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Ohio EPA: Nearly 2 Million Gallons Of Liquid Waste Removed; Rail Union: Ohio Workers Reported Illnesses Following Derailment; White House Calls For Investigation Into Schoolgirls Sickened In Iran; House Ethics Committee Announces Investigation Into Santos' 2022 Campaign; Questions Surrounding Santos Treasurer Andrew Olson. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired March 02, 2023 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:34:04]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: A floral or fruity smell is still lingering in East Palestine, Ohio. That smell, according to the head of Ohio's EPA is residual butyl acetate, which was spilled following last month's toxic train derailment.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Nearly two million gallons of liquid waste and hundreds of tons of solid waste have been moved.

CNN senior national correspondent, Miguel Marquez, is in East Palestine.

Miguel, how much more is there to take out of this community?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tons. It's going to take a very long time. And people are running out of patience.

But this was just a massive spill. And it's going to take a long time to get the mud, the toxic waste, and the fluids out of the immediate area.

But also the scenes here. We were here last week. They've increased the number of hoses that they have into this stream. This is one of the runs that goes through East Palestine. They're cleaning out the filters right now.

[14:35:00]

But they have these things running 24/7. This run -- there's another run -- both of them are contaminated. This all runs into the Ohio River at some point so that's caused great concern.

On the upside, the head of Ohio's Wildlife Division said some of the wildlife, fish, amphibians, some of the fowl that died in the aftermath of the toxic derailment, it's starting to come back upstream.

About four miles from ground zero where the train derailed a short distance from here. So they are starting to see life come back. The streams are getting cleaner. But it has just been long, difficult hard work to deal with this one bit.

The governor of Ohio saying it may take as much as 30,000 trucks of that toxic mud before they get it all out from underneath the tracks.

The water -- on top of that, millions of gallons, not only the spill, but millions of gallons from the firehouses that were used to put out this fire. So all of that has to be cleaned up.

You we're a month on, or just about a month on, people are very, very tired of it here. And they are hoping to hear answers soon. But it's going to take some time.

Back to you -- Guys?

BLACKWELL: All right, Miguel Marquez for us in East Palestine.

Meanwhile, leaders of 12 railroad unions, they met with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg yesterday to address the derailment and safety improvements.

Now, the same day, the Teamsters sent a letter to the secretary and governor of Ohio. They say that Norfolk Southern put its workers at risk by not providing protective equipment.

Days after the derailment, several railroad workers experienced experiencing symptoms.

CNN has reached out to Norfolk Southern for comment on that letter.

For now, let's talk to Tony Cardwell. He's the general president of the union Brotherhood of Maintenance of Ways Employees Division.

Tony, thank you for your time.

First, talk to me about these symptoms. Are your members experiencing them? And what are they?

TONY CARDWELL, GENERAL PRESIDENT, BROTHERHOOD OF MAINTENANCE OF WAYS EMPLOYEES DIVISION: Yes, thanks for having me on, Victor.

Yes, our members are experiencing symptoms, headaches, eye irritation, throat irritation, skin irritation, nausea, sickness.

They were put on scene shortly after the derailment, and have been working on the scene for quite a while after, fixing and repairing the track. That's what our members do, they fix and repair and rebuild track.

Ultimately, they were put on the scene. And were not provided, or we are being told they were not provided the properly personal protective equipment.

They were working out there in street clothes, leather boots and leather shoes. And obviously, those aren't appropriate barriers for the contaminants on the ground.

BLACKWELL: And they're experiencing those symptoms on scene? Are they still, weeks later, still feeling those symptoms?

CARDWELL: We are receiving reports that they are. Unfortunately, it's not just limited to just you at the workplace.

It's also brought home with you to the families. We're concerned about the families of those folks as well.

We hope there are non-residual effects from this. But it's hard to believe there wouldn't be, considering the contaminants they were exposed to.

BLACKWELL: So you say that Norfolk Southern did not provide the protective equipment. We've reached out, as I said, and have not gotten comment from the company.

Have you reached out? Have you had any communication with Norfolk Southern about that element specifically?

CARDWELL: We did. As soon as I found out, we had an immediate safety standdown. They said they were going to investigate the matter.

They did seem concerned and seemed that they wanted to figure out if there really was -- if what we were saying was true. They should have already known this.

They didn't deny what happened, what we said happened was reported not by one, not by two, but 30 or 40 members that told us this is what was going on.

The reports that we provided to them, they simply stated they were going to review them and go out to the scene and talk to the folks. I don't think that's been done. I would hope they would do this in a more timely manner.

It's important that our members are protected. And I do believe they were exposed in a way they shouldn't have been.

We asked for them, you know, to be taken offsite. And they told us that they weren't working at that time. This is two days ago. We were told they weren't working at that time onsite.

And they were told they wouldn't bring them back to work onsite until they could provide the proper PPE. Obviously, there needs to be a lot of testing and a lot of assurance given to them that there isn't permanent damage done.

Unfortunately, I believe, that, you know, what had happened was there's going to be a problem for these folks for a while. And I hope that we can do whatever we can to get it corrected.

Norfolk Southern has to be more responsible for when our employees are in an unsafe work condition like this. It's just totally unacceptable.

[14:40:03] BLACKWELL: Yes. I understand that you were one of the union heads that met with Secretary Buttigieg, calling for more protections.

Tell me about the meeting. What are you asking for? What was his response to this?

CARDWELL: Yes, sure. It was a great meeting. First of all, it was a historic meeting, where we were able -- in fact, I don't think it's ever happened before, where we've had the opportunity to express our concerns.

You know, we obviously represent the folks on the ground. They know the most about these issues. And they have the most experience and knowledge on how to correct these issues. So we are echoing our members' sentiments.

And Secretary Buttigieg was extremely courteous. And I believe that he was going to take these things serious.

He assured us that he's going to look into these different issues and he has been working on these issues.

And it seems as though we're going to get some results out of his staff, his team, in the White House.

And it's exciting to be working with folks that are willing to work with us to be reformed to the industry that obviously needs it.

We've been warning of this for years and years, and warning that the railroad's trend, precision scaling and operating system needed to be corrected.

It's unsafe for the communities, it's unsafe for our workers, and it's not good for the customers either.

Right now, you hear the customers complaining at all-time highs, and they're extremely frustrated with the carriers, the railroad carriers and their operating system.

And it's come to fruition. Unfortunately, it caused damage. Put a community, you know, in an unsafe situation.

And it's our hope that the reform comes swift and comes quickly and the industry changes so that, you know, it's a safe place to work and it's, more importantly, safe for the communities that they operate within.

BLACKWELL: Tony Cardwell, listen, thank you for your time. Of course, we hate to hear what's happening to the members of your group.

We'll check back with you to see if you are getting what you were promised in that meeting with Pete Buttigieg.

Tony, thanks so much.

CARDWELL: Thanks for having me, Victor. BLACKWELL: Sure.

GOLODRYGA: Important to hear --

BLACKWELL: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: -- what they're going through, those members.

Disturbing developments out of Iran to tell you about. There are reports that hundreds of schoolgirls across the country have been poisoned. How the White House is responding. That's next.

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[14:45:46]

GOLODRYGA: The White House is now calling for an investigation into Iran after the disturbing reports of schoolgirls falling ill across the country.

BLACKWELL: Hundreds have been sickened over the past few months. Some have had to go to hospitals. We're talking symptoms like muscle weakness, numbness and shortness of breath.

CNN's chief international investigative correspondent, Nima Elbagir, joins us for more.

Some senior officials, Nima, and local activists call this deliberate poisoning. Tell us more about that.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: That is genuinely a huge concern.

And we've seen a pattern begin to emerge that many of the incidents reported have overlapped with schools where girls have taken to the streets or have recorded themselves protesting against the restrictive anti-hijab, sort of restrictive hijab rules that the Iranian regime is forcing on so many women and girls inside Iran.

I think, Victor and Bianna, what we really have to and get our audience to understand is the chaos that these incidents are engendering.

We were able to speak to one student who had been caught up in an incident inside of her school.

Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED SCHOOLGIRL (through translation) (voice-over): It was a terrible situation. Girls had been falling on the floor and were crying. Some were unable to walk. Really didn't want to leave one another.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ELBAGIR: We could absolutely hear the fear in the voices of the students we were speaking to. And in the voices of the parents.

And the real heartbreak here is, within the framework of the limited freedoms that girls and women have in Iran, the right to school and right to education was the one that so many were holding onto.

Around whether or not these attacks are linked to an attempt to force girls out of schools, the practical reality is that many parents are now keeping their daughter's home.

Because they are terrified what could happen if these incidents continue -- Victor and Bianna?

GOLODRYGA: Yet another price that the women of Iran are being forced to pay. Just a horrible story.

Nima Elbagir, I know you'll stay on it for us. Thank you.

[14:48:46]

BLACKWELL: CPAC was once a conference to showcase the best and brightest across the GOP. But now, some of the party's top officials, they're not going. Who's skipping it? And what this says about the state of the Republican Party. That's ahead.

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[14:53:26]

BLACKWELL: The House Ethics Committee just announced its investigation into New York Congressman George Santos.

GOLODRYGA: The panel said it's looking into unlawful activity involving his campaign.

CNN Capitol Hill reporter, Melanie Zanona, and CNN's Kara Scannell joins us with more.

Melanie, first to you, on this reporting from the House Ethics Committee?

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Yes, the problems are only getting worse for Congressman George Santos. He was already facing multiple investigations at the state level, local level, federal level. He was also facing calls to resign.

And now the House Ethics Committee, which is a panel made up equally of Republicans and Democrats, is officially moving forward with the probe.

And I want to read for you everything that they are looking into. Here is what they're investigating.

They're looking into whether Santos engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign. They're looking into whether he failed to properly disclose required

information on statements that he filed with the House.

They're looking into whether he violated federal conflict-of- interest laws in connection with his role in his firm providing fiduciary services.

Finally, they are looking into whether he may have engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual seeking employment in his congressional office.

So not a small list of things.

George Santos, for his part, said he is fully cooperating and will not be commenting further.

Now where does this all go? The House Ethics Committee does have the power to levy fines and they can also make recommendations about disciplinary action, from censor to expulsion.

But ultimately, guys, it is up to the House to act on those recommendations. And so far, GOP leaders have said let's wait and see how these investigations play out before we decide to move forward.

[14:55:04]

BLACKWELL: OK, so that's one half of today's George Santos stories.

Now let's talk about this treasurer, Kara, just appointed a week ago to the campaign. People don't really know who this guy is?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, and my colleagues and I tried to find out and answer that question, but all it left us with was more questions.

According to New York State election officials, Andrew Olson has never worked for another committee, another campaign. The same is true when you look through federal election filings.

By contrast, Santos' first treasurer, Nancy Marks, was a treasurer for dozens of campaigns. So he doesn't have that footprint we're used to seeing.

We also spoke with the Republican Party out in Nassau County, where part of George Santos' district is. They said they had never heard of this person who was appointed the new treasurer.

In addition, on the forms, all it gives you is his name, email address and physical address.

So we went to the physical address. It's a mixed-use building, mostly residential apartments.

It happens to be where George Santos' sister, Tiffany, had lived up until January when she left after a dispute over unpaid rent.

So no one has been living in that apartment connected to Santos for at least a month but that is the address that is on this form.

You know, we asked campaign finance experts about this. And one of them that we spoke to, from the Citizens for Responsibility in Washington, said I've never seen this before, having a complete mystery as a treasurer for a sitting member of Congress.

Usually, the person that's the treasurer, there's some familiarity at least within the party or on some committees. And in this case, no one seems to know where he is.

GOLODRYGA: I think we have brought you up to speed on our daily George Santos' soap opera.

(CROSSTALK)

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Kara, thanks so much.

GOLODRYGA: Melanie, thank you.

Well, closing arguments are complete in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial. His fate will soon be in the hands of the jury. We'll take you live to the courthouse, ahead.

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