Pete Buttigieg attacked by GOP over response to Ohio train derailment – live

Devastating consequences of Ohio train derailment revealed in shocking drone footage

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is facing criticism by the GOP over his response to the East Palestine, Ohio, disaster.

Republican lawmakers have argued that the Department of Transportation, run by Buttigieg, is not doing enough to prevent further tragedies.

“The Department of Transportation — your Department of Transportation — has things it can do,” Mr. Buttigieg said after the Trump administration’s 2017 decision to roll back an Obama rule that required some to use electronically Freight trains were needed. -Controlled pneumatic brake if the car was carrying flammable liquids.

“Stop blaming Donald Trump, a man who hasn’t been president for three years, and use the powers of the federal government to do the things needed to help people in this community,” Mr. Vance said, per Washington Post,

In a letter to President Biden, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida called for Mr Buttigieg’s resignation, writing: [ his little regard for the duties of the Secretary of Transportation] Has been more pronounced than in the last two weeks. Secretary Buttigieg refused to acknowledge the disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, unless his willful ignorance had persisted.

Mr Buttigieg has not yet visited East Palestine, but said on Saturday that his department would hold Norfolk Southern “accountable for any safety violations that contributed to the disaster” after the National Transportation Safety Board finalized an investigation. Will settle.

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Trump says he will visit East Palestine after two weeks of silence on train derailment

Donald Trump says he will visit East Palestine, Ohio, two weeks after a freight train loaded with toxic substances derailed and leaked into the community.

Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s son, was the first to announce the trip on Friday. tweet: “If our ‘leaders’ are truly afraid to lead, real leaders will step up and fill the void.”

The scope of the visit was not specified but was confirmed by Mr Trump on his platform on Saturday true social that he would travel to the community of 4,700 on Wednesday.

Mr Trump did not miss the opportunity to slam the Biden administration, claiming that his announcement prompted the White House to deploy FEMA aid to East Palestine. The agency issued a joint statement Friday with Governor Mike DeWine saying a regional incident management support team would arrive at the village.

“Biden and FEMA said they would not send federal aid to East Palestine. As soon as I announced I was leaving, they announced a team would go,” Mr Trump said on Truth Social. “Hopefully he’ll be there too. That’s good news because we’ve asked him to “move”. The people of East Palestine need help. I’ll see you on Wednesday!

andrea blanco19 February 2023 21:02

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Criminal charges dropped against NewsNation reporter who covered Ohio train derailment

criminal charges against A news nation reporter who was arrested while covering toxic train derailment has been cast down in eastern Palestine, ohio The attorney general made the announcement this week.

Bodycam footage shows two highway patrol officers confronting Mr Lambert for speaking too loudly, and then pushing him to the ground.

Read more from Bevan Hurley’s report below.

andrea blanco19 February 2023 19:41

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Senator Sherrod Brown calls for a state of emergency to be declared in East Palestine

Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio has called on Governor Mike DeWine to declare a state of emergency in East Palestine after a catastrophic derailment of chemicals into the water, air and land.

“A man-made disaster of this scale, scope and significance requires a response and deployment of resources that are commensurate with the scale and scope,” Brown said in a statement.

andrea blanco19 February 2023 18:29

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Norfolk Southern, the company behind Ohio’s toxic train crash: Deaths, whistleblowers, and $10 billion for shareholders

The railroad company behind the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, had a history of safety failures long before the February 3 disaster. Independent can reveal.

Norfolk Southern has a checkered past of fatal accidents and silencing whistleblowers, and was lambasted for safety failures last year after it authorized a $10 billion stock buyback for shareholders instead of maintenance.

It also emerged that the freight train – which derailed in East Palestine while carrying toxic chemicals – had broken down two days earlier.

IndependentBevan Hurley and Lewis Boyle have more:

andrea blanco19 February 2023 17:16

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Environmental Activist, PG&E Whistleblower Erin Brockovich Will Visit East Palestine

Environmental activist Erin Brockovich attends a town hall in East Palestine, Ohio, two weeks after a freight train laden with toxic materials derailed and leaked into the community.

Ms Brockovich announced her upcoming visit on Thursday via Twitter. The activist previously criticized the EPA and state lawmakers for telling people it was safe to return to their homes and, at the same time, sending legal notices to rail operators over the threat of environmental pollution.

“This is why people don’t trust the government,” she tweeted last week. “You can’t tell people that dangerous pollutants are contaminating the environment and say ‘all is well’ at the same time.”

Ms. Brockovich became a whistleblower in the 1993 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. case after she spoke out about unexplained illnesses that residents of Hinkley, California, were experiencing. A lawsuit in the case led to a $333 million settlement, while Ms. Brockovich was portrayed in a 2000 film by Julia Roberts.

andrea blanco19 February 2023 16:12

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What is vinyl chloride?

Residents of the small town of East Palestine, Ohio, are still dealing with the environmental consequences of a major train derailment this month.

On 3 February about 38 cars derailed a Norfolk Southern freight train. Investigators said about 10 of those cars were carrying hazardous materials when they derailed after breaking an axle.

Some rail tankers contained vinyl chloride, a chemical that posed a risk of explosion. Crews controlled-burnt the substance to prevent an explosion but still sent noxious black clouds across the area.

Vinyl chloride, which is used to make plastic pipe, wire and packaging, has been linked to an increased risk of liver cancer, liver angiosarcoma, primary liver cancer, brain and lung cancer, lymphoma and a rare form of leukemia. According to Cancer.gov,

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), burning vinyl chloride releases hydrogen chloride and causes irritation to the skin, nose, eyes, and throat.

Jimena Diaz Leiva, director of the Center for Environmental Health Science, told cbs news The dangers of vinyl chloride have been largely underestimated.

“This disaster is really a wakeup call,” Ms Leiva told the network. “…there needs to be a lot more regulatory oversight and action to address not only the safety and actual transportation around these chemicals, but also reducing our production of all these chemicals.”

andrea blanco19 February 2023 15:05

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FEMA will send aid to East Palestine

Two weeks after a freight train loaded with toxic material derailed and leaked in East Palestine, Ohio, Governor Mike Devine announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would be sending aid to the community.

The White House previously said that FEMA was closely coordinating with emergency operations centers responding to the incident, but the agency had not yet announced the trip to East Palestine.

“Tomorrow, FEMA will complement federal efforts by deploying a senior response officer with the Regional Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) to support ongoing operations, including incident coordination and ongoing assessment of potential long-term recovery needs,” Gov. read a joint statement from the Office and FEMA.

andrea blanco19 February 2023 14:00

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Clinic to open next week near Ohio derailment as health concerns persist

A stack of chemicals Ohio’s governor said Friday that the fire that started after the train derailment spread to the Ohio River and is no longer a cause for concern. But concern remains among residents near the disaster site who have complained of prolonged headaches and burning eyes.

Despite repeated assurances that air and water testing have shown no sign of contaminants, some around East Palestine along the Pennsylvania state line are still skeptical and fearful of returning to their homes.

Early next week, the state government is planning to open a medical clinic in the village for evaluation who are worried and analyze their symptoms, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced. The clinic will be joined by a team of experts on chemical exposures that is being deployed in eastern Ohio.

“These are very valid questions, and residents deserve an answer,” Devine said, adding that testing inside and outside homes in the village has found no sign of toxins present in the train. associated Press

andrea blanco19 February 2023 13:00

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Residents of East Palestine are taking the mental toll of living in the shadow of the devastating train crash

on the night of ohio train derailmentEric Koza heard more than just a rattle from his East Palestine home, less than half a mile from the Norfolk Southern trains.

“I felt the foundation shake,” he said, nearly two weeks after standing on his front porch exposed to vinyl chloride and other hazardous chemicals The derailment occurred within walking distance of his home.

She was forced to evacuate immediately, but finding housing for herself, her two large dogs and the rest of her family — seven in total — was no easy task.

IndependentGreg Graziosi has the story:

andrea blanco19 February 2023 12:00

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East Palestine residents complain of rashes, headaches and respiratory symptoms

Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, have shared their contamination fears after a freight train loaded with toxic material derailed and leaked into the community.

Amanda Greathouse explained, “When we moved back on the 10th, that’s when we decided we couldn’t raise our kids here.” CNN, adding that an odor reminiscent of “hair perming solution” still remained. “When we moved, I had a rash all over my skin on my arm, and my eyes burned for a few days afterwards.”

Ms Greathouse told the network she felt nauseous when she returned to her home a few blocks from the site of the derailment.

“The chemical smell was so strong it made me nauseous,” said Greathouse, a mother of two young children.

“I just wanted to quickly grab what I needed and leave. I only took a few clothes because even the clothes smelled of chemicals, and I’m afraid to put them on my kids.”

andrea blanco19 February 2023 11:00 am