worry, skepticism, and anger about what is really happening and about what people are being told ron allen is covering it for us tonight. >> reporter: tonight outrage growing less than two weeks after that massive train derailment and the controlled burn of hazardous chemicals sent up a toxic plume of black smoke in east palestine, ohio. >> it doesn't smell safe. i'm taking my things, and i'm out of here. >> reporter: residents demanding answers complaining of burning eyes, nausea, headaches and a pungent odor and reporting dead animals. officials confirming 3,500 fish killed by the chemicals. >> don't tell me it's safe something is going on if the fish are floating in the creek. >> reporter: state officials now suggest drinking bottled water after telling evacuated residents it was safe to return home the governor, who approved that controlled burn of toxic chemicals to prevent an explosion, was asked if he'd return home if he lived near the crash site where crews now work to remove soil and wreckage possibly contaminated by chemicals like vinyl chloride, suspected of causing cancer. >> i

lester >> all right, ron allen with that developing story in ohio, thank you. >>> intriguing new details tonight about that chinese surveillance balloon shot down over the atlantic ocean, including how american spy planes tracked it, and what u.s. intelligence agencies hope to learn from it. andrea mitchell now with the latest. >> reporter: tonight, the head of u.s. northern command says the ten-square-mile debris field from the chinese surveillance balloon has been narrowed to less than a square mile. the coast guard setting up a security zone around the crash site with the military saying the balloon was 200 feet tall with a payload weighing more than 2,000 pounds. the president taking a hard line against china, which today escalated its attacks, saying it reserved the right to retaliate against the u.s. >> we've made it clear to china what we're going to do. they understand our position we're not going to back off we did the right thing. >> reporter: the goal now, analyze the wreckage to determine what information china was able to learn and whether it was using new technology >> we w

ron allen is there tonight. >> reporter: at the county humane center, teresa maguire says she hears about sick pets and livestock every day. >> we're hearing a lot of this. we're hearing a lot of decreased appetite, not wanting to drink if they do drink, they're throwing up. >> reporter: luke lavin says he is too afraid to return to his home half a mile from the crash site. >> i don't want to go home because i don't have the answers to go home. >> reporter: anger mounting in east palestine nearly two weeks after a fiery train derailment and controlled burn of hazardous chemicals sent a huge, dark, toxic cloud over this rural community. and despite almost daily assurances that days later it was safe for thousands of evacuees to return home what do you say to people who are just scared >> you know, i say first and foremost, i'm a father a husband. all families want to be safe, and they need to know that their air is clean and their water is safe to drink. >> reporter: today the country's top environmental official, here personally trying to reassure residents was it the correct call to tell

of that toxic train disaster in ohio as the transportation secretary visited for the first time ron allen is there >> reporter: tonight, with the scene being cleaned up, new details about what caused the fiery derailment federal investigators saying a preliminary investigation shows an overheated wheel bearing likely to blame. >> this was 100% preventable. >> reporter: the ntsb says the train passed over two detectors, which showed the bearing was heating up by the time it hit a third detector, it was 253 degrees above air temperature, triggering an audible alarm to warn the crew, who then slowed and stopped the train. >> this is a community that is suffering. this is not about politics what i care about is figuring out how this happened. >> reporter: the ntsb chair says there is no evidence the crew did anything wrong in a statement, norfolk southern says our highest priority is the safety of our people and the communities we serve adding, it will continue to support the ntsb's investigation. while today transportation secretary pete buttigieg visited for the first time after criticism f

ron allen has the latest. >> reporter: in the heart of east palestine, mike mckim worries how business will be when he opens his new winery next month. the fiery derailment happened just a few blocks away and he fears may have ruined his dream. >> we have a stigma here that we're dirty, and it hurts. it hurts everybody here. >> reporter: like many in this rural community of 4700 people he's grateful for the national attention, though doubtful it will last. today former president trump running for president again visited and slammed the biden administration's response to the disaster in a county that gave mr. trump more than 70% of its votes in 2020. >> we have told you loud and clear, you are not forgotten. you are not forgotten. >> reporter: east palestine now a political hotspot. tomorrow transportation sector secretary pete buttigieg criticized for not traveling here yet expected to visit with the ntsb set to release its preliminary report on the cause of the derailment. investigators have said they're analyzing security camera footage of the train before the derailment and looking

ron allen is there with dramatic new video. >> reporter: tonight, emergency crews desperately tryingget control of a potentially deadly situation with a controlled detonation. for three days warning residents the burning wreckage of a freight train could explode, sending shrapnel and toxic fumes a mile in every direction over a rural ohio community. >> it's kind of crazy for a small town like this. >> reporter: thousands of residents under a mandatory evacuation order. police going door to door, threatening families with children with arrest if they don't leave. >> police car came up and said evacuate, evacuate now, get out. >> reporter: friday night, as many as 50 of the train's 150 cars derailed en route from illinois to pennsylvania. today, the response focused on five cars carrying hundreds of thousands of pounds of vinyl chloride used to make pvc pipes and vehicle upholstery, and also linked to increased risk of cancer, according to the cdc. >> this is a matter of life and death. this controlled release will actually take place, and you are in eminent danger. >> reporter: offici

lester >> ron allen in new jersey, thank you. >>> heated debate in congress today before the gop-led house voted to remove democratic congresswoman ilhan omar from the foreign affairs committee, citing her past comments condemned as anti-semitic ryan nobles has more from the capital >> reporter: tonight, democratic congresswoman ilhan omar defiant >> and my leadership and voice will not be diminished if i am not on this committee for one term >> reporter: after republicans took the dramatic step, voting to remove her from the foreign affairs committee. house speaker kevin mccarthy says it's in response to omar's past comments, which both republicans and democrats have condemned as anti-semitic including saying support for israel was all about the benjamins, baby, and that israel, quote, hypnotized the world comments omar has apologized for. >> when it comes to foreign affairs, especially the responsibility of that position around the world with the comments that you make, she shouldn't serve there. >> reporter: this new showdown after mccarthy kicked democrats adam schiff and eric sw

ron allen has late details. >> reporter: tight, the epa ordering the rail company responsible for the massive fiery derailment and its aftermath to clean up the disaster site and pay for it >> norfolk southern will pay for cleaning up the mess that ty created. >> reporter: if they don't, the epa says the company could be fined up to three times whatever that cleanup costs. is this action tough enough >> oh, it is we're going to demonstrate to this community that norfolk southern will be held accountable. >> reporter: in a statement, the company saying, we are committed to thoroughly and safely cleaning the site. >> we're going to continue our financial assistance to the residents of this community. >> reporter: the company says it's reimbursed or committed $6.5 million so far meanwhile, officials continue trying to reassure residents the air and water are safe and that testing will continue indefinitely, even drinking the water themselves but many residents still worry about health problems. >> don't feel good can't breathe. head's ringing ears hurt. my teeth hurt. >> reporter: we cau

>> ron allen for news ohio. thank you. >>> jeff bezos is taking another step to nfl ownership and more and more americans are visiting the dollar stores. >> let's start off with jeff bezos who owns the washington post and now he's engineering a bid for the washington commanders football team. it remains under clear whether he'll make a bid from the current owner daniel snyder who is looking to sell his majority stake. >>> two millionaire friers are being recalled due to safety concerns. the consumer product safety commission says it has received multiple reports of the machines catching fire and causing burns. the cause was determined to be a faulty wire connection. anyone who has one of those should stop using it immediately. >>> and as inflation continues to impact so many of us, dollar stores are dominating. foot traffic showed that in discount chains like dollar tree, family dollar and others are gaining popularity and they saw their foot traffic up 66% this month from three years ago. >> bertha coombs, than

. >> joining us now is nbc news correspondent ron allen. fident that it's safe for people to return home? >> reporter: well, the epa revealed this in a letter sent to the rail operator, norfolk southern, that these chemicals were also present in the rail cars that crashed last week. they are basically chemicals that are used in adhesives and plastics, acrylic rubber, cosmetics, construction materials, and they are hazardous potentially at certain levels. now throughout this process, environmental officials, local as well as the federal officials who have been there say they have been monitoring the air, monitoring the water, and they have found nothing that is at a level of concern, was one term they used, for people, for humans, for people in that vicinity. and -- but as you reported, there are people who have reported finding, for example, dead fish in creeks there. the environmental officials at a briefing last week said they are aware of that, but this should not be a concern to people. yes, the fish were apparently killed by something i

ron allen isn't east palestine. ron, what does it look like on the ground?, that clinic just open today, and it's one of the steps that the officials here have taken to try and reassure the public. or feel persistent reports that people experiencing health problems like coughing and irritated eyes and so forth. they're not just worried about health problems now, but in the future. what could happen here once everyone leaves? a lot of concerns about that. that's where that clinic is. their other than that, the epa chief here today was here to basically try to turn up the pressure on norfolk southern, the train operators, who ordered them, using the powers of the epa, the legal authority of the epa to tell this company that they have to clean up this site, to run a detailed plan of how they are going to do it and to pay for it. the epa has the authority to step evading the process is not going well, do it themselves, or with contractors, or whoever, and then build norfolk southern as much as three times the cost of this cleanup. so it's unclear how this proces

joining us now is ron allen. you have been there from the beginning.en talking to these people. they are increasingly suspicious of what they are being told about the air, water, ground. >> reporter: they are. they are here, very happy to see donald trump coming to town. this is a county that he won by 70%. there's a lot of support for him. a lot of people standing here on the street corners. we are down the street from a fire department where we believe the former president is going to deliver some remarks. his schedule has been kept very quiet. we don't know exactly where he is going and what he is doing. the streets here are getting busy with people coming out to support him. they are critical of the biden administration. there are people who will tell you the federal government has let them down, even when you point out that the epa administrator was here and said they were here from day one. that is the thinking of many people here who are gathering for this event to see former president trump. yes, across town there are a lot of people -- we hear

ron allen, thank you. some progress there. sea rescue, a stolen boat, a dead fish, and the house from the movie "the goonies." steven rolo joins us now to explain. what is going on here? >> good question. lots to keep track of here. it starts with a man who allegedly left the dead fish of an oregon house, featured in the movie "the goonies." he was rescued by the coast guard on friday after the stolen yacht he was in capsized. let's break down more on what happened. pacific northwest branch of the coast guard said air crews were conducting a training mission in the columbia river near astoria, oregon, on friday, when they got a may day signal from the vessel. dangerous conditions made a boat rescue impossible. instead, the coast guard sent a rescue swimmer to help out. you can see the rough water there, the yacht ended up capsizing, a rough situation. then the rescue swimmer and sir survivor hoisted to safety. police learned that the boat in the video had been stolen. that's when people alerted authorities that they recognized

ron allen is following the story from the beginning, our correspondent in respect today for us. ron what can you tell us? >> reporter: well, cynthia, this is trump country. he won this county by some 70% back in 2020 and critics will say now that he's on the campaign trail, that's why he's here. he's said he is here to show support for this community. and to say that they will never be forgotten. when he talked to people here, very critical of the biden administration. saying things like, criticizing the president for going to ukraine instead of coming here during, to help after the derailment. tell people that the epa has been here on the ground from the beginning, they are dismissive of that saying that the president, president biden should, have come here. a very strong feeling here. also i talked to people in the middle, and they just wanted to get on with their lives. they want make sure water, soil, air tests are coming back clean and in fact that and can get back to their lives. a lot of doubt about that. a lot of doubt about the long-term impacts of all of this on this co

ron allen joining us now. this is extraordinary.dents before, but nothing this serious. >> reporter: the situation is not getting any better, andrea, according to what the governor has just said. he said the potential for a catastrophic explosion still exists. there are hazmat and other teams there trying to assess the situation and figure out what best to do. he was talking about potentially some sort of controlled release of some of the chemicals and some of the materials that are hazardous there later this afternoon to try to defuse the situation. he's also said the evacuation zone which is mandatory is going to be expanded from one mile to two miles in some directions from the area. right now we're about a mile and a half from where this happened over in that direction. yes, there's a briefing going on right behind us. this has become the command center here. the local elementary school, there's no school here today, businesses are shut. you drive around here and it's like a ghost town for many miles in many directions. this is

and nbc news correspondent ron allen, who has been covering this major story unfolding in ohio. ron, i want to go to you first. good to see you. please describe for me what folks in palestine, ohio, are telling you they're experiencing, feeling, seeing in their town after this explosion? >> i think this is a significant amount of fear and uncertainty, joy. that's fueling some of these reports of people feeling ill effects because of smoke and the water, what they're tasting, what they're feeling. not to say they're hallucinating but i think there's a lot of concern about the long-term impacts of this massive fire and plume of smoke. to see this, it was extraordinarily dramatic. just a huge thing to happen in a small little town of some 5,000 people. they opened schools today, so that happened. we just spoke to the epa in ohio about all this. they continue to say that they believe that the water, the ground water, the drinking water in that community is safe and the federal epa is monitoring the air. throughout the past week, every environmental briefing has said that they are not

here is nbc's ron allen. >> there is a big town hall meeting tonight in palestine.st opportunity for residents to talk to, vent, and confront local officials since the train derailment some two weeks ago that rocked that small rural town in ohio. since then there have been residents saying they are having health issues because of what's happened. local officials, federal officials have been called in to help and say they are monitoring the air, the soil, the water. they are not finding any readings that are troubling. they are saying that the environment is safe. just yesterday at a briefing, however, state officials suggested that residents near the evacuation zone and in it about a mile from the accident drink bottled water for the foreseeable future until they are well -- until their private wells can be tested but they maintain the municipal water system is safe. again, there is a lot of emotion attached to this. residents are very anxious not just about what is happening now but they fear what could be happening and discovered in the months and years ahead and

i want to bring in nbc's ron allen who has been following both of these very unusual and tragic, yes, authorities don't believe the two are related, right? >> they do not. and a week ago governor phil murphy said he couldn't remember the last time an elected official was shot and killed in new jersey and now suddenly there are two. 12 1/2 miles apart, both from central new jersey. this most recent case involves a man who was arriving at work, and when he got out of his car at work, someone shot him. the police discovered the suspect a few miles away, not long after, and he had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. so, it is apparently a murder/suicide and a case that is resolved and the prosecutors say that there is no indication that that case has anything to do with politics. similarly, in the sayreville new jersey murder, eunice dwumfour was killed, there is no suspect or motive in that case as all. this happened a week or so ago. she was sitting in her car, she arrived at home and a suspect apparently walked up to the car, was having a conversation with her of some sort, witne

ron allen, appreciate it. thank you so much. and tom costello, our thanks to you as well, and tom, if something else comes up, you can let us know. right now we're going to stay on this and we're going to bring in sill kajano, a hazardous materials specialist, with the youngstown fire department. he knows the area. he'll with visiting east palestine today. what is your first reaction to what we heard from tom about this ntsb report? >> nothing really new. the pictures of the bearing failing were pretty much put out there early on during this incident and we all kind of suspected it was the bearing failure that probably caused the derailment. the other question when it went past the hot box sensors why this wasn't transmitted to the engineer of the train from the people who monitor sensors if it's actually even being monitored. that was one of the bigger questions that i guess still remain to be answered. >> transportation secretary pete buttigieg, obviously we've been talking about it in east palestine, and republicans have clai

here's ron allen >> reporter: tonight, hours of waiting and long lines at a family assistance center. >> we were here this morning at 10:00 there must have been 300 people in front of us they gave out tickets. our number was 309. >> reporter: residents from east palestine forced to evacuate after the fiery derailment and its aftermath picking up $1,000 so-called inconvenience checks to cover food, lodging and more from train operator norfolk southern. >> i can't say it's fixing it, but it's at least a start. i think they got a long road ahead of them. >> reporter: the company saying it's provided more than $2 million to 1,500 residents so far and vowing to stay until the cleanup is done. how do you feel when it goes by now >> anxious, scared >> reporter: in a neighborhood near the crash, residents like melissa boyer still have questions >> how did this happen why did this happen? you know, what are you not telling us >> reporter: every year in the u.s. there are more than 1,000 train derailments. as the government report raises concerns about trains getting longer and train crews gett

ron allen is following this case. governor murphy says the state police will have their support.nd prosecutors right now are not saying whether they have a suspect or a motive. there is a lot of speculation in the neighborhood that she may have been targeted for some reason. and so far here's what we know about what happened. >> around 7:30 p.m., police responding to a 911 call about shots fired in a new jersey suburb. >> check avenue for a subject of a shooting. >> investigators say they found eunice dwumfour, a 30-year-old borough councilwoman, in her car, with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced her dead at the scene. >> got one victim that we know of. >> reporter: horrified residents described hearing a barrage of gunfire. >> i heard just a volley of gunshots and i immediately got away from my window. i knew that was abnormal. >> reporter: new jersey's governor says he cannot recall the last time a gunman killed an elected official in the state. >> this is shocking, shocking development. so, please keep her memory and her family and the community in sayreville in your pray

because they're going to somehow, i think, get away with it >> reporter: ron allen, nbc news, east palestine, ohio >>> another memphis employee is under investigation. it's unclear if there are specific accusations against the unnamed employee in fact, memphis' cleavehief lel officer says the employee in question arrived late to the site of the assault and provid aid and took nichols to the hospital >>> the sec is fining the mormon church $5 million. in an order released on tuesday, the agency alleges that the lds church and advisers failed to properly disclose investment holdings, hiding them behind multiple shell companies for over 20 years. documents first revealed in 2018 show that the church's investment portfolio reached $32 billion. ha in a statement, the church said it had settled the matter with the sec and regrets the mistakes it made. >>> catastrophic rainfall slamming brazil, killing at least 46 people. the area took on more than 23 inches of rain, the highest ever cumulative amount. sao paolo's governor saying more than 800 people are homeless and 1700 are displaced officials ar

nbc's ron allen joins us with the very latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. the head of the epa came here to give many of the same reassurances that other state and local officials have in recent days, but there is a lot of mistrust here, a lot of residents worry, and wonder whether their community will ever be safe. this morning, emotions overflowing in east palestine, ohio. >> all i know is our town needs help. >> reporter: it has been two weeks since a norfolk southern train flew off the tracks sending smoke and flames into the sky. some of the 5,000 residents wearily returning home after evacuation orders have lifted but many now have more questions than answers. >> now that we're home, you don't know what to think. >> reporter: state officials say the air and water are safe around east palestine and testing will continue but growing concern that rain may spread toxic chemicals to waterways and ohio governor dewine is assuring the community that they are working to prevent that from happening with many da

and ron allen is joining us now.d to this second council member? >> his name was russell heller, he was 51 years old, from a town in the central part of new jersey. it appears to be a workplace shooting. the gunman also worked at the same energy company where heller did. heller was approached as he arrived at work. the gunman allegedly shot him and then ran off. police found the gunman in his car not long after with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. so that is what happened there. prosecutors, police, have said that clearly this does not appear to have anything to do with the councilman's politics but just a workplace shooting. and the other victim eunice dwumfour who was a councilwoman about 15 miles away from where the incident happened yesterday. she had arrived home, was in her car outside of her apartment, a gunman apparently walked up and had a conversation with her, and then residents describe hearing a barrage of gunfire. and she was pronounced dead at the scene. there is no motive, no suspect and t

ron allen has more. >> tonight, hours of waiting and long lines at the family assistance center. >> weg at 10:00. there must of been 300 people in front of us. they gave out tickets. our number was 309. >> residents from east palestine forced to evacuate after the fiery derailment and its aftermath. picking up $1,000 of so-called, inconvenience checks, to cover food, lodging, and more from train operator. >> i can't say it is fixed. but it is at least a start. >> the company saying it's provided more than $2 million to 1500 residents so far. vowing to stay until the cleanup is done. >> and how do you feel when it goes by now? >> anxious. scared. >> and a neighborhood near the crash, residents like -- still have questions. >> how did this happen? why did this happen? what are you not telling us? >> every year in the u.s., there are more than 1000 trail derailments. as the government has concerns about trains getting longer, and train crews getting smaller. >> we are looking solely at what would save lives. >> today, in an exclusive interview. the beach chair saying that investigators ar

. >> ron allen for us, thank you, ron. talk to you. >>> all right, let's bring in the epa administrator michael regan to talk more about this. this is a statement from the regional administrator saying no detections of vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride were identified. you also have local officials saying outright he would suggest drinking bottled water. what do you make of that? >> well, thank you for having me, and let me just say, we have been on the ground from day one working with state and local officials. we have deployed aerial monitoring and a high-tech airplane to detect air quality implications. we've deployed mobile sources, vans. we are stationary air monitoring equipment. we've been in over 460 homes testing air quality. we're going to test 28 more homes today. there are 27 others we're trying to schedule appointments. we feel very confident that the air quality is safe and we are supporting the state in their water quality monitoring. i think the governor is right for those homes that have been tested and

nbc's ron allen has the latest. >> reporter: with the scene being cleaned up new details about what caused fiery derailment. federal investigators saying their preliminary investigation shows an overheated wheel bearing likely to blame. >> this was 100% preventable. >> reporter: the ntsb said the train passed over two detecters which showed the bearing was heating up. by the time it hit the third detector it was 253 degrees above air temperature. >> this is a community that is suffering. this is not about politics. what i care about is figuring out how this happened. >> reporter: in a statement norfolk southern says the highest priority is the safety of our people and the communities we serve, adding we'll continue to support the ntsb's investigation while transportation secretary pete buttigieg visited for the first time after criticism from some residents he should have come sooner. >> let's get people from both sides of the aisle to the table and come to an agreement on steps that are needed even if the rail industry is pushing back. >> meanwhile near the crash they only come back to th

nbc news correspondent ron allen has the latest. >> reporter: outrage growing less than two weeks aftere train derailment and controlled burn of hazardous chemicals sent up a toxic plume of black smoke. >> it doesn't smell safe. and i'm taking my things and out of here. >> reporter: residents demanding answers complaining of burning eyes, headaches, and pungent odor and reporting dead animals. officials confirming 3,500 fish killed by the chemicals. >> don't tell me it's safe. something is going on if the fish are floating. >> reporter: after telling evacuated residents it was safe to return home, the governor who approved that controlled burn of toxic chemicals to prevent that chemical explosion was asked if he'd return home if it was near the crash site where crews work to remove soil suspected of causing cancer. >> i think i'd be drinking the bottled water and i'd be continuing to find out what the tests were showing as far as the air. i would be alert and concerned, but i think i would probably be back in my house. >> officials say constant test and monitoring of the air and water s

nbc news correspondent ron allen has been following the story for us.us about this new lawsuit and also when might people be able to return home? >> reporter: the lawsuit was brought by two evacuees and a business owner who were evacuated from the area. it is a class action lawsuit inviting other people to join. so that may happen. the situation seemed to be resolved a couple days ago when they did the big, controlled explosion and burned off this chemical that was thought to be very dangerous. that was very dangerous. but now 48 hours later, there still has not been the all clear. the governor of ohio is there and about to do a briefing. it is about a half hour delayed. so it appears he is not there necessarily to give the all clear. there have been a lot of monitoring of the air going on by the federal epa and state environmental officials. they have said they have not found any levels of concern was the wording they used of any dangerous chemicals. as they monitored inside the evacuation zone, even going in the basements of people's homes because som

. >> ron allen, i know you traveled today to get there for us. thank you so much.r reporting. >>> more than 20,000 austin energy customers in texas are still without power after last week's devastating ice storm. as cleanup continues, the utility company backtracked on estimates. now they say in some parts of austin and surrounding cities, power may not be back until sunday. meantime rain, thunderstorms and strong winds are in the forecast this week and could further complicate efforts to get the lights back on. >>> ticketmaster, can you handle this? she made history last night at the grammys. will beyonce set another record with tickets going up for sale for her upcoming world tour. fans and lawmakers both watching ticketmaster's new approach after the taylor swift debacle. stay with us. stay with us will you make something better? create something new? our dell technologies advisors can provide you with the tools and expertise you need to bring out the innovator in you. my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... the tightness, stinging... the pain. emerge tremfyan

. >> nbc's ron allen in east palestine, ohio, thank you. that's tonight's read out. this starts with ali velshi, live from the ukraine. >> good to see you my friend. you have a great evening. >> good evening to all of a view from kyiv. i'm ali velshi in for chris hayes. yesterday we saw starts what's green on the world stage. in front of a crowd of his many 3000 people in warsaw, poland, president joe biden renewed his steadfast commitment to the people of ukraine. well in moscow russian president vladimir putin delivered a defiant state of the nation address. his first since launching the invasion of ukraine nearly one year ago. putin repeated the lies that he has been spewing for a year, claiming that the west started the war, which he still refers to only as a, quote, special military operation. the russian president also announced he will stop participating in the new stark treaty which is the sole remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the united states and russia. and warsaw president biden responded to putin's threats to their claim that america and

. >> nbc's ron allen is covering this for us. wow, this is a mess to say the least.n, it's a literal mess. it's a political mess. it's a health mess. what are you hearing now? i understand there is going to be a town hall tonight and i'm guessing there's a lot of emotion. >> it's the first face-to-face with local leaders since this happened. a lot of questions, concerns, emotion, fear about the unknown, the uncertainty this brings, not just now but months and years from now, they're wondering what's going to be the effect on the town. there are reports from residents about health concerns but at the same time, state officials, federal officials insist their air monitoring, and water tests prove that the environment is safe. still, here's what some residents are saying. take a listen. >> don't tell me it's safe. something's going on if the fish are floating in the crick. >> i have a right to know what's on the train. >> i feel about 80% safe. >> it sound like you're still worried? >> more so worried for the long term. >> he has several kids in the school system. they'

i want you to take a listen to when he told our ron allen. >> i also have to say to the folks of east palestine we see them. we hear them. that's why i'm here on the ground, and we will hold norfolk southern accountable. >> reporter: another point of discussion is whether or not a disaster declaration will be declared so perhaps more federal aid can be districted to impacted residents. >> george, thank you for that update. the epa administrator is willing to talk to the folks there. the railroad wouldn't saying they're worried for their employees' safety. look, is there also, though, potentially legal peril in letting them answer questions at a town hall? you could imagine a situation where they're having a meeting with the folks, and their legal department says the upside is not enough given the risks. what is the risk if any? >> i can imagine a pr person in the same room with somebody from the legal team debating the pros and cons of going forward with a town hall meeting like this. the pr need to get out there and listen to people and tell them you're on it, you're listening to the

ron allen, thank you for that. >>> right now to a hazardous materials specialist and former battalionwn fire department. he knows that area but has not assessed the train derailment site itself. you heard ron say the officials are saying it is safe. do you think it is safe when you have people saying my eyes are burning, my pets are getting sick, my hens, roosters, they're dying, you find fish downstream, 3500 of which are dead. do you think it is safe? >> well, let's look at the chemicals involved. you had vinyl chloride, you had ethylene glycol monobutals, that carries heat rash type symptoms, skin irritation, respiratory type problems. the ethylene is well known to kill fish and algae. you look at the chemicals themselves and there could be a problem. the epa is concerned enough to where they have invoked the super fund act to get this cleaned up so they're admitting there is something wrong and that they got to get cleaned up and as of earlier today i heard that there was a possibility the epa indicated there is a possibility that in order to get train going, they buried some of t

nbc's ron allen is here with details about this one. ron, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, craig. state officials insist they have been carefully monitoring and testing the environment since the derailment, but at the same time, there have been reports of residents complaining about health problems like sore throats and headaches. some even considering that pets farm animals and wildlife have died because of potential contamination. it's been 12 days since the fiery derailment of a train carrying hazardous chemicals through east palestine ohio and the planned burn to prevent a potential catastrophic explosion. residents worry about what is in the air, soil, and water of their rural community. >> don't tell me it is safe. something is going font fish are floating in the crick. >> reporter: some 3,500 fish lied in local waters in the days after the derailment. but insist extensive testing shows there is no threat to other wildlife or humans. they say there is only anecdotal evidence of residents getting sick. and no confirme

. >> ron allen reporting there.ernor in that piece, and we will speak to the governor just ahead on "morning joe." why are 93% of sleep number sleepers very satisfied with their bed? maybe it's because you can gently raise your partner's head to help relieve snoring. so, you can both stay comfortable all night. and now, save 50% on the sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. ends monday. good news! a new clinical study showed that centrum silver supports cognitive health in older adults. it's one more step towards taking charge of your health. so every day, you can say... ♪ youuu did it! ♪ with centrum silver. >>> i want to take a moment to say our hearts are with the students and the families of michigan state university. it's a family's worst nightmare happening far too often in this country, far too often. while we gather more information, there's one thing we do know to be true. we have to do something to stop gun violence from ripping apart our communities, ripping apart. >> good morning and welcome to "mor

office reported ultimatum to jail trump organization cfo allen weisselberg can prosecutors flip the longtime exec against his former boss later, ron desantis this week making his priorities crystal clear his government working to make access to guns easier, while making access to some books harder. we'll dive into his latest controversial proposals all of that more, that is coming up. a good hopefully warm saturday morning to you, i'm kati phang thanks for starting your weekend with us. right now there's a balloon that the united states military says it is for chinese surveillance and it's still in the air over the united states four days after it was first spotted. so just how big is this balloon one u.s. official telling nbc news that the pentagon believes that this balloon is about the size of at least two school buses now this is video that you're looking at from people on the ground. the pentagon has not confirmed this is in fact the balloon. china has confirmed the balloon belongs to them, but says it's a civilian airship for meteorological research the white house says it's closely monitoring the situation, and that quote,

good job for ron desantis and we look forward to having that interview with mark levin tomorrow. will: good, small steps in the right direction. rancher george allenelly murder charge in second degree murder in connection of the deadly shooting of a mexican national on his property. kelly was released on a $1 million bond earlier this week. the state argues that kelly intentionally shot at a group of unarmed illegal immigrants trespassing on his ranch and killing one of them. kelly insists he fired a warning shot and thought they were armed drug traffickers. swedish telecom giant erickson laying off 8500 employees and cuts affect 8% of its staff including 12,000 staffers in north america. the company says the move is part of a broader cost cutting plan and erickson just the late nest a long list of major corporations cutting jobs over fears of possible recession. a world war ii veteran has his 102 birthday wish coming through and received well wishes from people in all 50 states and his wish went global with cards coming in from the uk, can darks and as far as peru. mill service connected a local legend at the library working 36 years after retiri

for games are these to well so, so the record held by ron tuck, not to say 70 shots, back in 1991 for the come back. lou, thanks. a team now known allen, colorado. sure. dozens of runners have taken parson, unique half marathon in the indian himalayas. but climate change means this could be the 1st and last time the race can be held on the frozen lake avenue middle explains. ah, and with that, they set off for a historic one, dozens of athletes based, but 21 kilometers on the frozen pang, only more than 4000 meters above sea level. the 1st of its kind in india are absolutely thrill aren't fortunate that i am bodily. she bridges in the making regoza dela, ronald lebanon, euro ball in russia, where the damages were oversized lose. bang on lake is nestled into him. molly, as it extends to nearly 160 kilometers, most of which is in china temperatures for to minus 30 degrees celsius in winter. only 75 people who have run at high altitudes was selected for the race run strained for days to acclimatize. even though we have a good cardio base, you know, running a lot or did you. but still coming at 4200 meters, challenges your big system, you

and ron johnson both floated plans that would sunset social security and medicare by putting them up for periodic votes that would subject them to cuts and georgia republican congressman rick allenld raise the retirement age, because he claims people come up to him and say they want to work longer >> -- about raising the age of retirement >> you know, that's interesting that you ask that question people come up to me, they actually want to work longer yeah >> that's on the table, you're saying >> well, you know, people want to work longer i mean, give them incentive to do it. >> seth: no, that's wrong. if people want to work longer, you don't need to give them incentive, because they already want to do it. you need incentives for things people don't want to do, like [ bleep ] working longer because you made that story up [ light laughter ] as far as i can tell, the only person that wants to work longer is joe biden everyone thought that dude would hang it up after he was vice president at the age of 74 but he watched obama do it and said hey, "i'd like to have the world's hardest job and do it into my 80s. plus, i hear they bring you free balloons." [ laughter ] and honestly, wh