giving freedom industries two hours to disclose all information about the chemical spill into the elk river. >>> and we take a look at homeschooling and how little to know regulations are causing concerns. >> world leaders are gathering in montreux, switzerland, they're trying to bring a deal to syria. a short time ago secretary of state john kerry was saying that bashar al-assad cannot remain the leader of syria. >> you cannot have peace. you cannot have stability. you cannot restore syria. you cannot save syria. from disintegration as long as bashar al-assad remains in power. >> those who are behind the acts of terrorists, terrorism in syria should choose between an arsonist or fireman. they cannot be both at the same time. >> and nick schifrin is in montreux, switzerland, tonight. tough talk from both sides of the controversy. >> reporter: yes, absolutely a chasm between both sides. but the goal from the u.s. point of view is the same, and that is to try to end the violence inside syria. ththey are convinced that the oy way to do that is to convince assad that he does not have impunity t

. >>> there is now a federal investigation into that chemical leak along the elk river in west virginia, the kwhous declaring a state of emergency after a chemical spill? charleston. health officials warning people not to drink, bathe, or even cook with the water. jonathan thousands of people affected by the spill. what are they doing for water? >> reporter: well at this point, fema and the emergency management groups brought in 12 big tankers of water. but if you go into some of these grocery stores bottled water is hard to come by. we are told that some 300,000 people have been told not to use their tap water, only to flush or in an emergency situation like fire. but authorities are trying to figure out how big of an issue this is. this all came to light yesterday early in the day when this company, freedom industries, reported a leak into the elk river from their facility. no one really knew how serious it was, how bad it was, but people around here started reporting a strange smell. people said it smelled like licorice or candy or cough syrup, and officials got to the water and test

today she and her team are investigating the major spill in the elk river, west virginia.she held a town hall meeting in charleston to discuss this bill with local residents. out the lastund inspection was done on this company and that tank farm was in 1991. erin brockovich >> that waserin brockovich speaking to west virginia residents in a town hall meeting monday night. she's joining us now from charleston, west virginia and also joined in washington by mike elk. he has extensively covered chemical regulations in the united states including at the west texas fertilizer plant where 50 people died in an explosion last year. we welcome you both to democracy now! let's start with erin brockovich . what did you find that the town hall meeting last night? >> good morning. >> it is great to have you with us. >> we were glad we got the town hold together on extremely short notice because we weren't even sure if we would have a facility here. for the folks that came out, i actually heard numerous stories that were disturbing at many levels, but they were mostly very calm. they we

and it's been one week since the chemical spill and west virginia's elk river officials have told residents it's all right to drink water unless you're pregnant or have an update on the week later in the show. it's thursday january sixteenth five pm in washington d.c. and we are david and you're watching our t.v. we begin today with the news that another innocent civilian has become the victim of a u.s. drone strike in yemen the attack was thought to have been intended for suspected islamist militants in the southeastern part of the country however it took the life of a farmer instead witnesses say the farmer had been walking home in the village of a how to early wednesday when he was abruptly killed by the shrapnel of two rockets according to reuters a local government official has confirmed the report but as declining to give further details this attack comes just a month after the massive drone strike killed at least fifteen people travelling in a wedding convoy human rights organizations argue that there were no islamic militants in that convoy and that only recent innocent civilians we

the elk river flows into the kanawha river and flows into the ohio river and it's all just downstreamirginia residents are finally starting to get their water back on off a five day do-not-use order. their chemical spill is no longer west virginia's own. a 60 mile chemical plume of contaminated water that started in the elk river in west virginia is now starting to drift downstream into ohio and kentucky and is drifting toward indiana. today, the ohio river water valley sanitation commission reported that the chemical spill has reached the meldahl locks and dam. the chemical licoricey smell is moving. as it closed in on cincinnati, ohio's third largest city, the mayor there is preparing to shut down the city's water valves along the ohio river tonight for 48 hours. starts tonight. trying to keep what happened in west virginia from happening in cincinnati, too. a federal investigation into this ongoing disaster is now under way. members of congress have started calling for a regulatory hearing to figure out how this could have happened. but you know who's not calling for a regulatory h

i'm assuming that are of the elk river. it looks like a beautiful river, recreational area as well. >> sure. in the summer time you'll see voters, people on the river. for decades he's been known as the chemical fally, especially those that called the kanawha valley home. people heard of chemical leaks and spills in the area. >> you have supposedly 300,000 people who made the impact without water. what do we hear about tomorrow. >> the latest estimates are saying that the area increased. the latest number of people was 100,000 people in this area. the last that we heard from the national guard, they are sending in truckloads, working on the number. some say 50 truckloads of water. 75 loads of water. most of the bottled water. most is supposed to arrive friday afternoon. officials are establishing locations, where citizens can go and pick up water now or get fresh water, because small sections of local community of municipal water sources have not been contaminated. at this point there was a statement from the spokesperson f

washington is sending it in the wake of the dangerous chemical spill into the elk river. this was just moments ago fema trucks arriving in charleston, west virginia bringing the water to hundreds of thousands who can't drink or bathe or use the tainted supply. a federal disaster declaration has been issued for the affected counties. at the same time, an investigation has begun into what happened, why, and who may be responsible. until then, the water supply there is off limits. jonathan martin is on the scene. >> fema and homeland security have brought in about 12 tanker trucks like the one behind me to help with this crisis. many people have been bringing sizable containers and filling them up with water because at this point it is not clear how long this problem will last. it all came to light yesterday morning when the industrial company freedom industries reported a leak from one of their containers, a chemical leaking right into the elk river. this was an immediate concern because their facility is really close about a mile and a half upstream from the water treatmen

a chemical spill in the elk river in charleston threatens water supply. so far nothing has been reported. thousands of internal documents are being released in the chris christie traffic scandal. he fired his senior aide who is accused of orchestrating traffic best -- backups. that city's mayor did not endorse the governor for reelection. >> for the first time, d.c. police chief talks of the community about the high-profile arrests of three officers. the charges against the officers range from child photography to picking up teen girls to attempted murder. the arrests are troubled into the community. they're supposed to keep us safe. this is the latest of those concerns. this one some information. they just want to know what happened, why it happened, what you're doing about it. a church ofhouse at residents who wanted answers from the police chief. after two officers were wound up on the wrong side of the law. mark washington was arrested for pornography. the other was pimping underage girls. the two officers and -- acted alone. >> we cannot find any oth

a 60 mile chemical plume that started in the elk river in west virginia is now starting to drift downstreamnd kentucky and rifting towards indiana. today the ohio river sanitation reported the chemical spill reached the locks and dam, that chemical licoricy smell is now in ohio. it is still moving. as the slurry closed in on cincinnati the 3rd highest city, the mayor there is preparing to shut down the travels tonight for 48 hours. it starts tonight. trying to keep what happened in west virginia from what happened in cincinnati, too. a federal investigation into this ongoing disaster is now under way. members of congress have started calling for a regulatory hearing to figure out how this could have happened. you know who is not calling for a leg e regulatory hearing? the most prominent member of congress, woes district includes parts of greater cincinnati. >> i am entirely confidence that there are ample egs regulations on the box to help protect the health and safety of the american people. somebody ought to be held accountable. we try to look at those regulations we think are cumbersome

air is linked to the spill of thousands of gallons of for meth the cycle hexane methanol into the elk river earlier this month state officials have blasted the testimony the west virginia american water company called simon tens of opinion misleading and irresponsible the west virginia department of health and human resources put out a statement saying quote scott simon turns presentation to the west virginia joint legislative committee today is totally unfounded and does not speak to the health and safety of west virginians they also argue that familial height is only created under extremely high temperatures but simonton is not the only expert speaking out richard denison a toxicologist at the environmental defense fund said he thought the center for disease control might have called the all clear too early given the fact that the only research ever done on this chemicals health effects were tests on lab rats done back in one nine hundred ninety he also pointed out that only adult rats were exposed to the chemical so it is hard to determine the effects on children now to be fair the c.d.c

s there has been a chemical spill in west virginia the elk river officials have declared a state of emergency of three hundred thousand people and nine in the west virginia counties have been told not to drink bathe or wash clothes in this contaminated water of a report from the area head. one time obey has been the holding war on terror detainees for twelve years the facility is known for waterboarding forced feedings and indefinite detention but will it ever close and what will happen to those still in limbo at the facility we'll try to answer some of those questions ahead and in south dakota and indian reservation the faces a host of problems from incredibly high unemployment to alcoholism locals worry what may happen if a ban on alcohol is lifted we take a deeper look at this reservation that a leader in the show. it's friday january tenth eight pm in washington d.c. i'm perry i'm boring you're watching r t america and west virginia a chemical spill into the elk river caused governor earl ray tomblin to issue a state of emergency and nine counties and a water ban for three hundred thousan

it leaked from a factory along the elk river in charleston. >> we need to know exactly the quantities that we're dealing with. we're still trying to work with -- through the msds sheet and the company that manufactures the product with their toxicologists, hygienists to try to understand the risk assess assessment. so whatting kind of quantities can be present in drinking water and not pose harm to our customers. we don't know that the water is not safe, but i can't say it is safe. >> erica ferrari has more on how residents are responding. >> reporter: shelves are empty inside this grocery store. customers snatching bottles of water and when that runs out, ice. >> now it's utter chaos. >> reporter: water is scarce following a warning do not drink, bathe, cook, or wash clothes with the tap water officials say early thursday a chemical used to separate coal particles in the coal-prepping process leaked from an old storage tank and went seeping into the elk river. there is a treatment plant nearby and it's that company's customers who are affected? . >> we are fairly confident that our w

some of it overran a containment area, and ended up in the elk river. an estimated 300,000 people are affected in nine counties, many of them reporting a smell like black licorice. emergency hotline centers like this one are fielding calls. >> we've had some complaints about eyes burning, things of that nature. best advice is to stay inside right now until they get this taken care of. >> reporter: for now, people are being told to avoid using tap water to bathe, drink, cook or wash clothes and dishes. jeff mcintyre heads the charleston water treatment plant. he says the chemical is not especially toxic, but it's not worth taking a chance. >> we don't know that the water is not safe. but i can't say that it is safe. >> reporter: testing shows contamination levels in the river are already falling, but mcintyre says it's too early to say how long it will take to clean the water system. >> our activities will be to go away from the treatment plant in concentric rings if you like, flush the system and sample the system to make sure it's safe for our customer

on the elk river. about a mile down river is the west virginia american water company which supplies nine counties and some 300,000 people whose health may now be at risk. >> if you get it on your skin, you'll get a skin rash. if you breathe it or drink it, but especially breathe it, it will irritate your nose, throat, upper respiratory tract. >> reporter: the frustrated head of the water company says news of the leak came from the state, not freedom industries. >> they did not report this to us, and i have no idea if they reported it to anybody else. >> reporter: freedom industry says the first priorities were safety containment and cleanup. meanwhile, governor worked to head off any potential panic. >> it is important to emphasize that water and supplies are available and there is not a persistent shortage of bottled water. >> reporter: as folks here wait for word their water is safe again, surrounding counties are opening fire hydrants to help out their neighbors. now, tonight, officials continue to

west virginia officials now confirming a second chemical also finding its way into the elk river. the department of environmental protection ordering freedom industries to release any unknown chemicals by 4:00 pm today. >>> anti-abortion protesters gathering in washington, d.c. the march is held every year to protest the decision of roe v. wade. >>> and a short while ago the un envoy to syria says there is no guarantee they will be able to bring both sides to the table in the talks. world leaders have gathered there trying to end the violence. >>> our other top story being the frigid cold weather effecting millions up and down the east coast. >> yes, there are very dangerous wind chills. first off we have this blowing and drifting snow. that is creating a blizzard warning. visibility is down because there is blowing and drifting snow. we're seeing visibility down along with the gusty wind. the temperatures are being reflected by this cold air down below zero. look when you factor in the wind this is what it feels like on your skin. low-pressure, this is the storm that brought all

west virginia officials confirming a second chemical finding its way into the elk river. freedom industries has been ordered to release any information regarding unknown chemicals by 4:00 pm today. >>> and thousands of protesters expected at the march for life. that includes a rally on the national mall. those events scheduled to start shortly. >>> a war of words in geneva. world leaders have gathered to try to end the violence in syria. there was a heated exchange between ban ki-moon and the syrian foreign minister. >>> parts of indonesia are now water after saying of heavy raining. officials say 4100 people are staying in temporary shelters, an estimated 120,000 residents have been effected. as many as 12 have died as a result of the flooding. >>> and going back to our top story, people dealing with bitter cold and a terrible drought. dave warren joins us with both. >> yeah, the bitter cold, we'll start off with that. that is what is behind this storm that came through the northeast. we'll put these lines on here. this shows where the lowest pressure is. this actually g

in west virginia was about a chemical that leaked from this tank at freedom industries into the elk river which supplies drinking water for nine counties. drinking, cooking, bathing has been banned for days. now a second chemical was leaked into the river. west virginia officials learned tuesday 300 gallons of the chemical were mixed in with the mchm crude which leaked into the river, revealing it was part of the mixture. health officials for the center of disease control and prevention said that the chemicals small enough that it was likely diluted by the river water and water treatment processes will have removed it. testing will confirm that. what is good for good is trust. quote, it was freedom's responsibility to let people know that there was another chemical in the tank, and they did not. >> that is jonathan martin reporting from charleston, west virginia. >>> mexico is trying to block an execution set for today in tex texas. a mexican citizen was accused of killing a police officer ten years ago. he was in the country illegally and was not given access to the mexican consul which

a state of e mergency in west virginia after a chemical used to clean coal leaked into the elk river in charleston. people in nine counties have been told not to drink, bathe or wash their clothes in tap water. a federal investigation has been launched. jonathan martin is at the scene. jonathan, what's being done in terms of getting people the relief that they need? >> reporter: fema has helped, they brought in water. the truck behind me. that was one of the trucks full of bottled water. he's gone. so many people have been coming by here, getting the bottled water they need and there is also behind me, you can see, a lot of people to bring canisters and fill those up to take home. a lot of people bringing some big canisters because they just don't know how long this water crisis will last. so, again, some 300,000 people told, do not drink this water. do not bathe in it. really, only they are being told that they can their toilet, the system. so at this point, that's what they are told they can do now. this all started on thursday, thursday morning, when this company freedom industrie

the elk river, a water source for hundreds of thousands of people in west virginia, and now contaminated with a chemical used to clean coal. >> the only appropriate use is toilet flushing. don't wash with it, don't shower with it. don't drink it. you can't just boil it. so it's not a boil water advisory. it's a do not use advisory. >> reporter: the chemical leaked out of fats belonging to freedom industries. customers noticed because it smelled strongly of black licorice. the chemical safety data sheet says warning, harmful if swallowed, causes skin and eye irritation. but west virginians were exposed to the chemical at very diluted levels, levels that have been going down. >> we don't know that the water's not safe, but i can't say it is safe. >> reporter: health officials say some 4 to 6 people were admitted to the hospital with problems related to the contamination, minor problems such as nausea and vomiting. friday the west virginia department of environmental protection issued a cease order to freedom industries telling them to stop all operations. the company issued a statement say

thousands of gallons of a chemical used to clean coal leaked from a storage facility along the elk river this charleston. it happened yesterday. people in nine counties have been told not to drink, bathe or wash their clothes in tap water until further notice. we're live in charleston. we're talking about 300,000 people in need of water right now. what's being done to help them? >> well, tony, a lot of people right now waiting for water. we're outside of one of the shopping centers, and really you see there is a tanker here. there were 12 of these tankers brought in from fema and homeland security. but there is no one waiting out here any more. they've actually given out a water here. no word when they'll have more water. they'll have energy drinks to give away. you're talking about a lot of people looking for water. 300,000 people effected in the west virginia area, nine counties. this has effected the whole town, the whole area. schools were shut down, restaurant, this whole thing came to light at 10:30 in the morning when this company reported there had been a leak from their facility

we'll get the latest after this massive chemical spill in the elk river.is christie repeatly apologizing for a high profile bridge traffic jam scandal trying to squash what has become a political discussion if not a firestorm. governor christie fired a top aide after emails showed she intentionally shut down lanes on the highway in political retribution. >> i'm responsible for what happened. i'm sad to report to the people of new jersey that we fell short. we fell short of the expectations that we created over the last four years for the type of excellence in government they should expect from this office. martha: joined by juan williams fox news political analyst and mary katharine ham. this was quite riveting given who this is. this is governor chris christie. one of the most high profile republicans out there. how did he do? >> if it was a matter of the oscars he gave arrive thing performance to use your word. but the show goes on. there are two outstanding investigations. one from the port authority which controls the bridge and the other from the demo

water from the system because there might be trace amounts of the chemical left it started near the elk river right here. next to the ohio river which runs south to kentucky and beyond the three investigators insist that the love of the ncaa champ will be so offended by that time many regions of all of those states that the wire will be staying. northern kentucky water district authorities and the greater cincinnati waterworks how close their water intakes on the ohio river just a thought for caution. problems continued to play for in an industry is as a company tries to clean up the chemical spill. if the un inspectors for the state department of environmental protection sign of the company and for finding the violations at the secondary storage facility where the chemical corps moved on friday. an inspection report the dp said quote secondary containment within the facility wasn't hearing and or non existant the plan indicates that the building itself acts as a secondary containment what was the exist at floor level in the building's walls the problem you so is serious and three the industr

they are not only testing for the chemical that was put into the elk river behind me but we will see what else is in the water here what other sort of chemicals have made their way into the system? a confusing situation that continues to develop especially with the chapter 11 filing yesterday. and this new l.l.c. that was opened up by the brand-new owner of freedom industries to fund this chapter 11 and keep it operating while they are in the bankruptcy courts. jonathan? >> robert ray followed it for us in west virginia. we will have more on that story later. meantime, a third new jersey mayor is accusing chris kristi's administration of retaliation. he said kristi's aides demanded she approve after development. dawn zimmer said i was directly told by the lieutenant governor, she made it clear that the rockefeller project needed to move forward or they would not be able to help me. kristi's office denied her claims calling them a political move. governor kristi's administration is already under fire for the lane closings on the george washington bridge, also believed to be political

thousand gallons of the chemical that they are producing here right beyond those storage tanks is the elk river or one of those stores tanks or at least chemicals into the river that was taken downstream to a local water treatment facility freedom industries didn't report the leak until thursday morning when residents complained of a strong licorice smell in the air that odor was seventy five hundred gallons of a chemical known as for meth the psycho hexane methanol or him c h m for short it's a foaming agent used to clean coal before it goes to the market before the spill little was known about the effects of in c.h.m. and there was no way to test for it in the air or water nor its effects on humans now investigators are continually testing the water waiting for the m.c.h. in levels to get down below the e.p.a.'s recommended one part per million before they flush the system and give residents the all clear at this point there are more questions than answers like who decided to build a chemical plant upstream from a water treatment facility and would never have thought this not in this day and

the faulty storage tank was leaking that chemical right into the elk river, which serves as the mainr supply for much of that part of west virginia. that leaking storage tank on the banks of the elk river ended up contaminating the drinking water for about 300,000 residents in nine different counties. more than 15% of the whole population of west virginia was affected by this. what's unfolded in west virginia over the last four days has just been a total disaster. residents instructed not to use their tapwater for anything that wasn't flushing toilets or putting out fires. local hospitals forced to ration their water use. local officials setting up water distribution centers around the area to get clean water to local residents using the national guard and their water buffalo tank distribution systems. it's just been a mess. and it was not until late friday night after a day and a half of silence that the president of the company responsible for this disaster finally faced local reporters. and when he did, it was amazing. please watch this. >> guys, it has been an extremely long day.

thank you and west virginia a chemical spill into the elk river caused governor earl ray tomblin to issue a state of emergency and nine counties and a water ban for three hundred thousand people over five thousand gallons of coal preparation chemical has escaped from a tank at freedom industries in the state's capital the link was discovered last night but it's possible it's been going on for longer r.t. correspondent megan lopez has more. state and federal authorities are working around the clock in charleston west virginia after a spill leads chemicals into the elk river just one mile upstream from a local water treatment facility so the spill comes from a forty eight thousand gallon chemical storage tank from freedom industries right now west virginia governor earl ray tomblin has declared a state of emergency for nine counties surrounding charleston west virginia schools and businesses have been closed and the three hundred thousand or so residents that have been affected by this spill are told not to drink the water not even to wash their hands with it only to use it to flush the toi

will talk about it all week, trying to figure out a fix to the fact that there was a leak on the elk river river and 300,000 people were not able to drink or bathe in water. >> let's get a check of the weather. you are telling me a big change is coming to the north-east. >> yes, we have cold air, colder than today. we got a chill in the air today. now we'll get more to come. now we are seeing the cool air bringing snow showers around the great lakes, and upstate new york, from sarah cues to maine. there'll be a couple of inches before it tapers off and the next round comes in. still dry in the west >> temperatures 36 in minneapolis. it's 36 in new york now. that air starts seeping down as we get through the day tomorrow. it will move to the northern plains. temperatures will be diving as the wind gusts will be picking up 40 to 50 miles per hour. it will be colder to the north, but not as warm to the midwest and mid-atlantic. we are expecting a high of three, but kansas city, you'll drop to 22 and a little snow will come in with that. 2001 to two inches with a blast of cold air. your low te

the white house has issued a disaster declaration after a chemical spill along the elk river. >>> the data breach at target keeps getting bigger now the company says up to 110 million shoppers could have been affected and what's worse, target says hackers stole more than originally reported including names, mailing addresses, e-mail addresses and phone numbers. >> congress facing renewed pressure to extend long term unemployment benefits after job figures for the end of the year fell short of expectations, the labor department says the economy only added 74,000 new positions in december. >>> hundreds of documents related to the bridge scandal surrounding new jersey governor chris christie, does not appear to underpipeline christie's position that he was unaware of the scandal and unaware of his staff'staff's actions until thi. america tonight is up next. i'm john siegenthaler i'll see you next week on monday night and you can always get the latest nution on ldges.com. -- e-news on aljazeera.com. consider this. the news of the day plus so much more. answers to the questions no one else

a second chemical found its way in the elk river. it's an insolvent that could be toxic to the skin. we're joined live from charleston, west virginia, where jonathan has been covering the story for a week. jonathan, why are we just learning about the pph, and why wasn't it disclosed earlier? >> tony, that's the big question. health officials and state officials want to know why they're just learning about this. we have learned that they don't believe there is any new health risk, but they're going around and doing testing on some of the tampsamples to see if it is detectable in the water. officials are still saying they believe the water is safe to drink. >> a second chemical pph leaked from a soldier tank along the elk river part of the same spill three weeks ago. >> when i saw that there is this new chemical, one of many, i'm sure, nothing at this point can surprise me, and i will never use the tap water here again, ever. >> state officials apparently didn't know either. they found out about the pph when they received a document tu

the chemical plant where the toxic chemical used to clean coal spilled into the elk river, that plant state or federal officials in over 20 years since the year 1991. according to "the wall street journal," officials knew they were stored near the drinking water of west virginians, but it is unclear what they did with that information. freedom industries has been trying its best to clean its hands of this disaster and move on. on friday night after only six minutes of speaking to reporters and in between sips of bottled water, the ceo tried to wrap things up. callie cart was not going to let that happen. >> look guys, it's been extremely long day. i'm having a hard trouble talking at the moment. i would appreciate it if we could wrap this thing up. >> reporter: we have a lot of questions. it's been a long day for a lot of people who don't have water. can you give us an exact timeline as to how this all happened? >> we were first aware of any material being spilled at 10:30 yesterday. >> is there any system in place at your facility to alert you to spill? >> at this time, that's all we

. >> a chemical spill in the elk river shut down schools and businesses. >> the only appropriate use is toilet flushing. >> one grocery store manager said it was utter chaos. gallon tank it is chemical plant leaked and ran into the river. the extent of the damage is not yet known. cleanup crews are working furiously, but it could be weeks before the water supply is safe. >> [laughter] >> officials insist it was not deadly and residents say the smell was not that unpleasant. >> there will be creative adjustments to normal daily routines, like showering. president obama declared a state which means the federal government can start helping residents. >> an update now to the massive security breach involving millions of target customers. the company is now offering one year of free credit monitoring to all customers. that roughlyieve 70 million customers were affected. target says more details will be announced next week about how to enroll in free monitoring. the saratovs, shortage thankfully is over. long shortage began when a los angeles judge ordered the factory to halt production. re

. >> toxic chemicals spilled woo the elk river and it could be several days before the water is safe again. the state's attorney general says he wants to make sure this thing doesn't happen again. more for ashha rfer quaraishi. >> consider these photographs popping up on social media, supposedly showing the water still cloudy. schools are still shut down and families are still asking, is the water safe? >> it's terrible we don't know how long it will be. we'll be without everything. >> the investigation into what went wrong why and how is just beginning and it centers around freedom industries, where the first signs of the disaster started with the smell of licorice. authorities found a hole in a containment law, large enough for achemical used in processing coal to trickle out into the elk river. inspectors hadn't checked that portion of the plant since 2001. after the spill, freedom industries moved the it found several violations including no record of employee training since 2004. no record of quarterly site inspections, a failure to store drums containing materials that have the

an estimated 7500 gallons leaked from its charleston facility right into the elk river.ed to move the chemicals to another facility. one issue with that, that plant already has safety violations, including an emergency containment wall that has holes in it. let's bring in danny jones. mr. mayor, thank you so much for joining us. let's start with the safety issue first. if the cdc is concerned about pregnant women drinking water, even out of an abundance of caution, why should anyone feel safe drinking it? >> well, to me it tastes very good now, finally. and we have made a lot of progress on getting water out into the nine counties and i understand we are even over half what you stated in your lead. but i'm certainly not smarter than the doctors and i wonder if you tested all of the waters in this country, how much of it would be safe. this has been devastating for this area. these nine counties and four my city. and we are looking forward very much to getting back to normal if we're ever able to get back to normal. >> you said that freedom industries is ran by a small gr

chemicals came out of some of those into elk river, affecting 300,000 people in west virginia, a week or so ago. on friday, freedom industries filed for bankruptcy. there's more information. on december 31st. company was bought by j clip ard forest. yesterday a new company was opened by j clip ard forest, calledman an ear funding llc, created to provide funding to freedom during the bankruptcy loan. we believe that that company was opened up so that j clip ard forest could shield away major claims and liabilities, lawsuits and protect the $20 million purchase. the question is as to why would someone purchase a company with so much massive debt. >> let's tip down this. they owe $2.4 million to the irs. they owe 3.6 million and have 200 creditors. they owe over $90,000 in property taxes. the amount of questions around the bankruptcy and the purchase of this company are absolutely extraordinary. on top of that, in the meantime we spent most of the day, saturday on the ground speaking to residents as to whether they think the water is safe. we did independent water testing. here is what w

it travelled down the elk river to the river and found in ohio. and the chemical was found in the drinking water there and several other intake drinking water areas. impacting thousands who make their lives along the water. down river in louisville, the water intake valves will remain open and the authorities will catch whatever chemical remains. back in charleston where some tap water still smells like licorice and is discolored authorities urged customers to keep flushing their faucets. >> if there is additional coloration, we ask they flush wait for an hour and do that step again. >> reporter: now, officials here think the chemical plume will be gone tomorrow, certainly friday at the latest. brian? >> anne thompson, in kentucky, thank you. across the river from cincinnati, thank you. >>> and the battle over abortion was back before the supreme court today specifically this time, abortion protests and an effort to limit them around the entrances to clinics. the question before the justices today, does it violate free speech? we get our report fr

that chemical a form of methanol drained into the elk river. the governor of west virginia urging people not to drink their tap water. >> do not use any of the water with the exception of using it to flush the commodes or fire protection. don't cook in it, drink it, wash clothes in it, take baath in it. >> if you drink this contaminated water you might experience severe burning in your throat, severe eye irritation, nonstop vomiting, severe skin irritation like blistering or you might have difficulting breathing. emergency rooms are packed and stores are running out of bottled water. this morning west virginia state university is cancelling classes due to a state of emergency. other schools and hotels are closing as well. the water company says it is conducting water tests every hour to figure out the contamination level. joining me on the phone right now is league leah, the director of the boone county west virginia emergency management agency. good morning. you have your hands full. bring us up to date. what's the latest? >> well, as far as i

last thursday, chemicals leaked into the elk river, affecting nine counties. chip reid has more. >> after four days lining up for bottled area, some people in the charleston area are close to their limit. >> do you have a sense of how long it is going to be? >> i wish we knew.ak a shower! >> officials say the water is still not safe for drinking bathing cooking. at the freedom industries plant where the leak occurred they are putting containment booms in the water, to protect the water from the chemical to wash coal. collecting water samples and testing them, to determine the concentration which smells like licorice. >> can you still smell the licorice or is it decreasing? >> you can still smell the licorice. >> not as strong as it away is? >> no, sir at strong as it was sir. >> west virginia governor earl ray tomblin. >> we can see light at the end of the tunnel. i ask all west virginians to be patient while we work to restore service to the areas. >> some have managed to keep a positive attitude. >> how you holding up sir? >> wonderful, these guys are the be

the chemical spilled into the elk river, and it also closed schools and businesses, but the governor said the latest tests are encouraging. chip reid is in charleston. good morning. p>> reporter: good morning charlie and norah, and good morning to our viewers in the west. here at the plant where the leak occurred, the water in the elk river is now testing in the safe range and the governor of west virginia says he can see the light at the end of the tunnel. >> please don't jump ahead, but don't go out and say things are good because the green light has not been given yet. >> reporter: west virginia governor said it's still too soon to say when the ban on cooking, bathing, drinking tap water will end, and that's frustrating news for people who spent four days lining up for bottled water. >> you have any sense how long it's going to be? >> i wish we knew. i wish we knew. i just want to take a shower. >> reporter: up to 5,000 gallons of the chemical which is used to clean coal leaked into the elk river thursday and friday. >> that's all we have time for. thanks for coming. >> we have mo

yesterday we ordered the company to stop girl flows down to the elk river. this is unacceptable. >> you heard the governor say. they don't have a timeline. it could happen in stages. at this point the president of the water company said they're doing a variety of tests. they're flushing the water out and smelling it and a variety of tests, making sure that the water is available for people to use. it could be a day. it could be several days before people can use it again, tony. >> so jonathan, has a federal probe been launched? >> reporter: well, yes, we know that the department of justice has gotten involved. and the u.s. attorney issued a statement. they say they're taking this very seriously. the company involved has not issued a statement at this point. they want to know when this happened, and did people--were people notified on time, how did this happen and why did this happen? we're waiting to hear from the company. that's what the federal investigation will center around. >> jonathan martin for us in west virginia. thank you. we have disappointing ne

in fact some of the only testing that's been done on the chemical that went down the elk river was on animals. so there's not really a whole lot that they know about how this may affect people in the future. >> all right, robert ray reporting robert thanks very much. now to california where there's been little or no rain for months. today california governor jerry brown declared a drought emergency. some of the state's reservoirs are at their lowest rates in years and agriculture is starting to suffer. >> hopefully it will rain eventually but in the meantime we have to do our part, making it easier to transfer water from one part of the state to another, so that farmers particular those with friendly crops can keep them alive. >> brown is urging people the cut down their water use by at least 20%. the drought is making it more difficult for firefighters near los angeles, we turn to jennifer london who is in irvingdale, california. jennifer what was the situation for the people who were forced from their homes? >> the mandatory are evacuation order has been lifted, the san gabriel moun

nine counties are under state of emergency after a chemical spill into the elk river. >> everybody wants to know when. when will we have water? what do we do when the water comes back? >> there's no clear timeline for when the tap water will be safe to use. state officials say they're flushing and testing the system hourly. the latest results show the chemical are declining and undetectable in some areas. >> i believe we're at a point where we could say that we see life at the end of the tunnel. >> reporter: west virginia's governor said when the ban is lifted it will be done in phases. there is a 24 hotline residents can find out when their neighborhood is in the clear. in the meantime the federal emergency management agency is trucking in cases of bottled water. while she's frustrated elizabeth knows she's fortunate as a librarian she's able to work. the worries about others whose jobs are being affected. >> i'm more concerned about the long-term ripple affects for the lives of people i know who this is a big deal. it's hurting their businesses. they work part time. >> reporter: jonath

>> that's the charmer who runs freedom industries which two weeks ago spilled chemicals into the elk riverinia which rendered undrinkable and toxic the water supply for one in six people who live in that state. since the company president's i've had a long day press conference, that company has been sued many times. they've declared bankruptcy. the people of west virginia have, of course, gone days without access to safe water. even after some of their water was declared safe, it was then still found to be unsafe. hundreds of people have gone to west virginia mopts with symptoms consistent with exposure of the chemical that was spilled. the governor claimed people were on their own. they have to make their own personal decision as to whether or not your water is safe to drink. that's nice. it's been a bad two weeks in west virginia since freedom industry tank number 396 spilled its contents into elk river and started this whole disaster. and now there's more. turns out freedom industries just realized there was something else in that leaking tank. a second chemical was in the tank. the pre

the chemical that spilled into the elk river is now breaking down as formaldehyde. it is colorless, but can cause burning eyes and throat. the epa says it causes cancer. inhaling is more dangerous than ingesting. the lungs are more permeable. the chemical is most evident when taking a hot shower. state officials declared the water safe for human consumption a week after this bill. -- after the spill. they say they tested the water and it shows no traces of formaldehyde. the d.c. fireust department taking heat for the death of an elderly man. >> city leaders are in the crosshairs. we will tell you why. [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman, we know in the cyber world, threats are always evolving. at first, were protecting networks. then, we were protecting the transfer of data. and today it's evolved to infrastructure... ♪ ...finance... and military missions. we're constantly innovating to advance the front line in the cyber battle, wherever it takes us. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman. >> welcome back. we want to get a check of the weather. it is

the company behind the west virginia chemical spill says a into theemical leaked elk river along with the first. freedom industries did not report ppa had a leak into the water until tuesday. it, is even less toxic than the first chemical, according [music plays] coolest concerts in the inld, a group of musicians sweden are playing in an eco-it with instruments handcrafted out of ice. six weekspent treating the instrument in the backyard. cool, get it? >> hard to keep them in tune. >> they would be just fine performing of the national mall with our temperatures. nextaying cold with the couple days, a few passing snow showers, cold tonight and tomorrow. saturday, a chance for some showers. a couple clippers. saturday we will be in the mid 30's. sunday, partly sunny, monday, a few flurries. back in the 20's. we went up a degree, our average went to 44 today, but no one told mother nature. >> she needs to get on board. doug hill will have your updated forecast tonight at 5:00. we will see you tomorrow morning for "good morning washington." have a great day. [dramatic music] ♪ >> hey! how