wheeler won that case as well. and because of the litigation, two consolidated schools were constructed. thousands of african-american children in wilson county benefited by obtaining a high school education. mr. wheeler filed several school desegregation lawsuits. in 1956, he and other attorneys including future court chairman won the u.s. supreme court case of frazier versus board of trustees of the university of north carolina, which led to the first three african-american undergraduates to gain admission to our state's flagship institution. in 1961, president kennedy appointed john wheeler to the president's committee on equal employment opportunity. an ambitious established by the then governor to help eradicate poverty. he joined the organization board and his bank was the repository of its accounts. then governor named wheeler to the democratic national convention in atlantic city, new jersey. mr. wheeler was the first african-american to be a convention delegate. that same year, he became the first african-

wheeler was previously aid to u.s.d staffer on environmental and public works. wheeler is a consider it chiropractic of nationwide limits on greenhouse gas emissions. and has supported the continued use of fossil fuels. that of course is a key push for the administration, limiting greenhouse gas not high on their agenda. wheeler follows in the steps of scott pruitt, also against greenhouse gas emissions limiting nationwide limits to greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the continued use of fossil fuels. in october 2017 wheeler was nominated by the president to become the deputy administrator. he was, as john said, he was confirmed by the senate. now he will be the acting epa director in the short time. and you go back to john roberts talking about the letter that scott pruitt gave the president and the personal note. we talked about when we first heard that scott pruitt resigned. yesterday afternoon he was at the fourth of july barbecue, in good spirits, having a good time. then he goes on in this letter saying here

environmental protection agency, andrew wheeler. he was selected by president trump to become acting administrator starting july 9 2018. he was concerned by the u.s. senate -- on april 12. wheeler has dedicated his career to balancing sound environmental policies. he began his career in the 1990s at epa as a special assistant where he received three bronze medals. after his time at epa, he moved to congress where he worked on environmental issues and eventually became majority staff -- and chief counsel as well as a minority staff director. i would like to think of congress as our board of directors. i know that administrator wheelers experience will greatly benefit the agency. throughout his career, he has received bipartisan support and recognition for his work and his leadership. along with his other accomplishments, administrator wheeler is an eagle scout and perhaps most impressively of all he climbed mount kilimanjaro. i have seen firsthand a thoughtful and collaborative person and his approach to issues. i regularly see him s

environmental protection agency, andrew wheeler. he was selected by president trump to become acting administrator starting july 9th, 2018. he was confirmed by the u.s. senate as the deputy administrator of epa on april 12th. administrator wheeler has dedicated his career to advancing sound environmental policies. he began his career in the 1990s at epa, as a special assistant in the pollution prevention and toxics office, where he received three bronze medals. after his time at epa, he moved to congress, where he worked on environmental issues and eventually became majority staff director and chief council, as well as a minority staff director of the senate committee on environment and public works. i like to think of congress as our board of directors, so i know that administrator wheeler's experience on the hill will greatly benefit the agency. throughout his career, he has received bipartisan support and representation for his work and his leadership. along with his other accomplishments, administer wheeler is an eagle scout and

i wonder what your impression is of andy wheeler. guy now running the epa who has made millions as a coal lobbiest. is that a repedeiation of lobbiestses? maybe doesn't have had it controversies associated with him. >> i didn't like it it when barack obama's administration picked winners and losers in the market. we like this green energy company and we're not going to do these other things because we don't like nuclear energy. i also don't think as a consivative you have to embrace, just because the coal industry wants to cut the tops off of mountains and not be held accountable for polluting rivers and streams, that they should get a free ride. the free market doesn't mean you get a free ride from the government and that's clearly what's going to happen with wheeler. he's an actual lobbyist for the major donor for whom the epa's been directing a lot of their murray, coal magnet for which the epa's basically been barking like a trained seal for that last year 1/2. >> long-time republican now actively rooting for democrats in congres

and we see it's andrew wheeler coal lobbyist. so clearly the agenda is not going to be getting any better. hopefully andrew wheeler will be less effective at under mining all the environmental regulations that have been put in place years prior. administrations prior. maybe he'll be less corrupt. it would be hard to be more corrupt than scott pruitt. but i think what this shows us, this next appointment with andrew wheeler is that the following midterms will be really important. that we won't get somebody to head the epa who believes in science and thinks it's matters. he'll help fix the environment and help us have clean air and water. and do anything but pat the backs of energy lobbyists. so please get to the polls everyone this fall. >> chris continue,kristen, i wa that moment with you holding your child, captures people's attention, because you were thinking about your child, as we all do. do you think that might have helped be a tipping point in his departure? >> you know, because it caught on so much, i think maybe it helpe

wheeler.t, his background. later on we'll be talking to a big energy expert who follows the futures markets on energy very, very closely out of chiically to get the read on all of that. in the meantime, we are focusing on other news, the secretary of state back in north korea trying to get to the bottom of reports that the north koreans might be trying to pull a fast one when it comes to denuclearization efforts, doing quite the opposite. still another one that's gotten the attention of cameras from space, namely satellite images, they're not doing all they say they're doing. the hudson institute, rebecca on this. how big a deal are these allegations or at least suspiciouses? enough to get the secretary of state there, but what do we know? >> they're a big deal. all of these reports coming out are based on evidence that has been collected from open source. not classified information. the u.s. government has had all of this satellite imagery from before. they're not surprised. the administratio

wheeler. we know about all the controversies. we laid them out about mr. pruitt. but mr. wheeler comes in this same agenda ofulling back obama era regular lage,orking closely with different companies. that to me may be the big story here that the pruitt agendaoes on without pruitt. >> and perhaps even moreel effect some people have said some of the regulations are the rollbacks. they face legal challenges and h been overshadowed by all of the controversy around scott uitt. you have someone who is coming in very close to the coal industry who understands the regulations and rule making very wellteill do b at carrying out the president's agenda of rolling back tse things and being more pro-business. >> i think one of the points to make aruut scottt's demise is that people have failed for very different reasons in this administration. aurex tillerson failed b of his inability to develop a relationship with the president. in scott pruitt's case that was never a problem. he hady all accounts a robust relationship with the president. the president stood bhim because of his succ

wheeler would be well prepared to pursue a number of reversals. and he served in the epa and on capitol hill as you mentioned and worked for the private sector in many industries that are looking for changes. >> final question, there have been real problems filling this white house, just the white house staff, and people refer to the desperation in filling the staff there and always in the agencies. the personnel information seems dire. >> turning to people in the west wing like bill shine. he has clouds of his own every his entry into the white house due to the relationship with the late roger ailes. and at the federal government level, this is an administrations that -- >> all right. thank you for joining me. >> for more on scott pruitt's long list i am joined by former white house. kristen, i will start with you, it worked. it worked. >> that's very generous. i think that i was one of barrage of nails in this coffin that scott pruitt built himself. so much credit goes to investigative journalist. activist groups and environmental groups like th

wheeler will not be involved in any decision on this proposal. wheeler declined an interview with cnn on this report but sent a statement. under my ethics agreement with the agency, he tells cnn, i will have no involvement with energy fuels incorporated for two years. supporters say that despite his industry ties, wheeler was already confirmed by the senate for his role as deputy administrator. and many conservatives, including senator jim i am homh wheeler's former boss, said they would support him getting the position. his most logical successor could be his worst opponent. . it will be harder when the union spolts turn away and that will be an advantage for wheeler. and jim, according to his tweets, it doesn't appear donald trump's policy is going to change, either. in taking over, trump says, i have no doubt that andy will continue with, more than 100 holes in the cave where the boys are trapped. oxygen levels inside the cave are dropping. matt rivers is inside thailand covering the rescue mission. matt, it seems like time may be running out.

wheeler, i think, is going to be in the approach.ly very widely respected on the hill and, you know, many people inside the agency say that they have gotten a better feeling from him even if they don't perhaps like his policies. >> this is interesting, because murray, for whom andy wheeler worked, is a coal executive. it's a coal company. scott pruitt as attorney general in oklahoma and prior to that has been very, very chummy with the energy industry. oklahoma, like texas, is a big energy-producing state. it's just kind of weird, because the epa really has as its main mission the idea that energy companies and other big industry in america, if you don't provide regulations for them, they will pollute. that's just the way things go. if you don't have rules, people put their garbage in the water and in the air. it's just strange to have a regulatory agency so focused on the deregulation of the very people it's supposed to be regulating. >> well, let me just state at the outset, ali, first of all, thank you for having me. i don't think

they're not quite sure about andrew wheeler, although andrew wheeler is many things, a d.c. professional, who knows how operations run. i think they are holding out hope at least wheeler will look at science when he is making some of these decisions that the epa is involved with. >> talk to me about andrew wheeler a second. what do we know about him? >> andrew wheeler started at the epa 25 some years ago. then, he went to capitol hill, where he worked for senator inhofe. senator inhofe of oklahoma is one of the climate change skeptics. he worked there, left, went to k-street and followed that golden path that leads to lobbying job, lobbied for big coal, energy companies and lobbied the energy industry, epa and department of interior. the very people now he is going to regulate as we pointed out in some of our reporting, were paying him a year or so ago. that should be an interesting dynamic. andrew wheeler did have to pledge he wouldn't be involved in any decisions involving his former clients. we have that to deal with. >> likely very little change in policy. we know people

pruitt's repewcement will be wheeler the current deputy epa administrat wheeler will become the aing administrator until president trump nominate new achievement were unyear ago wheeler was working as one of the coal industry's most powerful lobbyists. wheeler told senors thehuman ime ood.ot completely under >> ♪ >> president trump held a make great falls, montana to drum up support for republican candidates in the midterm elections. during the rally t mr.mp commented on the woman who climbedhe onto pedestal of the statue of liberty demanding immigration and customs enforcement the agency known as ice be abolished. >> you saw that clown yesterday on the statue liberty. you the guys that went up there. i wouldn't have done it. i would have said t's get me n and let's wait till she comes down. just get some nets. >> the president also once again took aim at senator elizabeth warrenly he tolow the d he wanted to dna testbe pocahontas, eth warren. the comments were a jab at warren's native american ancestry. >>> during the rally mr. trump also reminded the crowd he plans to announce his

so it's going to be up to wheeler to see them through. what i expect to see, actually he'll do them in a more strategic way and perhaps a more successful way because there's going to be less fireworks that are distractions. >> great to speak with you, eric, thanks for the reporting. richard painter, my thanks to you as well. >>> out of time. the white house says it can't reunite all migrant families separated bat the border in tim for a court-ordered deadline. why the reunions are taking so long. (♪) okay you gotta be kidding me. hold on, don't worry, there's another way. directions to the greek theater. (beep) ♪can i get a connection? ♪can i get can i get a connection?♪ ♪ohhh can i get a connection? ♪trying find the old me but prevagen helps your brain with an ingredient originally discovered... in jellyfish. in clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory. prevagen. the name to remember. the new united explorer card makes things easy. traveling lighter. taking a shortcut. (woooo) taking a breather. rewarded! lea

what will be interesting to see is whether injure wheeler is willing to do that.e is seen as an institutionalist. his entire career has been tethered to the epa in a way that scott pruitt never did. where scott pruitt was an antagonist, wheeler has been wedded to this institution. it will be interesting to see heavy is willing to make these changes that conservatives want. guest.k you to our ♪ what's a gig of data? well, it's a whole day's worth of love songs. 300 minutes of baby videos. or, it's a million chat messages. a gig goes a long way. that's why xfinity mobile lets you pay for data one gig at a time. and with millions of wifi hotspots included, you'll pay less for data. it's a new kind of network designed to save you money. click, call or visit a store today. >> on scarlet fu. >> and i'm joe weisenthal. >> u.s. stocks are closing higher on the day with the nasdaq leading the day up by more than 1% on the session. just a quick note if you are tuning in on twitter, welcome to the closing bell coverage from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. u.s. stocks are closing higher wi

his deputy, andrew wheeler, will take over as acting administrator on monday.protecting the environment, wheeler is no better than scott pruitt. wanna summers joins us now. what is it that has environmentalists so unhappy with wheeler taking over temporarily? >> environmental groups are concerned that wheeler will follow in the same track record that scott pruitt has when it comes to deregulation. two things in particular, one is before he was nominated by the president to serve as deputy epa administrator, he served as a lobbyist. his client roster included one of the nation's largest coal companies. one other thing, before that he used to work for a senator in oklahoma, a former chairman of the senate environment committee. he is someone who has denied some of the mainstream science regarding climate change, even threw a snowball on the senate floor to make the point. in fact, he would push into the deregulatory agenda that scott pruitt won the president's praise for. >> that's what they are looking at. as we pointed out, the investigations continue, correct,

. >> meanwhile the president announced the epa'sre acement as andrew wheeler.heeler will become the acting administrator until president trump nominates a new one. wheeler would need to be confirmed in another senate vote. >>> security changes are coming to the smithsonian's national zoohe and twill be permanent and a pla for those changes would mean a big impact for the who visit. >> fox5's melanie alnwick live in northwest now with the details. mel, good morning.>> reporter: d morning, guys.so this isn't a done dealf yet but so the changes could be happening by the end of this year into early next year. others may take a little bit longer but it is a big change because people, what they love about the zoo is i openness and accessibility but now the world has changed and thats openne seen as a big securityisk. some 25,000 vitors come to the national zoo every single day and now the smithsonian's only major public venue that doesn't have security screening like the oer smithsonian museums. the proposed changes would first close gap that was installed in 2012. t

our request to speak with administrator wheeler was declined. epa, he said, quote, our actions mark a significant departure from one size fits all policies from the pasts and save tens of millions of dollars in regulatory costs. duke is saying none of it has reached public ground water. >> testing continues to demonstrate that coal ash operations are not impacting private wells. >> reporter: it's something danielle has heard before, but when you live next to a coal plant and an ash pond, even if it is your dream home, you're always living in a bit of fear. >> it was the dream. we are still paying for that dream, unfortunately, but i'll have to dream somewhere else. >> dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, cha , charlotte, north carolina. >>> manned space exploration is back. nasa plans to return to the moon and astronauts plan to state. the latest on this former space mission with a former nasa astronaut. ood is your insurancef you get punished for using it? news flash: nobody's perfect. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your ra

that's where andy wheeler is going to pick up running. he himself have said i really enjoy the pruitt's agenda, i think we'll move on along. >> shannon, let's pull back here, no secrets of a lot of folks leaving the administration, sean spicer and a anthony scarramucci and mike flynn, the list is so long here. what does it tell us about working for this president? >> it is a tough job and people who are still in the job, a lot of them are in it be grudgingly because they feel they have a sense of duty to their country and we hear constantly of people who are trying to carry through the midterms or until the supreme court justice is appointed. the white house is a tough job no matter who the president is. there is no doubt that the turnover rate at this white house has been well beyond any other white house on record. >> shannon, thank you so much. >> ken vogel and jake levine, thank you. trump in full attack mode taking some jabs of the me too movement of senator warren. senator warren is firing back with some strong words of her own. eve

when wheeler confirmed within the epa started talking.r is well-respected. people believed that he would tinl that agenda. and would the president lose confidence in someone who was pushing the agenda, yes, but with this side show going on that was continuously bringing bad press. if they could lean instead on someone who could push that deregulation agenda, get the job done, but not cause so many bad headlines and so much controversy. and that appears to have finally caught up with scott pruitt. but andrew wheeler is someone who is very well respected and is expected to continue the policies that scott pruitt's epa had been pursuing under donald trump's administration, brooke. >> got it. sara gam on, you are all over it. thank you so much for that. i have about 60 seconds left. david chalian, does this mean another battle? >> it could. at some point the president wants to put forward a new person for that, that would open up a big cabinet confirmation battle. i would be surprised if he wants to do that this fall, in the midst of the supr

meet acting chief andrew wheeler.ott pruitt who he is replacing, he is at least somewhat skeptical climate change is manmade. he worked for republican senator of oklahoma who once brought a snowfall to the senate floor to cast doubt on claims about global warming. he is temporarily replacing pruitt who announced his resignation yesterday, after countless accusations of improper behavior ranging from an improper apartment rende rental to a $40,000 phone booth, to say nothing of the 16 investigations into pruitt's behavior. the question should be asked, what finally prompted his exit after all of that. with me, two reporter who have been all over the story, juliette isle, elena plott. let me start with you, julie. you have reporting that yesterday scott pruitt was told by the white house time to submit a resignation letter. as we say, it comes after all of this reporting, all of the revelations and it is only yesterday that that order comes in. what finally prompted the president to say, okay, he's got to go? >> well, w

the senate confirmed deputy at epa, andrew wheeler, will on monday assume duties as the acting administrator of the epa. i have no doubt that andy will continue on with our great and lasting epa agenda. we have made tremendous progress and the future of the epa is

andrew wheeler is said to take the input of staffers more. that doesn't mean he will end up on a different spot, he won't. he will end up in the same spot as pruitt. >> pruitt is skeptical on climate change being due to us. >> he's not going to be as vocal about it. he said in his confirmation hearing to be deputy administrator of the administration. he has no intention of reviewing a 2009 scientific find thag confirms the mainstream climate science and the underpinning of the climate regulations. i anticipate that debate will fall to the background, even though he has similar skepticism as pruitt. >> we listed things secretary pruitt did or wanted to do. a lot didn't have follow through. they are not things he can do or take time. what do you think the lasting legacy of scott pruitt is likely going to be? >> it's going to depend on who you ask. if you ask senator inhofe or president trump, his legacy is that he was attacked by environment lists and the mainstream media, as people call publications like you and ours for rolling back regulatio

andrew wheeler. . coal lobbyist and he previously tried to get rid of the regulations here a look from dr. sanjay gupta why the regulations were kbremted by osh and what the roll back could mean for the environment and your health. >> it's quiet. it's safe. it's a family atmosphere. >> danielle grew up in walnut cove, north carolina. the tranquil town of just over 1,000 people sits along the picturesque lake. >> the lake that was a big reason to move in this area. >> dream location it had everything we needed and the price was right. >> the price was right because just over the trees is the steam station. one of duke energy's largest coal burning power plants and one of the realities of the plants is that you need a place to dispose of the waste. and that traditionally meant coal ash ponds like this. it may look like a beautiful lake. but it is basically an unlined pit in the ground with millions of tons of ash. mercury, cad me yum, arsenic, contaminants associated with cancer, right in danielle's bark

wheeler is quoted that he did not want the job, never wanted the job. but a lot of insiders thinking he is more effective than pruitt was because he is low key and has the same agenda. i think this is a steving moment as well -- teaching moment as well in terms of what it means to drain the swamp. draining the swamp was never about corruption, it was about draining the agencies. if you look at donald trump's comments, he thought pruitt was doing an excellent job. he had rolled back wo two regulations. holding a lot of new regulations at bay and even folks like christine todd whitman had said when pruitt came in, that was going to be a danger. now you see a lobbyist like pruitt and now wheeler coming in to push through this agenda. pushing out civil servants, that is going to continue. that is not why scott pruitt was fired. >> quickly beth, on that point, democrats for policy reasons did not like the idea for pruitt here. do you see a continuation of these policies. >> of course. and that is why it is strange that pruitt was able to hang on as long as h

hower in the past wheeler ps critical of thedu'lreai. stoha tt at all intof whher or not the him that top job. neefor for sy sen of what'sitis november. >> reporter: right, that was the big question if pruitt was going to use his job at the epa to help him forward hisr political c possibly into a run for office. at this point this maye hurt his chances at that. we'll see what happwhs en he oklahoma if voter or hsiatnio i gs him. >> yup.ay lauren blanchard alwgood to see you. >> thank you. >> reporter: always good to>> see you. all right. moving on, president trump's frontrunner for the sacing somee highlightingudge brett kavanaugh's previous rulings. >> weighing in, democratic strategist j pain and republican strategist oz tltan. do you thinkhis point the president has already made up his md. >> who knows.e it lookshe wants to do a bachelor style again next week where he'll bring a couple people in the office, he did that with neal gorsuch when he brought multiple finalists and kind of tried to makeho it realityw style. i imagine the sho

andrew wheeler, if confirmed, or whoever else if confirmed, may not have that.ind you what happened a few days ago in a restaurant where a woman named kristin mink, a teacher, confronted scott pruitt with a child in her arms talking about the environment, why don't you resign before your scandals push you out. let's listen to that again. >> this is my son. he loves animals. he loves clean air. he loves clean water. while you're slashing -- you have been hanging -- while approving the pipeline, we deserve somebody who actually does protect our environment, someone who believes in climate change and takes it seriously for the benefit of all of us including our children. so, i would urge you to resign before your scandals push you out. >> i want to bring into the conversation emily holden, politico's climate change and energy reporter. emily, to that point, too kristin mink's point -- i talked to her on tv the day after she confronted scott pruitt -- and i said what matters more to you, his scandals and the environment? by a long shot, the environment, the air, the

environmental groups describe wheeler as sort of a scandal free replica of pruitt, conservatives say they expect wheeler to continue the deregulatory work in washington. >> golodryga: i want to switch to another to another topic, supruse the president said today he will announce a supreme court pick monday at 9:00 p.m. eastern p.me, what are you hearing about who may be on his short list right now. >> reporter: we were told the president has confined his list down to three. raymond ketheledge, amy coney barrett and bret kavanagh all sitting on federal appeals court. there are various factions in covor of all three. the president said will make his decision on sunday, announce it to the country on monday evening here at the white house. the president said it was unlikely he will conduct any additional interviews about this while is he in new jersey over the weekend. >> golodryga: given their young age, either candidate could sit on the bench for decades to come. major garrett, thank you. in another personnel change the president hired former fox news executive bill shine to be deputy

the president announced to deputy andrew wheeler will stum pruett's duties. former coal lobbyist with close ties to the industry. unlike pruett is not a d.c. outsider. he worked on the senate environment and public works committee, and we know -- he knows the ins and outs of how washington works. he was also top aide to oklahoma senator jim inhoff, a vocal denier of climate change. when he was asked during his confirm's hearing back in november, this is what he said. "i believe man has an impact on the climate, but what is not completely understood is what that impact is. one mother made some news this week when she flat out confronted scott pruett at a restaurant. here is the moment have you to see. >> this is my son. he loves animals. he wants clear air. he wants clean water. we need somebody at the e.a.a. that does protect our environment. somebody that believes in climate change. >> with pe now the woman you saw on the video, mom and teacher, kristen. guess you got what you wanted. scott pruett is out. that was the first goal. but, unfortunately, his poli

andrew wheeler is a former coal industry lobbyist. he's a lawyer, he's a lobbyist. what's clear from the president throughout his defense of scott pruitt as well as celebrating andrew wheeler is that the direction of the epa will not change and this will be dedicated to dismantling some of the regulatory and environmental protections put in place not just by president obama but by previous republican presidents as this president wants to do more to help the business community. chris. >> was there any indication, though, that this was coming? the timing is really interesting when you have a new communications director coming on. >> yeah. >> maybe he was able to convince the president. was it about -- we know the president watches social media very closely. you had a, i would say, unflattering bit of a confrontation in a restaurant with a woman going up to scott pruitt. that went viral. people watched it, i think, hundreds of thousands of times. anything that suggests, because i kept asking the question how many scandals, how many ethical investigations is the magic n

aren't worried about wheeler? >> of course, we are very worried about wheeler. he is a co-lobbyist.dermined the mission at epa as well. part of the reasons that it's so important that these investigations are carried out, and andrew wheeler, in his acting position, shouldn't go forward with any policy decisions until we get a full sense of corruption within the agency. he's part of that problem right now until he steps out and says that he's not going to really carry out all the problems and scandals that we saw with administrator pruitt. >> lock lan i'm amazed that the white house sort of gets through the day, given what i've heard about, how it operates, and the processes that's not in place to make the place function smoothly. >> i'm not sure the place does function notally. that's kind of a constant indeference of the man with the top, which is why you may have sa saw pruitt in his position so long. it's sort of very siloed with not as much communication as you would expect or probably like between the various offices. this is all flowing up and this is all flowing towards the p

previously he was chief of staff, andrew wheeler, for center enhoff in oklahoma. a big climate change i don't want to sigh r say deny error s. it is in the mold ideological of scott pruitt. we'll see if he's in the same mode ethically. nicolle? >> peter baker, you and your colleagues have been reporting on scott pruitt for longer than just about anybody. and scott pruitt was interesting because he was president just doing donald trump's bidding at epa. he was a very ambitious politician in his own right and there is some reporting in recent weeks that has bubbled out, he thought he was ascend ant in donald trump's orbit. he was on such good standing with the president that he -- it's been reported he pitched himself as the next attorney general should jeff sessions not go the distance. >> it's pretty remarkable, right? he did not seem to be a man who thought his footing was about to slip. he thought he was on the way up. you know, he told the president, supposedly, that you should get rid of jeff sessions. if you do get rid of jeff segsz, i'm happy to step in ther

to replace him, andrew wheeler in as the new acting head of that agency. but let's take a look back at wheeler during a senate confirmation hearing last november. wheeler speaking about the issue of climate change. >> was anything happening when you climbed kilimanjaro there that relates to fossil fuel emissions? >> the air is very thin, but if you are referring to the glacier on top of -- >> i'm asking you, was anything happening on kilimanjaro? >> the glacier is still there on top. >> that is not answering my question. >> do you believe human activity is driving the temperature increases on the planet? >> i believe that man has an impact on the climate, but what is not completely understood is what the impact is. >> the new head of the epa. given that response, what does that say to you about what can be expected of wheeler's approach leading this agency? >> well, i think we'll see more of the same. you know, mr. pruitt was clearly in bed with industry. his replacement is of the same ilk. this is an administration that has shown itself to be anything but

what about the deputy administrator andrew wheeler, what do we know about him? >> this is it interesting, when he was confirmed the talk inside the agency and inside trump's constituency immediately turned to now he will probably go. he had the same agenda but without the scandal. he can do it probably more effectively because it will be quieter. harder to hit andrew wheeler because there most likely not the same kinds of headlines and ethic scandals. and so you are still talking about a person who is former industry lobbyist. i couldn'ted -- counted a list 30 some administrations he lobbied for. that's what they are questioning him leading the epa. >> less swampy scott pruitt. and sounds like this was a huge surprise over to the rank and file at epa. >> yeah, a couple of people i have spoken to or colleagues this did come as a surprise. that they were planning meetings with scott pruitt. that they didn't get a letter. a lot of people heard about this the same way we did which is through the president's tweets. >> interesting. one of the more colorful figures to

the senatey confirmed a wheeler will assume acting duties as director ofep i have no doubt that andyill continue on with our great and lasting epa agenda. we've made tremendous progress and the future of the epa is very right. ss for scott pruitt, he's dogged by a ser of ethical questions as director of the epa including using taxpayer money for first class airfare and for using his jo perhaps to get his wife a chick-fil-a franchise and a $50 a night condo on capitolill. scot pruitt out as administrator of epa. his deputy will take over downtown in d.c. at the live desk, i'm scott mcfarlane. >> thank you, otott. >> ther who confronted him with the baby in her arms will be happy to hear that. keep an eye o that story to let you know how that develops. meantime, our other big sry once again. it's the heat. we're on day seven of temps over 90 degrees and tonight we've got some rain being mixed in. >> we're in weather alert mode again over the nexthree hours of parts of our area probing foe so strong, even possibly severe storms. let's get right to amelia in the storm center. take it awa

wheeler will be taking over for pruitt. he was a former coal lobbyist. a lot of folks on the left concerned about this pick. the president said he likes wheeler, he think he might do a great job and in the post for quite some time. >>> we will be talking more about wheeler and what we know about him and what happens with scott pruitt and all of these informations he investigations he is facing. a. >>> the scott pruitt era is over. joining me now is brian car eer igan. now we know how many investigations it takes to out an official, i guess it is 14, or 15 is too many. >> yeah, you know i had an intern law student put together a list of his -- >> we have a scroll we can put up right now, and we're not looping it. this is the investigations. but our scroll is many minutes long. to your point, walter, here we go. it is stunning. it is stunning what this guy did, walter. words fail. are these investigations still going to proceed? >> yeah, they're going to continue. and you know there is at least some remote possibility that he could still face some conseque

you see that the acting straighter is the deputy, wheeler. you saw environmental groups saying he's just as bad as pruitt and we're going to continue this effort to oust him as well. >> it's an interesting points. it's similar in that wheeler will not change the dynamic on policy when it comes to epa, right? >> exactly. guy said death by a thousand cuts. i'd call it suicide by a thousand cuts. all of this was self-inflicted. the guy was a drifter. he was continuing to rack up one embarrassment after the other for a continue promising to change things the way things got done in washington, to drain the swamp. he was a symbol of the swamp. >> he had opposition even in the administration. he pushed very hard to get out of the paris climate accord. >> even the president -- that was the president's decision. he's did not push the president to get there. he was following the president. all of these things, if nobody made him go look for a $200,000 job for his wife. nobody made him demand first -- and $3,000 for tactical pants? whatever those are. >

the new epa chief andrew wheeler has not been a job 24 hours and is already being attacked after thelebrated the resignation of scott pruitt, their focus is on wheeler and his lobbying for coal companies. massachusetts democratic sen. ed markey tweeting about time with pruitt out and andrew wheeler at the home the epa administrator will no longer be big oil's right-hand man, it will be king cole's best lobbyist. pruitt resigned over unrelenting attacks against him and his family. also heading for the hot seat, devon nunez referring 15 people for possible public testimony on the russia investigation, most have ties to the 2016 anti-trump dossier and opposition research firm fusion gps. special counsel robert mueller reportedly tapped more prosecutors for his probe into russian interference in the presidential election. this despite having no evidence so far in his 13 month investigation. the probe costing $16.7 million in its first 10 months alone. over $16 million over ten months. donald trump could be on the guest list when mexico's new leader takes office, she is expected to invite

aren't you worried about wheeler? >> of course, we are very worried. he is a coal lobbyist. he is going to undermine the mission at epa as well. and part of the reason that it's so important that these investigations are carried out and really andrew wheeler in his acting position shouldn't go forward with any policy decisions until we get a full sense of the corruption within the agency. he's part of that problem right now. until he steps out and says that he's not going to really carry out all the problems and all the scandal that we saw with administrator pruitt. >> i'm sometimes amazed the white house gets through the day. given what i have heard about how it operates and just the sheer amount of vacancies they have and the processes that do not seem to be in place to make the place function smoothly. >> right. i'm not sure the place does function smoothly. there's kind of a constant deference to the man at the top, which is why you saw scott pruitt sort of remain in his post for so long as he continues to have the ear and the appreciation and respect of the president. w

this is unveiled by andrew wheeler the new director of the epa who had tried to previously get rid ofons when he was a lobbyists. and now, what could this mean not only for the environment but your health. >> it is quiet and safe and nice family atmosphere. >> reporter: growing up in walnut grove, indiana, this is the house that sits right next to the lake. that is the reason for the move? >> yes, a dream location and the price was right. >> reporter: the price was right because just over those trees is the creek steam station, one of duke energy's largest coal burn ing power plants. one of the realities of the coal burning plants is that you need a place to dispose of the waste, and that is tradition a ally has meant coal ash ponds like this. it may look like a beautiful lake, but it is basically an unlined pit in the ground with millions of tons of ash. mercury, cadmium, arsenic, contaminants associated with kans cancer right in danielle's backyard. in 2009, danielle began experiencing headaches. i went to the hospital, and they told me that i had a brain tumor, and they were not ly

andy wheeler will continue with the deregulatory agenda for sure. he's probably going to be a bit more methodical than scott pruitt was. there's a few things that andy may back off from. pruitt was gunning to have a fight with california over some of the vehicle rules. but i'm not quite sure that's something wheeler's going to want to undertake. so you will see some differences. >> men timantime, in his res ei letter, pruitt talked about the unrelenting attacks against him and his family. i want to remind people of the moment pruitt was confronted about president trump draining the swamp. >> president trump said he would drain the swamp. >> i don't -- >> is draining the swamp renting an apartment from the wife of a washington lobbyist? >> i don't think that that's even remotely fair to ask that question. >> he didn't think any of this was fair. you've been covering pruitt, eric, for years. you tweeted your first report on then oklahoma attorney general from 2014, and you say the kind of things from the 2014 report never went away. explain. >>. >> wh

they are the same power plants that epa had andrew wheeler used to lobby for.s made up of chemical contaminants linked to cancer that could be seeping into the drinking water. cnn's dr. sanjay gupta is in charlotte, north carolina, with more on the growing health and environmental concerns. >> it's quiet. it's safe. it's a family atmosphere. >> reporter: danielle grew up in walnut cove, north carolina. the tranquil town of just over 1,000 people sits right along picturesque beluse lake. the lake that was a big reason to move into this area? >> dream location. it had everything that we needed. the price was right. >> reporter: the price was right because just over those trees is the beluse creek steam station. one of duke energy's largest coal burning power plants. one of the realities of coal burning plants is you need a place to dispose of the waste. and that traditionally has meant coal ash ponds like this. it may look like a beautiful lake but it is basically an unlined pit in the ground with millions of tons of ash. mercury, cardmeum, arsenic, contaminants

andrew wheeler said he doesn't want the job.t will be interesting to see if he is in the mix or if trump goes outside and tries to pull another outsider into his cabinet. this is going to heighten the polarization in washington, make it a really long summer because remember, this is a busy time ahead. to ask you about the tone of the resignation letter. unrelenting attacks are unprecented and have taken a toll on all of us. what you make of that? he is not admitting anything. >> i am not surprised. he is fashioning himself as pbeingsecuted. he was confronted in a restaurant having dinner, like several t othmp officials have been, on his personal time. the allegations weighed on him. will't think he acknowledge this because he sees a -- himself as being in the right. i think he wants to run for office. you will see him going back to oklahoma trying to run for the senate or the governor. he has ambitions to be president. this puts a damper on it, but i don't think this is the last of scott pruitt because this letter and his commen

i'm curious to get your thoughts about wheeler. we know he's had some ties to the coal industry in terms of policy. are we likely to see him continue the policies that pruitt pursued, and perhaps even be more effective because he won't be grabbing as many headlines, scandal-ridden headlines the same way that -- >> absolutely committed to following those policies and executing many of the regulatory rollbacks that were started by scott pruitt. i think on that end, it is true that as someone who served in the epa, worked on capitol hill, and also worked in the private sector as a lobbyist, he is arguably much more steeped in the minutia of the policies. he really knows how to attack them. he's been addressing them in a workmanlike fashion, since he's came on board as pruitt's number two. he will pursue it. he did, however, in his first statement to employees, vow to protect public health and the environment, which is not something that came up in scott pruitt's initial speech to employees. we'll have to see how the style and tone may

president trump says he has no doubt that wheeler will continue with their agenda. coming up at 6 pm, we will have more for president trump and how others are reacting. >>> thank you. if you live in the east bay, chances are you saw this fireworks show last night. it may look like a professional show. actually, it is not. all of these, everyone you see, these are all illegal fireworks. they went on for almost 2 hours last night. these pictures were taken from her roof camera looking toward the oakland hills. illegal fireworks cause problems around the bay area from injuries to arrests and hundreds of citations. police and fire officials say they were inundated with calls last night. tom is on grizzly peak with more on the problems. tom? >> reporter: it all seems like a whole lot of fun until somebody gets injured or killed or somebody's house gets burns down. the fact is, there are no safe fireworks. in antioch, an auto repair shop worker was severely injured today after ending a large fireworks device in a dumpster. despite being advised not to write it, he did. it

the agency will now be led by interim chief and former coal industry lobbyist andrew wheeler. nbc's peter alexander has the latest. >> reporter: for epa administrator scott pruitt, it's the political climate that got too hot. facing mounting legal and ethics scandals, pruitt, one of the most controversial original trump cabinet level picks is out. president trp aboard air force one tweeting, i've accepted the resignation of scott pruitt. adding, scott has done an outstanding job a relaxed pruitt spotted here at the white apartments 4th of july picnic. but under siege from 15 federal ethics in inquiries many zeroing in on spending including unprecedented securit detail, frequent first class air travel and a $43,000 soundproof phone booth installed in hisfice. >> much of what has been targeted towards me and my team ts been halfths or at best stories that have been so twisted they do not resemble reality. >> reporter: just this week a school teacher confronting pruitt at a d.c. restaurant. >> so, i would urge you to resign before your scandals push you out.or >> rr: in his resig