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Ohio Residents Demand Answers On Chemical Leak From Train; Louisiana Officer Arrested In Fatal Shooting Alonzo Bagley; Weekly Jobless Claims Fall Despite Recent Layoffs; Bruce Willis' Family: Actor Now Has A Form Of Dementia. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired February 16, 2023 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:03]

MICHAEL REGAN, EPA ADMINISTRATOR: For those who are experiencing some sort of adverse health reaction, we ask that they please seek medical attention. Also, we ask that they contact the local and state health agencies because we want that information. We want to hear from people. We also, though, have done the testing in specific areas, water and air, and for those areas that we have deemed safe, we believe that because the science and the data proves that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: CNN's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir is with us now. So, Bill, the people are there in East Palestine, they're angry, and we understand why. You have some new information about the company behind this crash, some previous wrecks, what do you know?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the CEO actually recently said of Norfolk Southern, we will be judged by our actions and how they take care of these folks now. Well, what they're promising right now, $1 million charitable fund, financial aid to families, some air purifiers and monitoring services, really kind of a pittance given this is a company with $13 billion in revenues.

And if we judge their actions back in 2005 when they wrecked a train in Graniteville, South Carolina, that chlorine gas actually killed nine people. It sent 72 people to the hospital, 851 were treated. Like 5,000 people evacuated -- very similar to what we're seeing in Ohio now. And they fought this until settling five years later for $4 million in fines. Part of that was that they'd killed a bunch of fish. Lawyers may have settled, the families of victims may have settled for more with them.

But it seems to be there's a cost benefit analysis with this and that's really borne out on the brakes of these trains. This train was almost two miles long with brakes that were designed in the civil war, from 1860s that brake from front to back. For years there has been a much improved system that's electronic that brakes all the cars at one. But Norfolk Southern and many in the industry fought this adaptation for flammable cars, and it was eventually rolled back by the Trump administration. BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: Yes, and the Biden administration is

saying that Norfolk Southern will be held accountable for this incident, as well. What can you tell us about the chemicals specifically that were on this train?

WEIR: Well, this is the sort of witch's brew of a bunch of different chemicals together. Vinyl chloride is the one that got all the attention. That was the one that they intentionally burned off days after the crash. It's what you find in PVC pipes. During the wildfires in Paradise, California, years ago, their water system was contaminated by the melting PVC that contains that vinyl chloride.

Benzene is also a health risk, as well -- long-term carcinogen. A lot of the studies around the health hazards of these are for people who work around this stuff for years. So, there's not a lot of data on short-term exposure. Some of the other chemicals that even residents didn't learn about, the FDA warns them about, it's bad for aquatic life and causes respiratory ailments at least in the near term.

But what all the officials are saying now, Bianna, Victor, is that the air managed to disperse enough for the gas, the water has diluted enough of what got into the Ohio river, that it's not a current threat. It's not like a pipeline that's spewing the contaminants constantly that they have on top of it. Looks like a lot of it has gone down to the Ohio River. They're containing and cleaning it as they come.

But what is left in the dirt remains a big question. Looks like the mitigation company didn't take that with them. A lot of experts say that's vital because that dirt holds chemicals, if it rains again, it could create problems. We'll have to keep on top of it and see if commissioner Regan is right, that they'll stay on it.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, a lot of anxious residents and 5,000 people there living in East Palestine. Bill Weir, thank you.

Dr. Joseph Allen is a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. He co-wrote the book "Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Can Make You Sick or Keep You Well." It's great to see you again. It's been a while. So, I'm just looking at what you've recently tweeted about this issue, and you responded to a Governor DeWine's spokesperson saying that people who are reporting nausea or rashes, extremely unlikely that this is linked to this incident. You say you disagree with the assessment. How so?

DR. JOSEPH ALLEN, PROFESSOR, HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Yes, that's right. So, it's good to see you again. I think that assessment is premature. I think it dismisses the symptoms and experiences of the people in and around the train derailment. We know the vinyl chloride can cause and attacks the central nervous system. We know that the symptoms people are reporting are consistent with vinyl chloride exposure. Things like headaches, irritation, nausea vomiting. And I think it was too quick to dismiss.

We have information from other train derailments where vinyl chloride was leaked, and we know that the concentrations near the derailment can be quite high for the people within the first, let's say, quarter mile or mile of where the derailment happens. So, I think that assessment was premature. It feels falsely reassuring.

[15:35:00]

I don't think there's -- I think we can talk about the changes that have happened since the first derailment. But it felt premature to me.

GOLODRYGA: Was it premature to tell residents that they were safe to come home?

ALLEN: There I feel like it is the case that the area is most likely OK, and I'll give a couple reasons why and also what I'd like to see from the EPA. First, we know that vinyl chloride and these chemicals are highly volatile. So, the first hour or so or couple hours you're going to have high concentrations or plumes near the site of the derailment that should disperse relatively quickly. On top of that they burned it. So, after a couple of days, really, I think the air quality should be OK.

EPA has said they are monitoring this and have monitored people's homes and are not detecting anything at a level of concern. But what I don't hear from the EPA -- and I'd like to see more transparency around -- are what are the target levels they think represent no concern, and where are the actual data .I have not seen this presented. So honestly, can't make an assessment other than we know it volatilizes and evaporates quickly. I'd feel comfortable going back in, trust the administrator that the level's OK, but I want to see the data.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, into that point, the White House says that it will be sending staff from the human health -- Health and Human Services including people from the CDC, as well. Is that the right call here?

ALLEN: I think it is. I think it's to reassuring people. I think most of the exposure likely happened early on. I think a lot of the effects, I would believe people who are reporting these, I wouldn't be so dismissive as the governor was. I think there should be monitoring as they're doing and release the data. Not only on air quality data but release the result on what we see in terms of the water. It should disperse and dilute. In that case the drinking water would be fine. Also, the levels in the soil and remediate that.

If they do all of that, we actually see the data, we can be sure, that yes, it's OK to go back in, yes, you can drink the drinking water, you don't have to have bottled water. And we'd also learn about the measurements that were made in the first day or two. EPA made measurements within a couple hours. And I haven't seen those data.

GOLODRYGA: So, you want to see the data. You have the EPA administrator saying trust the science, that he would drink the water, that he would give his children the water to drink, the governor said the water is safe to drink, as well. What is your take? Are you waiting to see the specific data, or do you take them at their word?

ALLEN: I have no reason to believe -- to doubt them, to be honest. And I think it does makes sense that air quality would be OK at this point. I also think drinking water should be fine based on what we've seen out of the data. That said, you always want to see the raw data and see what they're talking about. I want to see what they declare as a level of no concern and be sure that the measurements we're seeing are below that.

Now, importantly that's very different from what happened early on. So, the people who had those health concerns or experiencing health effects, the conditions early on would be different from right now. But right now I would expect the air quality to be OK and actually expect the water quality to be OK. Still, I would like to see the underlying data.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, of course a concern there is what are the longer term implications from this, as well. And we'll of course continue to follow this. Dr. Joseph Allen, always good to see you. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: New numbers out show the job market is still hot despite some companies' recent layoffs. We'll explain next.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: A police officer in Louisiana is now in custody following the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man earlier this month. Alexander Tyler of the Shreveport Police Department is charged with negligent homicide. The officer shot and killed Alonzo Bagley while responding to a domestic disturbance call.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Ryan Young is in Shreveport where Bagley's family just spoke with reporters after viewing the body camera video. What are they saying?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Victor, this is very tough for the family. We actually talked to them earlier this afternoon, as well, because after they saw the video, they talked to us about what they saw. They are very upset, obviously. They believe this officer was chasing behind their loved one and did not need to fire the weapon.

Now we've watched the video ourselves. And the reason we're not showing you the video right now is we're trying to go through and put some blurring over parts of the video because it's so difficult to watch. You hear a lot of interaction not only between Mr. Bagley but the officer, as well. You can hear the officer begging for him to stay alive after he is shot. So because of that, we have not gotten to the point where we can show you this video.

But what I can tell you, there was a domestic disturbance call, and you see the man walking back into his apartment. At some point he decides to run. He jumps from a second-story balcony. The officers give chase. And at some point, there is a turning point where the gun is fired. And you can't see where people's hands are. In fact, the LSP says they believe his hands were coming up, but there was nothing in his hands at all. This has been very difficult for this family because obviously they say when someone doesn't have a gun, he had no business being shot. In fact, listen to the -- one of the family members talking about just how painful it was to watch this video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XAVIER SUDDS, BROTHER OF ALONZO BAGLEY: It was just -- it was really, really sad to watch, hurtful to watch. Hard to watch. I won't be OK until we know -- we know, I know that justice will be served. Charges, that's fine, that's cool and all, but we need to see more action behind that. That's what I'm looking to see.

[15:45:00]

I'm not satisfied until they give a verdict, until I see, OK, now Alonzo's death, it was not in vain. Alonzo's death it stands for something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: We've done this so many times before. Obviously, the officer is white, the man who was shot is Black. There's been calls in this community for something to happen. The officer, Alexander Tyler, was in court this afternoon where he had a bond hearing. I was sitting in that courtroom watching him as he was in orange jumpsuit. He's been a part of the police department for about a year and a half. And there's questions about his past.

But one of the things that was brought up was that he was running with his weapon out. And when the shot is fired, he actually turned a little bit so a part of the camera is obstructed. The LSP which has been involved in this investigation say it doesn't show the exact moment where his hands are when that shot is fired, but his hands ended up being up apparently right after that shot is fired. So, really like right after that shot has happened.

So now they're going through this part of handing it over to the DA's office to see how this moves forward. We talked to the officer's attorney just after court. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DHU THOMPSON, ATTORNEY FOR OFFICER ALEXANDER TYLER: This investigator and all of us have the benefit of sitting in a room, very comfortable, with a cup of coffee to analyze these videos and see what happens. Unfortunately, Officer Tyler from the evidence that was shown here today in court, didn't have that luxury. He had less than a second as the investigator indicated to make a threat assessment on an individual that was coming simultaneously at him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: You could hear that officer begging, begging for Mr. Bagley to survive this. Tell you, this community has been on edge about there because obviously you have a white police officer, and you have a Black man who's been shot. So many questions about this. The mayor is going to have a news conference within the next two hours

or so. People in this community want to hear from him and how they're going to move forward. This is a new mayor in this community. The crime rate in this city is sky high. So, people are also concerned about how policing will continue right now with all these questions swirling around this police department -- guys.

GOLODRYGA: The situation we've become sadly too familiar with. Ryan Young, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Bruce Willis' family just gave an update on his aphasia. We have more on that just ahead.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Weekly jobless claims unexpectedly fell last week and that's despite the recent mass layoffs we've seen in tech and media companies.

CNN's business and politics correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich is here to break down the data. So, Vanessa, hard to make sense of what is happening in the economy. What does this new indication tell us?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: This is good news for the American worker. Bad news for the Federal Reserve. Last week unemployment claims, 194,000 people filed for unemployment. That is down from the week prior. We've obviously come a long way since the height of the pandemic. But we are now at historic lows and that is not good for the work that the Federal Reserve is trying to do.

They actually want to see these unemployment claims go up and they want to see the number of jobs added come down. They're not seeing that right now but that will be a good indication once they see the numbers reverse that their work in increasing interest rates is on the right track.

And speaking of inflation, we got new numbers this morning. These are producer prices. This is what businesses pay to suppliers. We're up 6 percent year over year and up 0.7 percent in December. Good news or better news on the year over year front. We're seeing that number trail down. But a little bit of concern here in January.

The number increasing from December. Now these businesses now have to make a choice about whether or not they pass these higher prices down to consumers. Kraft Heinz and Starbucks says they don't plan to pass these higher prices down. But companies like Nestle are saying that they have no choice but to pass prices down to the consumer. For small businesses especially, this is a delicate dance -- Victor, Bianna.

BLACKWELL: Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you very much.

GOLODRYGA: Thanks, Vanessa.

Well, still ahead, new information about a list of targets mentioned in a note found on the Michigan State University gunman.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Actor Bruce Willis' family shared an update on his health today. On Instagram his daughter posted that his initial diagnosis of aphasia has now progressed into a form of dementia.

GOLODRYGA: CNN entertainment reporter Chloe Melas joins us with more. And just a really sad turn and development here. I guess the family at their standpoint, at least they have a diagnosis.

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: This has been something that, you know, fans of Bruce have been following since last year when his family came out and said that he was suffering from a medical condition called aphasia. But this is what we do know now.

So, Demi Moore, his ex-wife and his wife Emma and their daughters coming out saying that their father, their beloved Bruce is suffering from a form of dementia that is called frontal temporal dementia or FTD for short. In this very lengthy statement to which Demi Moore has a link to a landing page that talks more about what they know about FTD

They say that today there are no treatments for the disease. A reality that we hope can change in the years ahead as Bruce's condition advances. We hope any that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.

You know, according to the Mayo Clinic that this is an umbrella term for a group of brain disorders that primarily affects the temporal lobes of the brain generally associated with personality, behavior and language. And again, you know, Bruce has been out of the spotlight.

We knew that he was stepping back from all the countless movies and all of the, you know, frontward facing projects that he was working on, to deal with this. And his wife Emma has been taking to social media and posting things over the last year or so. But I don't think anyone could have expected this very shocking and sad announcement today.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: It's been inspiring to see his family, whether it be Demi Moore or his current wife and his daughters all rally behind him and around him and clearly --

MELAS: To update everyone and educate us too.

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GOLODRYGA: And to obviously give him the privacy and the family -- that he and the family deserve during this difficult time too. Chloe, thank you. MELAS: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: And "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.