george solis reports. >> reporter: this collection of jars and vials in akron, ohio, may hold the answer to what is safe to drink for hundreds of thousands in the coming days and weeks. >> have been working nonstop. >> reporter: and his team have been testing water from near the norfolk southern train derailment in east palestine. >> what are your findings >> well, the results are kind of still confidential between us and the client. so we are not supposed to discuss the results here with anybody else. >> reporter: but those are the results people are waiting for. some east palestine residents even waiting to get a test. >> nobody has come down our road and talked with anybody to see if they need their well tested. >> reporter: the lab has been contracted by the county where the crash occurred and the one next over to analyze water samples collected from residents' wells this room right here is where all the samples are brought in, sorted, before they're tested complex machinery testing for more than 175 compounds, including the hazardous chemicals onboard the derailed train that may be

george solis is in east palestine >> reporter: tonight emotions still running high in east palestine, ohio. >> the most frustrating part is norfolk southern is making me question whether i'm a good parent >> reporter: three weeks since the norfolk southern toxic train derailment sherese munyon, mother of two, says she's feeling trapped between a sea of information and instinct >> i have a 10-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son, and are they going to in ten years be diagnosed with cancer that's from this >> reporter: these renewed fears come as truckloads of hazardous waste from the site are once again on the move after the epa temporarily paused shipments over the weekend they're now being transported from east palestine to epa-vetted disposal sites in nearby cities >> the addition of these disposal locations gets us closer to having enough capacity to finish the cleanup >> reporter: officials in michigan and texas irate over what they say was a surprise delivery of tons of contaminated waste from the derailment. >> the outward effect of it looks like we're being sandbagged >> rep

george solis is there. >> reporter: tonight tempers flaring in east palestine. >> i'm not happy at all. >> reporter: outrage brewing following norfolk southern's ceo allen shaw's unannounced visit on saturday residents fuming as more questions linger over the toxic train derailment that's fueled concerns over air and water quality. >> why wasn't this voiced openly so we could all have gone and had a few words with this person >> reporter: mike mckim was among a small group of business owners and community members who spoke with the ceo privately. >> he was apprehensive about coming here with a bunch of angry people i'm not afraid to say it wasn't right and a lot of other people feel the way i do. >> reporter: security cameras from his newly opened winery captured the nearby fire and derailment customers are now canceling reservations. >> the american dream turned into the american nightmare >> reporter: in an interview with nbc's ohio affiliate wfmj, the ceo declined to answer specific questions about cleanup concerns at the site >> we'll work with the ohio epa on safe operations and s

>> george solis joins me now from east palestine, ohio. george, what's happening at the derailment site now? >> reporter: kate, the ohio epa says they'll be installing water wells at the site to determine if the ground water is contaminated also, all but 11 of the rail cars have been removed from the site those that are still there are part of the ongoing ntsb investigation. kate >> george, thank you >>> we are just hours away from the launch of another spacex rocket carrying an international crew to the space station. tom costello is at cape canaveral tonight with more. >> reporter: while spacex rocket launches can feel routine, there is nothing routine about space travel these days. nasa and the russian space agency continue carrying each other's astronauts and cosmonauts to space, even as war rages in ukraine. >> this is mission control houston -- >> reporter: while on the orbiting space station, a docked soyuz spacecraft suddenly sprang a leak in december. >> and the flight controllers here at michigan control in houston have been noti

so, julie and grant george solis, i appreciate you being with us this morning. thank you for your time. turning now to more breaking news, we're following this morning, last hour the five ex-police officers charged with murdering tyre nichols appeared in a memphis courtroom. tyre's mother is speaking right now. >> -- i'm about transparency. that's the first thing. i was retired. but it is good to see the country and the state still interested in what's happening in our community. and especially in the prosecution of this case. this case -- >> his mother just finished speaking. we'll, of course, bring that to you shortly. this is going on live right now outside of the courthouse. >> so that is what i see. and the process is -- >> can you lay out what you think the next year will be in terms of this case? the next hearing is in may. and then what is the next -- >> i can only do -- i've been a trial lawyer and i can tell you the process. it is not as swift as the indictment. but the indictment was the most important thing to get the wheels of justice to truly roll.

we have george solis in east palestine with the latest. george, what is the situation now?from breathe a sigh of relief despite air is safe to breathe. it has been two weeks since the chemicals were spilled into the region. many residents are fearful their future is floating into the ether. governor dewine is saying they are getting help from fema and turning his attention to prevent future derailments. capitol hill lawmakers are demanding more information about the safety practices. on the list, norfolk southern, operaor of the derailment. they are committed to staying here through the clean up and saying they paid out $2 million to impacted residents. as far as the investigation goes, the ntsb chair says they are looking at a mechanical problem with the axle as possible cause of the crash. they are looking at the video of sparks on the train 20 miles before the derailment. the ntsb has not provided a timeline of when they believe the investigation will be complete. in the meantime, officials here are saying they will be opening up a clinic to further address the health co

joining us now from east palestine, ohio, is george solis. george, good morning. reporter: a number of questions that residents have both the long term and the short term. the short term being the cleanup at the site where the train derailed. the long term, things like water and air quality. people want to know when will it be safe, if ever, to return back to their homes. you have people that have returned to town but you also have people staying away because they are concerned for their health. you mentioned the epa administrator who is in town today. he plans on taking questions directly from the residents who have the most concern. he also wants to give some demonstrations of some of the air and water quality monitoring that's been going on. for reference here, i want to give you some context. ohio emergency management says they have been doing consistent water testing out here and keep finding no evidence of any contaminants in the water. as of yesterday, the epa issued an update saying they have screened more than 459 homes and found no detections of vinyl ch

joining us now from east palestine, ohio, is nbc's george solis. george, good morning. exactly are those federal officials doing on the ground today? >> reporter: yeah, good morning, jose. the big news here is that federal authorities gave the train operator the green light to begin the disposal of hazardous material from the derailment site. they had to put a pause on that. they really wanted to take a better look at where this material was going. we do know that that material was heading to two sites in michigan and one in texas. officials there are saying they felt they were blind sided by some of this contaminated water and soil heading to their facilities there in town. mind you, the epa has said repeatedly these were vetted sites regardless. officials said we found out through news reports officials were coming to town. the epa said we're going to stop this until we find other places to do that. yesterday they came out and said we did find that right here in the state. some of this hazardous material. some of this water and soil is going to two locations here in t

nbc's george solis is there. george, some of the hazardous waste is shipped to other cities in ohio. what more can you tell us? >> reporter: good morning, lindsey. the epa over the weekend announced nor foling southern had to pause operations for some of the disposal they were doing at the derailment site. officials in texas say they were blindsided by some of the contaminated water. mind you, they were epa approved but officials felt they should have gotten more notice. the epa yesterday saying the two new sites they're sending this material to are in ohio, one in east liverpool, the other in vickery, ohio. this is where some of the dirt, water and soil will be going to. the epa saying they're looking at more sites, not just in ohio but around the country. we asked them what about the areas this has already been sent to. what about michigan and texas? they're saying they won't accept more at this time but stressed those were epa-vetted sites. still, officials have concerns. take a listen to what the mayor of east

back to you. >> our thanks to nbc's george solis. >>> this morning students are returning to michiganfirst time since the mass shooting that left three students dead and five critically wounded a week ago. over the weekend funerals, vigils and tributes were held in honor of the victims of the shooting. nbc's jesse kirsch is in east lansing, michigan, with a reaction on campus. i can't imagine these students, after this gunman opening classroom doors and opening fire, i can't imagine how they're trying to move forward. >> reporter: i want to put an image in people's minds here, the walk to class, your first day of school back after a break, obviously not a typical break for college students by any stretch. imagine going on your walk to class, the first day back to campus and there are flowers, signs of support, chalk on the sidewalk. all these reminders of what unfolded in the past week. that is, no surprise, leaving a conflicted sense on this campus amongst students as to whether or not they're ready to go back. here is what one student shared with us about his thoughts over the weeke

nbc's george solis is in east palestine, ohio. george, what's the latest? norfolk southern to resume disposal of hazardous material. those sites in ohio are in east liverpool and vickery, ohio. as officials in michigan and texas raised alarms after they found out some of this toxic waste was being delivered to some of their locations, to e.p.a. approved sites. still, officials said this was unbeknownst to them and they were irate about that. the ohio e.p.a. is in the process of installing water monitoring to test for further ground contamination. we have word from norfolk southern, they are removing scrap metal from the site as their excavating soil from the tracks, as they get ready for track removal to assess the remediation or contamination that may have occurred at the site. residents upset about how all of this has unfolded. today you don't see it as much because of the weather. ordinarily, sidewalks are line up with free food and bottled water give away. this is three weeks after the derailment and after repeated claims from officials that the water a

nbc news correspondent, george solis is in east palestine. george, off lot of residents who say they don't entirely believe that it is safe to go home. you also have a lot of residents who say they can't afford to leave. talk to me about what you're hearing and the hard place that these folks find themselves in. >> yeah, good afternoon, katy, a lot of residents understandably frustrated, feeling they've received a lot of mixed messaging in the last several days, especially when it comes to the quality of the water. governor mike dewine saying we have done the testing and retesting, assuring residents that their water and air are safe. a lot of people are saying they aren't buying it. they're feeling sick, feeling the irritation in their eyes and throats. the governor saying we may not be eligible for fema assistance but we are filing paperwork, so should that change, we have that documented. we're using health and human services and the cdc. they want to open up collins, so people can be checked if they are feeling sick. we don't want to down

nbc news white house correspondent, mike memoli, along with george solis on the ground in south carolina where the recovery is happening. george, let me start with you there in south carolina. any progress? are they pulling any of this stuff in? i know there's a desire to recover what they can from this balloon to assess what capabilities were on it. >> yeah, good afternoon, that is the million dollar question. we know right now thanks to a briefing from a u.s. general, we know there are diverse in the water with robotic equipment. we know it's about 15 football fields by 15 football fields wide. the pentagon said the debris fell in 42 feet of water, and the recovery should be fairly easy. we now know there are two navy vessels out there, one categorizing the debris, and the other mapping the ocean floor to find more. we know security is a big part of this. there are three coast guard cutters, along with u.s. military aircraft providing security, and we know the department of defense is working with the fbi and local law enforcement to collect as much debris as possible to get some intel

let's go live now to nbc news correspondent george solis in east palestine, ohio, what kind of assistance talking about? >> yeah, good morning, jose. a lot of people wondering that very same thing. one thing we also know as far as federal aid coming to the region, we know the department of health and human services will be partnering with the ohio health department to open up a clinic here tomorrow to address those lingering health concerns related to the derailment. now, keep in mind the governor and other officials say that there's been no evidence yet that this derailment has officially made anyone sick, but they do know that a lot of people have reported coughs, burning eye sensations, and even some rashes. they really want to make sure that they're addressing those health concerns. now, not far from here, there's a church where we understand there will be several rooms set up to triage people. there will also be a mobile clinic outside to start addressing those health concerns. we know that appointments started as early as 8:00 a.m. this morning. from where we are, we have not seen a

i want to bring in nbc's george solis who's in east palestine.g to community medical examiner. i'm very curious to hear what the reaction was to the surprise visit, and do they feel like federal help is getting there in a way they want it to? >> reporter: yeah, a lot of residents understandably upset if this is an announced visit. for a number of days now, and any other help the company is going to provide this tight knit community. mind you, the ceo says they are committed to staying here and working through this clean up. there is a relief center here where they are handing out thousand dollar checks which makes a big difference to the people in the community. so far the company says they have handed out 2.6 million. as far as other federal help, you have the department of health and human services, working with the ohio department of health to start setting up a clinic to start addressing health concerns. mind you, we have been at the staging area where the health clinic will be set up. and so far, we haven't seen anything set up. we know it i

george solis is in north myrtle beach, south carolina, for us today. george, what are u.s. officials saying about this balloon, the pieces of the balloon that have been recovered so far? >> seeing is believing with the images released by the navy that show the scope of this thing, that fragment of balloon they are now moving from those boats, presumably so they can be forensically analyzed to get a sense of what was aboard this balloon and what this balloon may have had on it as well. it mentioned that payload about 2,000 pounds, that's according to u.s. officials. we know the navy is out there right now, still combing the waters. a vessel you might be able to see behind me about ready to take off. that's been the story of the day. one boat after the other heading out into the atlantic, combing that debris field. we know it has been getting smaller and smaller as the days have progressed. we know they have been using divers, robotic equipment and sonar to really get a sense of where most of this debris is. because of the size of this area, we know that some of these fragmen

joining me from east palestine is george solis. ompany saying? >> reporter: good afternoon, katy. the epa wants to let people know that their voices are being heard and that their concerns have not fallen on deaf ears. they say they are continuing to monitor the water and air quality. at this point, as you mentioned, they are saying it is safe, but of course, that has fallen on some deaf ears, because a lot of people are saying that they are feeling sick as a result of this derailment. though, at this point, there is no scientific evidence to link that. though some people that i've been talking to here say they've been getting blood work done. they want to know what is in the air what is in the water, when you consider there have been fish killed and people are showing up to work or school today with rashes on their skin a they cannot explain. the epa here saying, look, we're not done, the job's not done. we want to make sure we really get to the bottom of whatever may have caused, a, this derailment, and b, whatever was spewed out

i want to bring in nbc's george solis on the ground in south carolina, also msnbc international affairs former ambassador to russia michael mcfaul. it's good to have both of you here. george, set the scene for us. how extensive is the search, and what do we know about what they found so far? >> reporter: good afternoon, chris. we know navy divers and vessels are out there in the water continuing to search about a seven-mile stretch of ocean where it's believed a lot of this balloon debris fell. even on a bright and sunny day today it would be difficult to spot the vessels with the naked eye. we've seen people with binoculars on the beach trying to get a glimpse you managed the video that appears to show some of that balloon debris recovery here in myrtle beach. supposedly some of that debris will be spread among various intelligence agencies for further forensic analysis. we do know according to the pentagon, most of it fell in about 42 feet of water. that's pretty shallow. the timeline forgetting a lot of this debris is supposed to move fairly quickly. although there has been no timeli

nbc's george solis has more from myrtle beach, income south caro. what is the latest on the search? >> methodical and widespread, a navy vessel is being put into the water. this is where we first saw some of the possible debris being recovered after it was shot down. we want to get to some pretty remarkable images of the department of defense that they did release of some of the recovery efforts of the balloon. you can see the scope of the work that is taking place behind the scenes and off the coast of the carolinas. this is a massive white balloon. this is just a fragment of some of the pieces that the department of defense, the navy and other military are working to gather right now. they're working to do this fairly quickly. this is as big as the snoopy balloon from the macy's thanksgiving day parade. so a lot of people telling us when they saw this thing up in the air, they didn't get a sense of how large or small the balloon is. now we are getting that sense and not just the balloon debris they're after, they're also after that payload that information that may have been contr

as george solis reports, residence there were not happy with the visit. >> reporter: tempers flare in east palestine outrage following norfolk's ceo unannounced visit saturday residents fuming as more questions linger over the toxic train derailment fueling concerns over air and water quality. >> voiced openly to have gone and had a few words with this person. >> reporter: among a small number that spoke with him privately. >> apprehensive coming here with a bunch of angry people. i'm not afraid to say it wasn't right and a lot of other people feel the same way that i feel. >> reporter: security cameras from his newly opened winery captured the nearby fiery derailment customers canceling reservations. >> the american dream turned into an american nightmare. >> reporter: in an interview with wfmj the ceo declined to answer questions about cleanup at the site. >> worked with the ohio epa on safe operations and safety for the community. >> reporter: the company says they distributed more than $2.6 million to help residents, but the department of transportation saying they will hold the c

nbc news correspondent george solis joins us now from east palestine, ohio. a lot of back and forth between state and federal officials here and who is saying what over -- about safety in that area. the epa administrator held a news conference. what did he have to say? >> reporter: the bottom line here is they're saying that it is safe to be here. it is safe to breathe in the air to drink the water, they're conducting 24/7 monitoring still after this derailment. unfortunately not a lot of people are buying that right now given that some have gotten sick and they said their livestock and fish are dieing in their water ways. they're trying to do their best to say that things are looking up on -- on the up and up while they continue to monitor the conditions here. listen to what he had to say during the press conference. >> if those homes have been tested, and if those homes have been tested by the state, and given a clean bill of health, yes, as a father, i trust the signs, i trust the methodology this state is using and as a parent, i would. >> and bottom line

nbc's george solis has more from columbia, ohio, ten miles northwest of east palestine.e know one detail regan will likely address is the ongoing air quality and water testing. what more are you hearing from people who live there are actually weary testing efforts? >> reporter: a lot of residents remain skeptical. many who remain close to the derailment sites say they have headaches, runny noses, rashes, things they can't explain. the health clinic that is opening up today is supposed to address the health concerns from the residents. a lot of this is anecdotal. right now there is no definitive proof that anything from the derailment site caused anyone to actually get sick. they know the residents have questions. they want to make sure they're seen by the best experts to begin addressing some of the concerns. and you mentioned that the head of the epa is here, they will be doing some demonstrations of how they're monitoring the air and the water alongside the governors of both ohio and pennsylvania. but, again, from here, just the days we have been here, the skepticism g

nbc news''s george solis is in east palestine, ohio. remind us the health officials people say they're experiencing and if the government continues to insist that the air, the water is safe, why do they need to set up clinics at all? >> reporter: good afternoon. yeah, people here in town say that they are feeling lightheadedness, they are feeling nausea, they have burning eyes, and in some cases they are reporting rashes. mind you, a lot of this is anecdotal. so far officials have said there's no evidence of anything related to the derailment, hasn't made anyone sick. however, they do know that a lot of people are concerned and have set up a health clinic or are about to, i should say, tomorrow to address those ongoing health concerns. mind you a lot of people still are very skeptical about the type of help that this town has been receiving. norfolk southern here responsible, saying they are taking full responsibility for this. they have been giving out $1,000 checks to members of the community, business owners, locals, anyone that's be

let's go to nbc news correspondent george solis in east palestine today.orter: good afternoon, kate. they're saying they don't have a definitive timeline but they're working as fast as they can to ensure that norfolk southern presents them with a plan and gives them a timeline as tomu wn they could move contaminated soil out of the area. they're excavating the soil at the cleanup site. cleanup efforts are still ongoing. the head of the epa saying they want to make sure norfolk southern is held accountable. he's expressed that and today he opened an epa welcome center in town to further help address residents' concerns, be it about their water, air quality or about the soil. he went today to a local business, even a high school to take questions from students who are wondering about the future of their community. i had a one-on-one with him. take a listen to what he told me. >> i was on derailment site earlier. i wanted to see for myself. we have a level of efficiency we're requiring of the company. i'm satisfied with the movement that i'm seeing. i want th

back to you. >> george solis, thank you very much. >>> and the biden administration's new strategy tow strings attached to the nearly $40 billion in federal funding freed up for the semiconductor industry by the c.h.i.p.s act. tomorrow, the commerce department is set to announce that any manufacturer seeking a piece of that money will need to provide affordable high quality child care for its workers. joining me now is "new york times" white house correspondent jim tankersley, so jim, this was a bit of a surprise? >> yeah, sort of a new thing for the federal government to do to put a string like this to money that is meant to be industrial policy to build out the semiconductor industry in the united states. >> so what do they have to do to meet the child requirement to get this money? >> it's flexible. they have to work with commerce officials to come up with a plan, and basically make sure workers have access to child care that's affordable, high quality, that's available in places where there often isn't a lot of it. judge big where these chip makers are looking to locate new plants

george solis is there. >> reporter: tonight, more anger mounting in east palestine >> we're so far out and we still don't have answers >> reporter: shelby walker's home is near the toxic train derailment site. >> we have no choice to live here right now. >> reporter: walker says just days after the derailment she started feeling sick >> i have lost my sense of smell and taste since then some respiratorial issues >> reporter: she says she's tested negative for covid and that her doctor was unable to explain her symptoms ongoing epa testing of the air and water has not yet shown a threat to the community, according to the agency still some residents say they aren't convinced. >> i'm very frustrated >> we don't think they're taking care of all the pollution that they should be >> reporter: u.s. transportation secretary pete buttigieg urging norfolk southern and other rail companies to drop previous resistance to certain regulations the agency says would improve safety on america's rails. in a strongly worded letter to ceo alan shaw buttigieg says, "the people of east palestine cannot be f

. >> i want to bring in nbc's george solis is in in palestine, h, nbc's carol lee covering the white house for, and former maryland congresswoman donna edwards is with us as well. george, what else did the governor have to say today? >> reporter: yeah, good afternoon, chris. you heard the governor trying to strike a more positive tone saying, look, we have been inside numerous homes, 500, checking the air quality, and things are on the up and up. we have not forgotten about you, we are still monitoring this, and we do want to hold the train operator accountable. what that accountability looks like, could not say. one of the questions that was brought up during that press conference is why not declare a disaster declaration and have fema come here pause this is, in fact, a disaster. he says at this point fema says there isn't enough happening here to officially declare a disaster declaration but they are filing the paperwork necessary. so should norfolk southern stop paying there is that plan in place to make sure the residents are not left hanging. also mentioned a number of federal a

here's our reporter on the beach, george solis. >> the message from authorities in the carolinas is thatsome of this balloon debris happens to watch onshore in the coming days, to simply leave it alone and certainly don't take it home because you could be interfering with a federal investigation. >> don't take the balloon home. the chinese continue to say this was a weather balloon that was blown off course. the u.s. is hoping to recover electronics that will tell us one way or the other, are the chinese telling the truth. >> what i found interesting is over the weekend we found out that wasn't the first time this happened. >> that's right. we believe it's the fourth time we know about. the biden administration and the white house talked about one other time. bloomberg's reporting shows there were three times during the trump administration as well. one of the speculations is civilians actually saw this one and said what is that. >> right. >> this may be the first time the american public noticed one of these, and there's why we've known about it as this one has flown across. >> really i

i want to bring in nbc's george solis who was there for us. what do we know about what's happened so far and what's to come? >> reporter: the head of the epa is meeting with residents one on one, and questions about air quality and water. the epa has been here on the ground. they have been a presence since this derailment occurred, and they are actively looking at concerns. they have been in homes. 500 or so, doing indoor water and air quality checks to make sure it is safe. yes, things are looking better. they know that may not be a comfort to some people who are experiencing some symptoms, who are reporting feeling sick, nausea, headaches, people who are noticing fish kills in their waterways, reporting livestock that may be getting ill. they have a lot of work ahead of them. they want to hold the train operator accountable through all of this as this investigation unfolds. one thing they want to make sure to let people know is they are an active presence here, and in work is ongoing. it will be a 24/7 operation until they are certain it is

. >> want to bring in george solis now who is there for us. good to talk to you. what more do we know first and foremost about the concerns about the rain and chemicals spilled, and what else are officials saying this morning? >> yeah, good morning, yasmin. yes, of course the rain is a big concern here, that some of those waterways could be contaminated with some of that runoff from the train derailment. the emergency response teams are here on the ground hoping to prevent as much of that from happening. there's also the talk of building those dams to prevent those waterways from being contaminated. how effective will that be and how quickly can they mobileize that. we are expecting to get some of those answers later this morning. michael regan was meeting with residents showing them how they can conduct that 24/7 air and water quality monitoring. a lot of people here not convinced their answers to their questions are being heard. they're concerned they're getting sick, livestock getting sick, their pets, children, appearing with rashes, they're getting headaches.

commerce committee plans to hold a hearing near east palestine, ohio no date has been set yet our george solis has the latest from the ground where waste removal has resumed. >> re >> reporter: emotions still running high >> norfolk southern is making me question whether i'm a good parent >> reporter: three weeks since the derailment, charise, mother of two, says she's feeling trapped between the sea of doubt. >> i have a son and daughter, are they in ten years going to be diagnosed from cancer from this >> reporter: the epa temporarily paused shipments over the weekend. they're now being transported from east palestine to epa-vetted disposal sites in nearby cities. >> the addition of these disposal locations gets us closer to having enough capacity to finish the cleanup. >> reporter: officials in michigan and texas irate over what they say was the surprise delivery of tons of contaminated waste from the derailment. >> the outward effect of it looks like we're being sandbagged >> reporter: ohio's governor announcing five truck loads of contaminated soil were returned to east palestine. as the

nbc's george solis has the very latest on this story george, good morning to you. >> reporter: craig,rning. the big news here is that federal authorities are now allowing norfolk southern, the train's operator, to resume disposal operations of that hazardous material at that derailment site. that material now heading to two sites here in ohio this comes just days after officials in multiple states raised flags saying they were blind-sided by the arrival of tons of contaminated water and soil to their facilities this morning, environmental protection agency is allowing norfolsouthern to resume shipments of hazardous wastes from the site of the toxic train derailment in east palestine, ohio. >> we know it is far better to have it safely stored in a professional construct and monitored disposal facility than remain here any longer than necessary. >> reporter: one of the new facilities receiving the waste, east liverpool, ohio the mayor of that city reacting. >> you can see it from my backyard and it is literally in some people's backyards. so it is definitely concerning >> reporter: the

nbc's george solis is in north myrtle beach with the latest on this george, good morning to you. >> reportercraig, good morning. we're here at the site in north myrtle beach where the possible balloon debris was recovered over the weekend, and just this morning, moments ago, we were here as what looked like more military personnel boarding two small boats and gearing up with scuba gear, heading toward the atlantic this is telling that the search for debris continues this morning. this morning, crews are zeroing in on the wreckage from the chinese surveillance balloon with the u.s. navy releasing these new images of the ongoing recovery efforts the coast guard setting up a security zone around the crash site, the size of about 15 football fields. military divers are using robotic, underwater equipment in the ongoing search and recovery operation. all of it as the diplomati drama intensifies with china saying it reserves the right to retaliate with the u.s. for shooting down the balloon. >> we made it clear to china what we were going to do they understand our position we're not going to back

nbc's george solis is in surfside beach, where they're working to recover that aircraft. searching that large 7-mile stretch of ocean where it's believed a bulk of the balloon debris fell over the weekend. this has been the talk of the town. many people coming to the beach, including yesterday, in the pouring rain to catch a glimpse of the recovery efforts. there's video circulating of what appears to be possible debris collected by the military yesterday in myrtle beach. the pentagon says that the bulk of the debris fell in 47 feet of water which should make recovery fairly easily. it crossed a large portion of the continental u.s. has been a weather balloon that drifted off course but then we saw it shot down by a single side winder missile from an f-22 jet a spokesperson from the chinese ministry of foreign affairs responding this morning calling it an unacceptable and irresponsible action we know the department of defense is working with local law enforcement and the fbi to recover as much debris as possible including any surveillance equipment that might have been on

. >> nbc's george solis is in east palestine. george, what do we know about regan's third swing through town, and what do residents want to hear from him? >> reporter: on that message of accountability, that's something that the head of the epa has said numerous times they want to hold norfolk southern accountable. here in this third visit, we know the head of the epa is visiting the derailment site as we speak. he will come to this high school to meet with residents and meet with teachers here for the first time as far as we know. he's going to visit businesses in town. a big headline, they're going to set up a welcome center run by epa staff to further address residents' concerns. a number of residents feel enough hasn't been done. some residents tell me they haven't seen anyone come to their door. i spoke to a mother of two yesterday who feels simply enough isn't being done. they're thankful for all the support that's come from around the region, even around the country in terms of food, shelter, and bottled water, but there's

nbc's george solis joins us with the very latest on it. morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. several people have returned home but others are choosing to stay away citing fears that their health may be in jeopardy. that's despite several statements from officials that insist air and water quality is safe after several rounds of testing. overnight, tempers flaring at a heated town hall. >> this isn't about me. this isn't about you. it's about us as a whole. >> reporter: it's been nearly two weeks since a train operated by norfolk southern carrying hazardous chemicals derailed and caught fire. >> we're being railroaded by the railroad. >> reporter: people worried about their health point to the death of thousands of fish in local waters and what they call a frustrating lack of answers. this morning, federal epa administrator michael regan is traveling to the site. >> we are with the community. we're going to hold this company accountable. and we're going to be here until this problem is cleaned up. >> reporter: while state officials

that tops a previous record held by hungarian conductor, the late george soly. she won four awards, making her officially queen of the grammys. taking home the big one, harry styles winning album of the year for "harry's house." his second win of the night, third grammy win overall. viola davis, the rare and coveted egot status. she won her first grammy tonight for her performance of the audiobook for her memoir "finding me." egot is the grand slam of an emmy, grammy, oscar, and a tony. davis is the 18th person to achieve that status. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> bay area in the house at the grammys tonight. ward show paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with a massive performance. the oakland rapper too short taking the stage, laying down rhymes from "blow the whistle." the performance featured several other rappers. it was designed to represent every generation of hip-hop. >>> the countdown to the super bowl is officially under way. we're now seven days away from kickoff. you can see both the competing teams, chiefs and eagles, tupping down in phoenix, arizona. the big

. >> nbc news correspondent george solis is in nearby columbna, ohio, george. >> the ceo of the trainpany sat down for an interview with cnbc earlier. what'd he have to say? >> reporter: the ceo reiterating his commitment to the community. he says that he has come back to this town multiple times, most recent visit was this past saturday. many residents have said that it was unannounced. he says he's come back to even drink the water. i want to read briefly a quick statement put out by norfolk southern. it says we recognize we have a responsibility and we've committed to doing what'right for the residents of east palestine. we have been paying for the cleanup activities to tate, and will continue to do so. far as the orders go. here's a little bit more of this conversation from cnbc. >> this has been a traumatic experience and all the toxicology reports, all the testing show we're clean. however, if folks are experiencing symptoms with which they're not accustomed, i would strongly encourage them to see a trusted medical professional. >> reporter: yeah, a lot of residents very upset,

joining us is nbc news correspondent george solis. thank you for being with us. so many are still on edge? >> reporter: yeah. good morning. many residents here very upset. ceo came into town over the weekend and met with some local leaders, firefighters, employees that work here in town. many residents frustrated that did not get a chance to voice concerns specifically about the health concerns as the ohio department of health will open a health clinic in town here tomorrow. this morning, residents of east palestine expressing frustration. >> it is a terrible accident. it falls on their shoulder. it is their train. >> reporter: the ceo of norfolk southern made an unannounced trip to the town, the second since the derailment as fears in this tight-knit town escalate. >> why can't they do anything about the air? i couldn't breathe this air? >> reporter: mike mckimm was among a small group of business owners that spoke with the ceo privately. >> he was apprehensive about coming here with a bunch of angry people. i'm not afraid to say it wasn't right. there's a lot o

joining me now from myrtle beach is nbc news correspondent george solis. they doing, and what exactly are they looking for in the water? >> reporter: good afternoon, katy, we have new reporting on the ongoing recovery efforts. we know that military divers are in the water with robotic equipment to basically survey the area, a debris field that we know is about 15 by 15 football fields wide. you can imagine that's a large area that they have to look at it. we know they couldn't go into the water yesterday because the water and the weather is a bit choppy. we know there's two navy ships out there looking for debris, one of which is using sonar capability to map out the underwater, pentagon saying that a lot of debris fell in shallow water, 42 feet of water. the recovery should be fairly easy. we know there's as many as three coast guard cutters and military airport providing security. one thing you did mention, as the debris is walking on shores, officials stressing, certainly don't touch it, and don't bring it home. doing so could be mean you are interferin

george solis is in south carolina and our global affairs reporter is in washington. george, let's go to you first. what is the latest on the recovery effort today? what are they expecting to find? >> good afternoon. we can report new information. attributable to a u.s. general. there are military divers in the water right now with robotic equipment surveying some of that large debris field. last check it is now about 15 football fields by 15 football fields wide to give you an idea. we also know according to that official that there are at least two navy vessels in the water. one has -- one of which has been categorizing and collecting some of that debris. the other using sonar equipment to map out the bottom of the ocean where some of the debris is falling. you know pentagon officials say that there was at least 42 feet of water. a lot of the debris fell which should make the recovery of this remnant pretty quickly. we also know that there is at least three coast guard cutters and u.s. military aircraft providing some security. as far as the debris that is washing up

nbc's news's george solis has more. >> reporter: we know fema has boots on the ground, but in additionthat, we know the department of health and human services will be partnering with the ohio department of health to open a health clinic here in east palestine as early as tomorrow to address the growing health concerns here in this community. mind you, officials have said there's no evidence to show that anything related to the derailment has made anyone sick. we know a number of people have reported headaches, rashes and feelings of nausea, that they believe are associated to that derailment. in addition to that, a lot of people in this community are upset over an appearance by norfolk southern ceo alan shaw, we know they met with local leaders and business owners. he did not meet with the majority of residents who wanted to voice their frustrations about the health concerns. norfolk southern says they are committed to the community, they have paid $2.6 million to residents and business owners for their losses. we know lawsuits are also starting to mount against the company. the ohio

joining us now from east palestine, ohio, nbc news correspondent george solis. what is the latest on the cleanup, and what do we know about toxins in the water and air? >> reporter: yeah, good morning, mika and joe. residents here really concerned. they say they're all for the attention that their town has gotten. they wonder if the publicity has been good for them or bad for them, but they do want accountability. a lot of people here, this has been a boots on the ground operation. you have people within this community, people from outside this community bringing things like food, bottled water. the big headline that we know today, the epa announcing yesterday that they're going to allow the train operator, norfolk southern, to begin and resume disposal of the hazardous material. mind you, this is going to other states outside of ohio, and that was alarming to officials. in michigan and texas. officials were blindsided this was coming into their states unbeknownst to them. epa said they'd find sites in the state. they did. two of them epa approved that this mate

. >> george solis, thank you. >>> admiral stavridis, what can you tell us. >> you know the admiral will sat's the u.s. navy recovering that balloon and that debris. it will be quickly handed off to our wonderful cleanse community partners. they'll look for three big things, jose. number one, the technology itself. how sophisticated is this? was it able to connect directly to satellites? did it store information on board? number two, perhaps most importantly, we're going to try to find out how much china was able to collect. the balloon passed over extremely sensitive sites. it's much lower than a satellite. how much intelligence did china get? that will be kind of a damage control assessment. third and finally, looking forward, you're going to see an effort made to kind of reverse engineer this in that how can we know about this sooner? when can we take it out? what more advanced capabilities might be added to this in the years ahead? how are we going to respond the next time? i'll close with this, jose, this won't be the last balloon in our adventure with china. >> i'm just wondering a

i want to bring in nbc's george solis from ohio. set the scene for us, both in terms of that show of force and the response to the health concerns. >> reporter: that's right, the head of the epa michael regan announcing that norfolk southern was going to be held accountable for all cleanup associated with the derailment site, the soil contamination, water contamination, any costs incurred by the epa. if they go into people's homes and they address any of the concerns, health concerns related to that, they're also saying that the epa will charge norfolk southern three times whatever costs they incur if they find the company is not doing what they said they're going to do. they're also asking the company to go to any public meetings that the epa requests. they're putting them in the hot seat. as far as the health clinic goes, a few residents upset with how this is playing out. they were understanding this might be a clinic where they might be able to see a doctor, get some tests done. turns out this is more of a place where they can g