[cheers and applause] we must also recognize that virginians expect transparency, and we need to makeure that the decisions we are making, we avoid any improper context, and that's why i will sign an executive order later today imposing a strict limit on gifts on myself and the members of my administration. [cheers and applause] i commend the members of the general assembly from both parties who are making significant steps toward this issue, and i will ask the entire general a simile to enact the strongest possible new ethics rules to hold all virginia elected officials to the highest of standards -- i will ask the entire general assembly. while there is fierce debate on health care and washington, d.c., the choice we face here in virginia is simple -- like the majority of other states, we need to act on the consensus of the business community and health care industry to accept funding that will expand health care coverage and spur economic growth and job creation. [cheers and applause] with a stronger health care system in virginia as our objective, i will work with the legislature

[cheers and applause] we must also recognize that virginians expect transparency, and we need to makens we are making, we avoid any improper context, and that's why i will sign an executive order later today imposing a strict limit on gifts on myself and the members of my administration. [cheers and applause] i commend the members of the general assembly from both parties who are making significant steps toward this issue, and i will ask the entire general a simile to enact the strongest possible new ethics rules to hold all virginia elected officials to the highest of standards -- i will ask the entire general assembly. while there is fierce debate on health care and washington, d.c., the choice we face here in virginia is simple -- like the majority of other states, we need to act on the consensus of the business community and health care industry to accept funding that will expand health care coverage and spur economic growth and job creation. [cheers and applause] with a stronger health care system in virginia as our objective, i will work with the legislature to build on the medi

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should be able to drink their water without any concern that it's still contaminated but of west virginians are still concerned about their drinking water being contaminated and not getting much help. in there governor at a press conference on monday when asked by a reporter of the water was actually safe to drink and use democratic governor earl ray tomblin so it's your decision if you don't feel comfortable drinking or cooking with this water the news bottled water tom and added that i'm not going to say absolutely one hundred percent that everything is safe what i can say is if you don't feel comfortable don't use it he finished by saying that i'm not a scientist you know at the rely on the best information that i have this yesterday the company that owns the factory freedom industries company that's admitted to causing the leak and. so there's a second chemical spilled into the elk river as well but governor thompson doesn't seem too concerned about that either and isn't in any rush to hire more scientists to ensure that the water is safe he's saying that the people of west virginia sho

should be able to drink their water without any concern that it's still contaminated but of west virginians are still concerned about their drinking water being contaminated and not getting much help. in there governor at a press conference on monday when asked by a reporter of the water was actually safe to drink and use democratic governor earl ray tomblin so it's your decision if you don't feel comfortable drinking or cooking with this water the news bottled water one added that i'm not going to say absolutely one hundred percent that everything is safe but i can say is if you don't feel comfortable don't use it be finished by saying that i'm not a scientist you know i have to rely on the best information that i have this yesterday the company water is safe a saying that the people of west virginia should play scientist they should decide for themselves you know you figure out if your water incentive to drink good play at all tom when might be a democrat in this instance he's taking a very libertarian approach and that comes with a lot of flaws libertarianism assumes that we're all capab

[cheers and applause] we must also recognize that virginians expect transparency, and we need to makens we are making, we avoid any improper context, and that's why i will sign an executive order later today imposing a strict limit on gifts on myself and the members of my administration. [cheers and applause] i commend the members of the general assembly from both parties who are making significant steps toward this issue, and i will ask the entire general a simile to enact the -- entire general assembly to enact the strongest possible new ethics rules to hold all virginia elected officials to the highest of standards -- i -- to the highest of standards. [applause] while there is fierce debate on health care and washington, d.c., the choice we face here in virginia is simple -- like the majority of other states, we need to act on the consensus of the business community and health care industry to accept funding that will expand health care coverage and spur economic growth and job creation. [cheers and applause] with a stronger health care system in virginia as our objective, i will w

but he will need consensus if he wants to change virginians' health care. we can provide health care for 400,000 virginians. paid for% paid for -- by the federal government. if it does not work. a lot of people fear that it might encourage stricter gun laws. i want background checks. they take about 5-10 minutes. it is a simple process. certain people should not own a gun. issues of mental illness, domestic abuse, they should not own guns. >> he would also like a stricter's governors mansion to avoid ethics issues like the ones looming over his press -- predecessor. the recreational marijuana laws in colorado -- should virginia do it? >> i will look at it. it is not at the top of my agenda. i willing to look at any idea and have a discussion that will move the commonwealth forward. >> dear the top of his rolodex by the way -- the clintons, who will be at his inauguration on saturday. this is his first elective office. a high-stakes one at that. tomorrowy interview morning on news channel eight's news talk. >> liz cheney has abandoned her bid. she cited fami

protecting the health and safety of our friends and families, particularly our vulnerable west virginians, those in hospitals, nursing homes and long-term facilities. and our special needs and elderly citizens. we wish we could tell you when the map will be listed. as you have heard, we have to continue the testing and the purging of the systems. >> fema has brought roughly 370,000 gallons of portable water to charleston and its nine surrounding counties. jonathan martin explains. >> with no clear time line when tap water can be used thousands of west virginians are stocking up on clean water. >> we are using it sparingly. it's a precious comoddy. >> 1 million bottles of water is being delivered. >> washing your hair or feeding the baby with formula. it catches you off guard. >> i caught rainwater to do the dishes with. >> the water as contaminated with a potentially harmful chemical used in the preparation of cold. up to 5,000 gallons spilled into the elk river from a stornal tank at freedom industries. the problem is impacting hundreds of businesses from restaurants to salons. many are

last night there was declared a state of emergency warning west virginians in the nine county area note top water. >> not until we receive we're focusing efforts those of the hospitals and nursing moms. we have asked the department hhs bureau of public health said west virginia national guard to come up with a long-term plan to assure adequate supplies of water and food is available. >> seven water distribution points were set up by early afternoon this one had run out of bottled water by 2:30 p.m. and complete the out of all safe water to fill jugs. >> we really don't have resources. >> the national guard is aiding in the distribution also setting fire trucks from maryland are expected to arrive tonight from fema. >> a statement saying it has been working round-the-clock to determine the amount of chemicals released the first priority is safety safety, containment, a cleanup that could cause irritation of the eyes, skin , upper respiratory system and headache and cause unconsciousness in the animals with liver and kidney damage. >> already hard hit by the war on kohl's the damage is l

virginians. america possesses few treasures like the chesapeake bay. few treasures must exercise its stupid wardship over that resource. we put 460 milliondollars collectively into water quality efforts, including the 221 million you approved in the bond package just last year. we also invested $5 million in oyster restoration. last year's oyster harvest was the largest since 1987. and we -- [applause] and we also have the largest blue crab population since 1993. so please keep up this progress because they taste great. and as they say, save the crabs, then eat them. now i also want to thank our great state employees tonight because they are the lynchpin of virginia's success. as you know there is over 100,000 men and women that work every day tirelessly for the good of cause from chincoteague to the cumberland gap to serve others. we try to reward that service together. we provided the first pay raise for state workers in six years and two 3% performance bonuses at christmas in 2010 and 2012, with a third in my proposed budget for christmas of 2014 th

. >> west virginians may have to wait a little longer until their water is safe to drink. investigators say there may be a second originally undetected chemical that spills into the elk river during the storage tank leak. authorities were testing and treating for one chemical. further testing will be done to make sure the second substance is removed. more than 3,000 are without tap water. most restrictions were lifted on friday. governor ray tomlin says he cannot guarantee it's safe. he said if you do not feel comfortable drinking or cooking, use bottled water. he said, "i will not say everything is safe. but if you don't feel comfortable, don't use it." >> now to texas where the state is set to execute a mexican citizen. it sparked a debate across borders, threatening the relationship between u.s. and mexico. >> he was convicted of killing a police officer. texas was told to stop. the arrest violented international law. president's of tomayo's home town demanded that he be pardoned. >> former virginian governor eugene o'donnell and his wife were indicted, accused of accep

some 300,000 west virginians have not been able to drink from their own faucets, been able to shower,nds. why? the story out of west virginia isn't just a story of inconvenience or one of accident. it is a story about what happens when you left an industry operate almost completely without any oversight and without any regulation. the chemical plant where the toxic chemical used to clean coal spilled into the elk river, that plant has not been inspected by state or federal officials in over 20 years since the year 1991. according to "the wall street journal," officials knew they were stored near the drinking water of west virginians, but it is unclear what they did with that information. freedom industries has been trying its best to clean its hands of this disaster and move on. on friday night after only six minutes of speaking to reporters and in between sips of bottled water, the ceo tried to wrap things up. callie cart was not going to let that happen. >> look guys, it's been extremely long day. i'm having a hard trouble talking at the moment. i would appreciate it if we could wra

. >> reporter: for the fourth day nearly 300,000 west virginian are told not to use tap water. nine counties are under state of emergency after a chemical spill into the elk river. >> everybody wants to know when. when will we have water? what do we do when the water comes back? >> there's no clear timeline for when the tap water will be safe to use. state officials say they're flushing and testing the system hourly. the latest results show the chemical are declining and undetectable in some areas. >> i believe we're at a point where we could say that we see life at the end of the tunnel. >> reporter: west virginia's governor said when the ban is lifted it will be done in phases. there is a 24 hotline residents can find out when their neighborhood is in the clear. in the meantime the federal emergency management agency is trucking in cases of bottled water. while she's frustrated elizabeth knows she's fortunate as a librarian she's able to work. the worries about others whose jobs are being affected. >> i'm more concerned about the long-term ripple affects for the lives of peop

i mean, it's hard to overstate how much animosity there is among west virginians towards the epa. it's likely that more people in west virginia know who the epa commissioner is than know that information in, say, washington, d.c. there's a -- so it's a deeply engrained distrust. and a belief that if you regulate, if you crack down on companies, they will just simply pick up and go elsewhere and we'll be left with no jobs. >> jennifer i know you've got plenty to say about that. outrageous, insane, acceptable, of course not. >> so first of all these people are honest, hardworking people. they're going to work every day to earn a living and support their families and they should not be poisoned or killed on the job. that is unacceptable. and there's absolutely no way that a company can make an economic argument that it's cheaper to kill people and poison their drinking water. you can ask freedom industries whether it was cheaper to poison the people and poison the water versus avoiding the accident in the first place. i don't know what there accident is costing them but it would be c

my concern has always been also -- first the needs of west virginians but then small businesses. half five days they've been without income because they haven't been able to be open for business and their employees are suffering too. >> i've yet to hear a sufficient explanation as to precisely how it was that this happened. >> craig, you and me alike, we are not getting that sufficient information that we would like. that is what's been so frustrating. no only have we gone five days where you can turn on water and can't use it but at the same time tell us why, explanation, little accountability in trans parentscy can go a long way and that's been part of the frustration, there are so many serious questions that haven't been answered. my focus has been on let's take care of west virginians first, their needs and health and safety and take care of the small businesses. remember for west virginia, 96% of our economy is run on small businesses. so you have the mom and pop stores and their employees who haven't been able to mike ake a income, their tips make a difference. at the end o

. >> reporter: 300,000 west virginians were ordered not to drink or bathe in tap water after a chemical from a factory leaked into the river, polluting the water supply. now, for about 10,000 of those people, a small fraction, sweet relief. >> we're finally at a point where the do not use order is being lifted in certain areas. >> reporter: but officials say, even those people now allowed to drink tap water again may smell the chemical's licorice odor. that scares keshia cooper. he's been bathing her toddler in the sink with bottled water and is agonized by the thought of giving her sons tap water ever again. will you have confidence in the water from this point forward? >> no. no. i don't think i will. i have to use my stamps to buy it. >> reporter: food stamps? >> yeah. >> reporter: the head of the local water treatment plant said inspectors are carefully testing the water before they give it a seal of approval for west virginians. will you come out before them and drink a big glass of water? >> when our system is flushed and follows the protocol, i'll drink the water anytime. >> repo

when you have the tap water shut off like that, west virginians working hard to work around that.ou so much, live for us in charleston with the latest there. >>> coming up, constitutional challenges. the supreme court hears arguments on the legality of recent recess appointments by president obama and the founder of the former florida antiaging clinic bio genesis gives us details about alex rodriguez and his performance-enhancing drugs. >>> plus, the french president's steamy affair that allegedly sent the first lady to the hospital. hey mom. yeah? we've got allstate, right? uh-huh. yes! well, i found this new thing called... [ dennis' voice ] allstate quickfoto claim. [ normal voice ] it's an app. you understand that? just take photos of the damage with your phone and upload them to allstate. really? so you get [dennis' voice] a quicker estimate, quicker payment, [normal voice] quicker back to normal. i just did it. but maybe you can find an app that will help you explain this to your...father. [ vehicle approaches ] [ dennis ] introducing quickfoto claim. just another way allsta

with her doll west virginians at affected areas to contact their local have emergency methods with all those water this interview ships of each of the carriers are the correspondent megan lopez has more. state and federal authorities are working around the clock in charleston west virginia after a spill leaks chemicals into the elk river just one mile upstream from a local water treatment facility so the spill comes from a forty eight thousand gallon chemical storage tank from freedom industries right now west virginia governor earl ray tomblin has declared a state of emergency for nine counties surrounding charleston west virginia schools and businesses have been closed and the three hundred thousand or so residents that have been affected by this spill are told not to drink the water not even to wash their hands with it only to use it to flush the toilet and case of a fire emergency meanwhile president barack obama has declared a federal emergency in west virginia fema and the department of homeland security are both getting involved in the relief efforts right now as investigators t

. >>> the company responsible for leaving 300,000 west virginians without clean tap water for nearly parts of ohio reeking of toxic chemicals has now filed for bankruptcy. in the last hour, freedom industries filed forms for chapter 11 bankruptcy. in the filing, the company claimed 1 to $10 million in liabilities. this comes just one week after the some 7500 gallons of a toxic chemical spilled from a freedom industry's plant into the elk river in west virginia leaving 300,000 people without clean water. investigators still don't know exactly what caused the leak, but given the fact the plant has not been inspected by any government agency since 1991 and it was run by a company with very little money, it is entirely possible that lax regulation had something to do with this. this week's spill is not exactly an anomaly in west virginia. it is the third major chemical accidents in five years in a region whose nickname is "chemical valley." it is little wonder that they were throwing the towel in. while freedom industries may be able to wash its own hands of the disaster, some west virgi

the bestork for interests of the vast majority of west virginians. look at the fact that no longer can a west virginian be excluded from coverage because of a pre-existing condition, children can stay on their payroll until the age of 26, free services being provided for mammograms, co-pays are not .equired for a lot of visits if we can treat them early on, getting them in for these free visits, we do not have to treat them at a much more tremendous cost in the future to our system. the affordable care act is going to work in the long term. are there problems now? you bet there are problems, and i am disgusted and called for heads to roll because of the rollout of the affordable care act. it was disastrous asterisk, and perhaps there were misstatements and their the way, heads need to roll. some of them have, since i made a statement in october, and perhaps more will before all is said and done. certainly, once we get through this troubled rollout, and social security had its problems in the very beginning as well -- once we get through this, i am ve

he was tall, aristocratic virginian, looked like -- so he learned to gesture with his black silk glove as he got off his latin and greek quotations when serving at the continental congress of which he was finally the president. he got to be one of the great orators of all time. on the topic of his stage fright he gave his maiden speech in the virginia house of burgesses in 1759 so we are talking 100 years, 100 years and more before the civil war. he gets up, and what does he say to his fellow slave owners? he says abolish slavery. he says on prudential grounds it is not good for us to have other people do the work while we sit around and furthermore it is going to greet all kinds of strife in future and furthermore if we are christians how can we think that our fellow creatures are not created in the image of god as ourselves and entitled to liberty and freedom? we have a complicated history here. 100 years and more before the civil war, here is one of the representatives of one of the great slave phoning plantations in virginia making this statement. amazing. then i have three paragra

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: relief came to some west virginians today. given the green light to turn on their taps after five days without water. but new questions emerged about oversight of the company behind the chemical spill. good evening, i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. also ahead this monday, the supreme court hears arguments for the first time over the president's power to make appointments when congress is not in session. >> woodruff: plus from california, the story of a program bringing senior citizens into the internet age >> when they're able to use email and able to communicate with a friend or loved one far

that's the story for west virginians. and shelves goring empty. >>> new this morning, nearly 2,000 pages of documents revealed a christie appointee stone walled in a bridge scandal that is leaving a line of political karn political casualties. >> look. bestill the heart. >> let's say you're looking to go to colorado to buy some pot. no problem. he pairs it to a napa valley wine tour. your "new day" continues now. up and at 'em, sleepy head. you've got a saturday to tackle. we want to help you out with that, i'm christi paul. >> this is "new day saturday." we're going to start with this chemical crisis in west virginia. imagine waking up, you can't use your tap water, can't brush your teeth, can't wash your face, no coffee. >> no coffee alone is enough for some people. the story for 300,000 west virginians is just that after a coal chemical seeped into the water supplies of nine counties. the tests show the chemical level is dropping. that's the good news. but there's still no end in sight as to when they can use the water

i ask all west virginians to be patient while we work to restore service to the areas. >> some have managed to keep a positive attitude. >> how you holding up sir? >> wonderful, these guys are the best around. they've taken real good care of us. the high school kids have carried my water including my truck. i can't praise them enough. >> so in a way this is bringing the community together. >> definitely, definitely. reporter: here where the leak occurred, the water is testing in the safe range. and jeff, later tonight or tomorrow the water company is going to call some of its customers to take the preliminary step of flushing their pipes. >> glor: chip reid, thank you. alex rodriguez's suspension is the entire 2014 season. anthony bosch sat down with scott pelley for a two part report airing on tonight's 60 minutes. >> once alex rodriguez was fully into your protocol what were the various banned substances that he was taking? >> testosterone. inins plin growth factor 1. human growth hormone. and some different forms of peptides. >> all of them bad? >> all of them bad. >> and he knew that? >

but overwhelmed west virginians say they've heard that rhetoric before. >> how long do you think this is going to go on until we get answers? >> years, years. that's the way it always happens. >> reporter: meanwhile, freedom industries the company blamed for the chemical spill has filed chapter 11 bankruptcy protecting them from class action lawsuits and debt collectors. >> so del, a lot going on in west virginia. on top of the city council having their closed door meeting this afternoon you can see behind me the state capitol building. that is where at 2:00 governor tomlin, and other state lawmakers will have a press conference proposing legislation which will introduce an above ground storage tank regulatory program. as we know there was no regulation on freedom industries, on the chemicals that spilled into the elk river from those above ground tanks. a lot of moving parts here in west virginia. the story continues and people here still not drinking out of the taps and moving towards mostly bottled water. >> robert ray joining us from west virginia. robert, thank you very much. it

we've made a lot of progress but i ask all west virginians to continue to be patient as we work to safelyre service to the affected areas. >> west virginia has begun lifting distributions affected by last week's chemical spill. 300,000 people have not been able to use their tap water for cooking bathing or watering. >>> diplomats discuss goodwill gestures ahead of are syria's peace talks. >>> foreign dignitaries including vice president joe biden paid their final respects to ariel sharon. the controversial leader passed away at age 85. he was honored in jerusalem during a state symphony. >>> allowing you to buy twitter followers or facebook friends, for a few dollars. it sounds odd but according to social network being, it may make sense. stacy tisdale has the story. >> like many middle class entrepreneurs starting a business was a financial challenge to say the least. >> you have to boot strap and you spend absolutely no money. you ration your ramen noodles this is how you live. >> with few resources to attract new customers, heddy turned to a company called fiveer. one of dozens of webs

industries failed to report a leak of chemicals that leaked into the elk river impacted 300,000 west virginians. >>> president barack obama will speak at the state of the union address. >> david gregory has the latest. >> thanks for joining us david. we have been following the small shooting. gun control debate is reignited. this is something the president had in the state of the union last we're. do we expect that? >> yo expect that to be major emphasis at all. he'd like it to be. he was disappointed when his efforts to get more gun safety laws didn't pass at the federal level. i think more of the action is at the state level to see if there are gains made. at the federal level on congress it's too difficult at the moment. >> what do you expect him to hit hard tuesday. >> >> you mentioned health care. wants to talk about economic recovery, those left behind, income, raising the minimum wage, preschool, education, those things. he'll look at areas he has a shot getting things done with congress. he had a bad year last year. he has a bad environment around the budget, immigration picking up. he'

the governor declared a state of emergency, warning west virginians in a nine-county area in and aroundrleston not to use their tap water. >> until we receive an all-clear, we are focusing efforts on hoping the most vulnerable, those in hospitals and in nursing homes. we have asked the department of health and human resources bureau of public health, senior services, and west guard, to develop a long-term plan to help insure that adequate supplies of water and food is available. >> in the charleston area, seven water distribution areas were set out. by early noon, this one had run out of bottled water. by 2:30, it had run out of all safe water to fill jugs. >> i'm having my wife go stay with family now, because we don't really have resources down here. >> the west virginia national guard is aiding in the distribution of water, so is fema. 75 trucks are expected to arrive tonight. freedom industries issued a statement saying it had been working around the clock to contain the leak and determine the amount of chemicals released. quote, the first priority was safety, containment, and clean

. >> west virginians health makers say the water in charleston is safe to drink, despite a second chemicaln the water. freedom industries notified agencies about ppa. west virginia environment protection agency says it's likely the substance was filtered out and poses no harm. the chemical leak tainted the water supply for 300,000 people for over a week. >> it's been 41 years since roe v wade, the landmark case legalized abortion. president obama said in a statement: >> thousands marched. >> president obama signalled an all-out offensive to end rape and other sexual attacks. a newly formed task force will focus on sexual assaults on college campuses. college officials have to do more to prevent and police these kinds of attacks. he said young people need to realise that sexual ult is unacceptable. a white house report found one in five female students are guilty of sexual assault. but one in five reports it. >> target is making changes. some workers will have to go elsewhere for health benefits. >> the nation's second-largest retailer is the latest u.s. corporation dropping health insuranc

. >> hundred thon west virginians are enjoying their fourth straight night without drinking water. investigators are focusing on the check plant that caused the problem. a chemical leak from a tank into the river. the national guard may soon be able to flush the system. locals say the coal plant blamed for the spill is in bad shape. >> condition of the plant was not good. the danger was known to the previous owner, and the danger was known to the current own. >> officials say it will most likely be days before drinking water is restored. >>> when it comes to gifts it's the thought that counts. 0 hope that holds through for astronauts. and taking a live look outside right now, a sunny day. meteorologist leigh glaser says get to those who've been waiting welcome to covered california. the place to find quality, affordable coverage, and nobody can be denied because of a pre-existing condition. enroll today at coveredca.com. >>> it's been a good day on the international space station. the six astronauts got food and christmas presents. a supply capsule was pulled in by the station's ro

. >> investigators learn of a previously undetected material that seeped from the west virginian water tanks into the elk river. thousands have been told not to drink the river. >> a storm has slammed the north-east. 3,000 flight were cancelled after five airports were hit with heavy snow. a state of emergency was declared in delawardelaware, ne jersey, and washington. >> russia is searching for suicide bombers black widows. police believe they may try to attack the games. police have identified the women and it's believed one has made it past security into sochi. >> violence between police and protesters because of a law cracking down on protests in ukraine. police fought back with tear gas. injuresies are reported on both sides. those are the headlines. "america tonight" is next. >> on america tonight, home alone. an indepth look on american education takes us inside home schooling. can it be a prescription for abuse and neglect? >> we hear stories of kids 10 years old that don't know their alphabet. there are kids that will fail, and they'll fail whether they go to public school or

that company provides drinking water to more than half a million west virginians.ut that thursday the 9th they were informed that something had contaminated the water supply. hours earlier there had been a chemical spill in the elk river near a quarter treatment facility and the water company did not know exactly which chemical had spilled but they apparently started working under the assumption that the chemical that spilled is a chemical that was commonly used in water treatment. the president of the water company said in a news conference that day that his company was "fairly confident" that they could treat the chemical. when asked what might happen if someone drank the contaminated water he said "it's not particularly lethal in its usage form." but that afternoon the water company learned that they got the chemical wrong. it was not a chemical used in water treatment. instead it was a chemical used in the processing of coal, which had been leaking from a storage facility along the river. that night about six hours after first discovering the leak the water com

that's a lot -- that's causing a lot of stress amongst west virginians. you talk to others and they say, look, chemical plants and coal plants, sort of the deal we made. they provide the jobs and it's something we live with. >> luke, i want to pose to you this. there's backlash with gary southern, the ceo of freedom industries after he dodged questions and then drank bottled water as 300,000 local residents were left without water. what are people saying there? what's the buzz in that community because of this? >> reporter: well, there's a lot of anger directed at freedom industries and a lot of questions that local residents have for local officials. namely, why was this chemical not labeled hazardous when it's clearly gotten in the water and created a whole plethora of health problems and economic problems. why was it stored upstream close to a water treatment facility? that question has not been answered adequately for folks i've spoken to. on top of that, there had been no inspection in the tank which a local official described as antique since 1991.

it will work in the long term to the best interests of the vast majority of west virginians. you look at the fact that no longer can a west virginian be excluded from coverage because of a pre-existing condition, children can stay on their arent's plan until age 26, free preventive health care being provided for mental illness, for mammograms, for co-pays -- co-pays are not being required for a lot of visits for people for which you described that if we can treat them early on, by getting them in for these free visits, then we don't have to treat them at a much more tremendous cost in the future to our system. so the affordable care act is going to work in the long term. are there problems now? you bet you there's problems. i'm disgusted and called early on for heads to roll because of the disastrous rollout in the affordable care act. and it was disastrous, and perhaps misstatements made along the way. and those who are responsible for providing this information to both the white house and those of us on capitol hill that support the law, their heads need to roll. and some o

but overwhelmed west virginians say they've heard that rhetoric before. >> how long do you think this will go on before we get answers? >> years. that's the way it happens. freedom industries, the company blamed for the spill fired chapter 11 bankruptcy, protecting them for now, from class action lawsuits and debt collectors. >> there's some encouraging thus out west. the wildfire that destroyed five homes near los angeles and burnt hundreds of acres is nearly under control. officials say the blaze is about 80% contained and should be fully controlled by wednesday. the fire started wednesday with a campfire in the national forest. it's scorched 1900 acres. >> california ski slopes are nearly empty because of a drought. it's the worst dry spell the state has experienced in 150 years. desperately needed rain is on the way. >> the view from space reveals a dramatic image on the problem. on the west the snow pack. on the right, with all the brown, january 13th, 2014. at ma'am oath mountain 10 of 28 ski lifts are closed. the mountains showed bare rocks on the peaks that would be covered. m

when the worst hits west virginia, the best in west virginians come out. that's what you see. on the water lines for a couple of days. whether they waited in line to get the jugs filled up or with our firefighters and police officers handing out so we're being patient. we have that drinking water. it's the other aspect of being able to have sanitary needs taken care of and being able to clean up but we are very resourceful in this situation. >> the west virginia gazette mail write that is freedom industries, the company responsible for the chemical leak, filed a form with the state emergency response officials in february as they're mandated to do stating the chemical in house but the paper writes the same agencies and public officials, though, said they know little about the chemical involved. they're all acting a bit surprised that this mystery substance is stockpiled so close to a crucial water intake and shocked that something like this could have happened. when's to believe believed and if they knew, why wasn't there a plan in place that the possibility like this could ha

you include west virginians in this.rage as you bring bottled water and say the hell with everyone. you can ask me how i can stand to live in a place like this. to hell with everyone who said why don't i just leave and quit and go to the other thousands. like it never occurred to us. like if only we had listened as you explained safety hazards and we suddenly recognized something that hospital been on the radar until now. you condemned fellow west virginians. me why. >> the thing that is really striking to me about this is it's a complicated thing. like any other history. it's a synergistic blending of politics and environmental issues. there is an element of our characters. there is a sacrifice and that's really, really problematic in a hard part of the essay to write. the thing that makes me angry about this is how deeply it is in the fact that west virginians want to go to work. despite the ridiculous and absurd stereotypes, this is a place that placed a significant value on doing the work. making something happen. if

today was the day that virginians of all the beleaguered folks in the country, virginians not only hado absorb the news of the criminal indictment of their most recent governor today, but people in northern virginia also had to go to the polls the today in a special election for a race that may end up determining which party controls the senate in that state. control of the senate will not be sure in virginia until one other race goes through a recount, but this one tonight is just as crucial to that outcome. polls closed at 7:00 p.m. in the special election for the 33rd senate district in northern virginia. and now with 100% of precincts reporting, the associated press has declared the democrat in the race, jennifer wexton, to be the winner, with 52.7% of the vote. she's a pro-choice, pro-gun democrat who defeated a republican in the race named john whitbeck, and a republican named joe may, who ran a strong race as an independent. jennifer wexton's win means that control over the virginia senate hinges now on the results of a recount that's going on in the other special senate electio

polls showing that the majority of virginians are favoring same-sex marriage. it is now legal for gay couples to marry in seven states, and judges in utah and oklahoma have also determined bans on gay marriages unconstitutionali, an we have more from julie. >> well, about 12 days ago, the new attorney general who was sworn in is making a splash. mark herring says that too often in the past, virginia has been on the wrong side of history like interracial marriage and school desegregation, and he says he does not want to refeet the mistake with same-sex marriage. >> i believe that the freedom the mar i have a fundamental right, and i intend to ensure that virginia is on the right side of history and on the right side of the law. >> reporter: with those words democratic general attorney mark herring said that his office will no longer defend same-sex marriage ban in court. what's more, he will help to argue that the law is unconstitutional and joining a gay couple whose challenge will be held in federal court next week. in 2006 he voted against same sex couples ma

i was sitting with the republican house member, retiring virginian, frank wolf, who has been in the house 34 years, kind of back in the corner last night, and. when the topic of immigration reform came up, i asked frank what he saw the thought, and he said, look, it will go through some twists and turns, but he was feeling optimistic about the house to go an immigration reform bill. it will look different from the senate bill but we'll get in conference and trade. there may be other issues. we are moving ahead. we have to get over the debt ceiling hurdle but i expect more willingness to work together. >> woodruff: let me pick up on immigration. senator flake, you both said you think that's a real possibility. do you think there could be an agreement that includes a pathway to citizenship? >> the senate included a pathway to citizenship. that's what i prefer, and ting the senate prefers in general. the house may say that those who are here illegally can access current avenues to citizenship, but no special path would be created. that would be a kind of hybrid that might win the day. i thin

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: relief came to some west virginians today. given the green light to turn on their taps after five days without water. but new questions emerged about oversight of the company behind the chemical spill. good evening, i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. also ahead this monday, the supreme court hears arguments for the first time over the president's power to make appointments when congress is not in session. >> woodruff: plus from california, the story of a program bringing senior citizens into the internet age >> when they're able to use email and able to communicate with a friend or loved one far away, there's a big smile. it just makes y our day and you those are just some of the stories we're covering on tonight's "pbs newshour." >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for

more west virginians are using tap water again two weeks after a frightening chemical spill in the elkiver near charleston. as we continue to keep a sharp focus on the developments there, doctors are continuing to warn about their concerns, especially about how little is known about the risks created by the spill. now, the cd c acknowledges it should have done more to warn pregnant women about drinking water and residents are hearing there is more to that spill than the early alarms indicated. >> adding new fears, the dis closure a second chemical leaked into the elk river as a noxious licorice substance entered the waters. >> it was something that they mixed with it and according to the folks from freedom who revealed this to us yesterday, they thought they had stopped mixing that material and just recently discovered that it was in the tank with the mchm when the leak occurred. >> faced with worries about what did or didn't reach their water, west virginians wonder whether they are getting full story. the latest news was on facebook. >> how scary was that that nobody knew what was in

but overwhelmed west virginians say they've heard that rhetoric before. >> how long do you think this will go on before we get answers? >> years. years. that's the way it always happens. >> meanwhile, freedom industries the company blamed for the chemical spill has filed chapter 11 bankruptcy protecting them for now from class action lawsuits and debt collectors. >> now delinquent at 2:00 this afternoon governo the governor e senators will meet in the capitol. they'll introduce an above ground storage tank regulatory program so perhaps this doesn't happen again. some other info we were looking at. listen to this. 15-page material safety data sheet for the chemical that was spilled manufactured by a tennessee eastman chemical uses the phrase no data available, 152 times in that document. here's some examples. repeated dose toxicity, no data available. carcinogens. no data available. so if that doesn't go to show you how much scientists and the actual company that makes this chemical know, i'm not sure what does. a lot of answers, regulation perhaps in place starting this afternoon. law