive comment from the governor since he declared a state of emergency on the 5th and 30 days since the city and the county declared a state of emergency. they have bottled water. they'll have more filters to purify that tap water and spending three days of talking to residents of flint, we would like to see more details or residents of flint like to see more details and the first is refunds. for the past year, it's now been acknowledged that the water was not safe to drink and residents of flint have been paying $140 a month on average for that water. the congressman dan kildee is calling for a refund of that money. community programs. dr. mona is pointed out that these programs need to be very expansive with medical need. lead is toxic in the brain and doesn't show up right away. 9,000 kids exposed in flint and not seeing trouble in their behavior patt

they have put dr. monattisha in charge of it, which is about the only thing in this whole crisis that seems right and competent, nightly. details on how to support the flint kids fund are online right now. maddowblog.com or flintkids p.m. com. they're taking dough naz from the public. we'll be right back. or stop to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use is approved to treat both erectile dysfunction and the urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any symptoms of an allergic reaction, s

dr. mona hanna- attisha, hurley children )s hospital "i think that )s the biggest trauma that our communities feel right now, they were told for 18 months to relax, they )ve been lied to for 18 months"dr. mona hanna-attisha, a flint pediatrician, took it upon herself to start testing the blood lead levels in children in her community. she found the lead levels had doubled, even tripled in some cases even though the state insisted their tests showed the water was safe. sara ganim, reporting "why do you think their information was flawed?" dr. children )s hospital "their information wasn )t flawed, they had the data, they had even looked at it back in july and had seen these abnormal spikes." what )s more, one researcher claims the state altered data to make the water seem safer. marc edwards from virginia tech, was the first to publicly identify high levels of lead in the water. he says the state not only tested the wrong homes, but also altered a report eliminating tests from two homes that wo

. >> professor marc edwards from virginia tech, and dr. mona hanna-attica sounded an alarm. >> this is what was coming out of their tap. >> reporter: professor marc edwards, a water safety expert from virginia tech, alerted the public for the first time this fall, that flint's water contained high levels of lead. >> there is no safe level of lead in a child. none. >> reporter: after hearing about edwards' study, dr. mona hanna- attica, a flint pediatrician, discovered that the number of children with dangerous blood lead levels had doubled after flint tapped into its river water. >> for two years, for almost two years, they were told, you know, the water's safe. it's being tested. we meet all regulatory, you know, guidelines. you can drink the water. so there's a huge loss of trust. these are government agencies, whose only job is to ensure the water is safe. and they failed. >> reporter: late today, the governor released e-mails showing how his office handled the flint crisis over the past two years. scott, several show that the governor was a

. >> professor marc edwards from virginia tech, and dr. mona hanna-attica sounded an alarm. >> this is what was coming out of their tap. >> reporter: professor marc edwards, a water safety expert from virginia tech, alerted the public for the first time this fall, that flint's water contained high levels of lead. >> there is no safe level of lead in a child. none. >> reporter: after hearing about edwards' study, dr. mona hanna- attica, a flint pediatrician, discovered that the number of children with dangerous blood lead levels had doubled after flint tapped into the river water. >> for two years, for almost two years, they were told, you know, the water's safe. it's being tested. we meet all regulatory, you know, guidelines. you can drink the water. these are government agencies, whose only job is to ensure the water is safe. and they failed. they failed at every level. >> reporter: late today, the governor released e-mails showing how his office handled the flint crisis over the past two years. scott, several show that the governor was aware

flint dr. mona hannah atisha found the number of children with high lead in their system doubled to nearly 70. >> we see the result at five years of age when they need early interventioner iss haves and special education. you see the impact at ten years when they're having adhd-like symptoms. and you'll see the impact when they're 15 years old and they're having trouble with the criminal justice system. >> reporter: elena richardson says her children started getting sick after the water switch. >> what happens after the water fiter is gone? we're still going to have the lead, the pipe, the poison, the disease. >> reporter: in nearby detroit, where flint used to get its water, 90% of homes have less than 2.3 parts per billion of lead in 2013. researchers say anything above 5 parts per billion is cause for concern. after flint's water switch, 10% of homes had more than 11 parts per billion. in one house, researchers from of 13,200, more than twice what the e.p.a. considers toxic ste. flint has pushed

(dr. mona hanna-attisha) "it's a well-known, potent neuro toxin. there's tons of evidence on what lead does to a child and it is one of the most damning things that you can do to a population. it drops your iq, it affects your behavior, it's been linked to criminality, it has multigenerational impacts. there is no safe level of lead in a child." child."for at least a year, city and state officials denied anything was wrong.but according to public data, lead levels in kids double and even tripled after the city made the switch. it's time to check weather with meterologist sarah walters. kristin swilley is on the road now she's on the road in 9 first warning live drive checking on conditions one of the worlds most wanted criminals is back behind the very same bars he escapes from six months ago.why 'el chapo's' stay could be much shorter this time around. here's a look at what you'll it's a twist worthy of a hollywood thriller?notorious drug lord "el chapo" is back behind bars after months on the run.abc's matt gutt-man is in mexico city with more on

. >> professor marc edwards from virginia tech, and dr. mona hanna-attica sounded an alarm. >> this is what was coming out of their tap. >> reporter: professor marc edwards, a water safety expert from virginia tech, alerted the public for the first time this fall, that flint's water contained high levels of lead. >> there is no safe level of lead in a child. none. >> reporter: after hearing about edwards' study, dr. mona hanna- attica, a flint pediatrician, discovered that the number of children with dangerous blood lead levels had doubled after flint tapped into its river water. >> for two years, for almost two years, they were told, you know, the water's safe. it's being tested. we meet all regulatory, you know, guidelines. you can drink the water. so there's a huge loss of trust. these are government agencies, whose only job is to ensure the water is safe. and they failed. they failed at every level. >> reporter: late today, the governor released e-mails showing how his office handled the flint crisis over the past two years. scott, several

. >>> bundle up tonight, we will expect temperatures to drop into the low-20s with wind >> flint dr. mona hannah atisha found the number of children with high lead in their systems doubled to nearly 70. >> we see the result at five years of age when they need early intervention and special education. you see the impact at ten years when they're having adhd-like symptoms. and you'll see the impact when they're 15 years old and they're having trouble with the criminal justice system. >> reporter: elena richardson says her children started getting sick after the water >> what happens after the water filter is gone? we're still going to have the lead, we're still going to have the pipes, we're still going to have the poison, we're still going to have the disease. >> reporter: in nearby detroit, where flint used to get its water, 90% of homes have less than 2.3 parts per billion of lead in 2014. researchers say anything above 5 parts per billion is cause for concern. after flint's water switch, 10% of homes had more than 11 parts per billion. in one house, researchers from virginia tech found

. >> reporter: dr. mona hannasattica led the study on children. >> reporter: when you first saw the results of your study? >> right. >> reporter: what went through your mind? >> i think my jaw just dropped. how could we do this? and what was most disturbing was that it was entirely preventible. >> reporter: five days after her study was released, governor rick snyder, for the first time said publicly it appears that lead levels could be higher or have increased. a week later, he called for flint to go back to detroit's water system. in december, the governor's task force blasted state department of environmental quality which oversees water. the task force complaints by flint residents were met with aggressive dismissal, belittlement and attempts to discredit individuals involved. today the governor asked state legislators for $28.5 million school plumbing and a even a school psychologist. >> adriana diaz, thank you. >>> lead poisoning is especially harmful to children and it is irreversible. dr. jon lapook

you have dr. monaecause she and her colleagues were seeing such off-the-charts lead numbers in dwru young kids. you have the state itself. they tracked it back to their inability to treat the water correctly. maybe it was ph level for something else but it corroded the pipes and lead leached. everybody gets that. flint is going through a hard time on other levels but why mig mitigate this when it's life and death for people. >> i'm not mitigating, chris. what you just said now exaggerated things. >> how so? >> go to the kettering report. mary barra, you're well aware of her. it just came out with a nine-page report it's on the web. everybody should read that. it puts everything in perspective about flint. the current crisis, the history, the demography of flint. the questions of when the alleged poisoning, if that's the word we want to use, have occurred in flint. and what's being done to rectify it. people have got to stop pointing fingers ablame. and assigning culpability to public figures and concen

it's just a loss of words. >> reporter: but dr. mona, leanne, the 100,000 citizens of flint have to believe that clean water will return. one day soon. do you know why people have been putting you on tv lately? >> yes. because they want to put this on tv so they could see us. >> reporter: because you're handsome. >> yeah. >> reporter: dr. sanjay gupta, cnn. >> thank you so much. we will stay on top of this story and bring you the latest out of flint as we have it. >>> still to come, a touching tribute to the man who changed my colleague anderson cooper's life. >> he gave me the sense that i had value, that my ideas mattered. that instilled in me a confidence i don't think i would have otherwise had. >> hear anderson's story about his father coming up next. boy: once upon a time, there was a nice house that lived with a family. one day, it started to rain and rain. water got inside and ruined everybody's everythings. the house thought she let the family down. but the family just didn't think a flood could ever happen. the reality is, flo

. >> reporter: dr. mona hannas attica led the study on children. >> when you first saw the results of your study. >> i think my jaw dropped. how could we do this? what was disturbing was it was preventible. >> reporter: five days after her study was released governor rick snyder said for the first time publicly it appears that lead increased. a week later he called for plint system. in december the governor's task environmental quality. the task force said complaints were met with aggressive dismissal, belittlement and attempts to discredit the individuals involved. today, the governor asked state legislators for $28.5 million to pay for water bottles, upgrades to school plumbing, and even a school psychologist to help with developmental needs. the tax filing season has begun. scammers are burning up the phone lines posing as irs agents trying to rip you off. chip reid has the the story from >> reporter: since we first told you about the irs phone scam the number of people contacted by the scammers has almos

." >> dr. mona hanna-attica led the study on children. when you first saw the results of your study. >> right. >> reporter: what went through your mind? >> i think nigh myjaw just dropped. how could we do this? and what was most disturbing was that it was entirely preventible. >> reporter: five days after her study was released, governor rick snyder, for the first time, lead levels could be higher or have increased." a week later, he called for flint to go back to detroit's water system. in december, the governor's task force blasted the state department of environmental quality, which oversees water. the task force said that complaints by flint residents were met by, "aggressive dismissal, belittlement, and attempts toattempts to discredit the individuals involved." today, the governor asked state legislators for $28.5 million to pay for water bottles, upgrades to school plumbing, dispn a school psychologist to help with the developmental needs. scott, he'll outline that proposal tonight. >> pelley: adriana diaz at the state capitol. adr

. >> dr. mona is director of the pediatric facility in flint. the water switch caused a lead spike in the blood of flint children she confirmed. >> the impact of lead pois poisg we see later. in five years, we will need early intervention and in ten years there will be more kids with adhd diagnoses, we don't see the effects now. >> and "america tonight's" loirnlingsz e-lori jane gliha joinlorijane gliha joins us now. the governor of michigan finally declared a state of emergency. this has been going on for so long. what took him this long? >> nobody took responsibility, not the state, not the county, not the city. so what happened in early december is the city finally did declare a state of emergency which is mainly a ceremonial act but that paved the way for other actions to occur. and during this interim period of time the task force gave their findings, the state bears a lot of responsibility, the governor apologized to the residents of flint and the county declared a state of emergency which then paved the way for the state to do so as well.

. >> dr. mona is a pedestrian tree shan at children's hospital. >> well-known tox iks poison.ming things you can do a population. it drops your iq, criminality, it has multi general nation impacts. no self-level of lead in a child. >> after hearing her patients complain about water that looked and smelled and tasted funny, she decided to investigate. using public information, she found that the percentage of lead in cases doubled, even tripled in some places after the water switch. >> when we saw it was getting into children and knew the consequences of it, i think that's when we gan not to sleep. >> here's how this happened. the core rose sieve flint water goes to the water mains to the service lines to homes. in flint, the water mains are made of iron, which turns some of the water brown. and half of the service lines and pipes in flint homes are made of lead. >> we have to think about that these children were drinking through lead painted straws. >> for at least a year, city and state officials denied anything was wrong. the former mayor, dane walling, publicly drank it to