Biden Executive Branch
mickeyrat
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WASHINGTON (AP) — If confirmed as IRS commissioner, Daniel Werfel says he will commit to not increasing tax audits on businesses and households making less than $400,000 per year.
Anticipating questions ahead of his confirmation hearing Wednesday before the Senate Finance Committee, Werfel in prepared testimony makes several other commitments aimed at revamping the beleaguered agency.
President Joe Biden nominated Werfel to steer the Internal Revenue Service as it receives a massive funding boost — nearly $80 billion over the next 10 years through the Inflation Reduction Act, which Congress passed in August. Noting the act's impact on the federal tax collector, Werfel says that “Americans rightfully expect a more modern and high-performing IRS.”
While promising to modernize the agency's technology, address its paperwork burden and audit high-income earners, Werfel says he will be “unyielding in following my true north to increase public trust.”
Werfel, 51, who led Boston Consulting Group’s global public sector practice, was nominated to replace Charles Rettig. Selected by President Donald Trump to lead the agency, Rettig left when his five-year term ended in November. An acting commissioner has been filling in.
Werfel will also have to navigate controversy surrounding the new funding, brought by critics who have distorted how the new law would affect the IRS and taxes for the middle class. About $46 billion was allocated for enforcing tax laws and the rest to taxpayer services, operations support and updating business systems.
Republicans have suggested without evidence that the agency would use the new money to hire an army of tax agents with weapons.
Disapproval of the agency reached new heights when House Republicans began their tenure in the majority last month by passing a bill that would rescind the funding, fulfilling a campaign promise. The legislation has not advanced in the Senate and is unlikely to reach Biden, who has promised a veto.
“The hearing promises to be a doozy, and not only because the IRS is one of the most unpopular government agencies in the United States," said Janet Holtzblatt, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. “This will be the first big IRS hearing since it received an $80 billion boost to its budget in the Inflation Reduction Act.”
GOP criticism appeared more directed at Biden administration efforts to bolster funding for the agency than at Werfel himself. But tax experts say Werfel should expect to face a slew of managerial questions.
Caroline Bruckner, a tax professor at the American University Kogod School of Business, said that, if confirmed, Werfel would have to address the massive workforce challenges at the IRS wrought by attrition, an aging workforce and a generally poor reputation.
“The next generation of accountants don't want to work for the IRS,” Bruckner said. She added, "To attract the best talent, particularly with Millennials and Gen-Z workers who will be the future of the workforce, transparency as a leader will go a long way.”
Bruckner referred to a Stanford University study that showed IRS data-driven algorithms chose Black taxpayers to audit up to 4.7 times the rate of non-Black taxpayers. “The next generation of workers care about these things, and this is a leadership challenge," she said.
Robert J. Kovacev, a federal tax attorney at Miller & Chevalier in Washington, said Werfel will have to explain how the agency could best spend its new funding.
“I think that $80 billion gives the IRS some choices on how to improve that they didn't have before," he said. "They could spend it on new revenue agents, or new technology investments to make it fairer and more efficient.”
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EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio village upended by a freight train derailment and the intentional burning of some of the hazardous chemicals on board has invited affected residents to a town hall meeting Wednesday evening to discuss lingering questions.
And there are still plenty — about the huge plumes of smoke, the persisting odors, the reports of sick or dead animals, the potential impact on drinking water, all the cleaning up. Even as school has resumed and trains are rolling by again, things aren't the same.
In and around East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania state line, people are asking whether the air and water around them is safe for people, pets and livestock. They want assistance navigating the financial help the railroad offered hundreds of families who evacuated, and they want to know whether it will be held responsible for what happened.
Rail operator Norfolk Southern announced Tuesday that it is also creating a $1 million charitable fund to help the community of some 4,700 people while continuing remediation work, including removing spilled contaminants from the ground and streams and monitoring air quality.
“We will be judged by our actions," Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw said in a statement. "We are cleaning up the site in an environmentally responsible way, reimbursing residents affected by the derailment, and working with members of the community to identify what is needed to help East Palestine recover and thrive.”
No one was injured when about 50 cars derailed in a fiery, mangled mess on the outskirts of East Palestine on Feb. 3. As fears grew about a potential explosion, officials seeking to avoid an uncontrolled blast had the area evacuated and opted to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke billowing into the sky again.
A mechanical issue with a rail car axle is suspected to be the cause of the derailment, and the National Transportation Safety Board said it has video appearing to show a wheel bearing overheating just beforehand. The NTSB said it expects its preliminary report in about two weeks.
Misinformation and exaggerations spread online, and state and federal officials have repeatedly offered assurances that air monitoring hasn't detected any remaining concerns. Even low levels of contaminants that aren’t considered hazardous can create lingering odors or symptoms such as headaches, Ohio’s health director said Tuesday.
Precautions also are being taken to ensure contaminants that reached the Ohio River don't make it into drinking water.
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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Native American attorney who oversaw New Mexico’s Indian Affairs Department has been tapped to serve as a top policy adviser to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
The department announced the appointment of Lynn Trujillo as senior counselor to the secretary Friday.
Trujillo is a tribal member of Sandia Pueblo on the outskirts of Albuquerque and has ties to Acoma and Taos pueblos. Haaland is the first Native American to serve as a U.S. Cabinet secretary.
Trujillo worked as a state Cabinet secretary for nearly four years under Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham as a crucial liaison with Native American communities during the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Initiatives during Trujillo’s tenure provided increased funding for local school districts on Native American lands held in trust by the federal government — where property taxes cannot be levied.
She also promoted the pursuit of justice for missing and murdered Indigenous people across New Mexico and agreements authorizing tribal cannabis programs to spur economic development in Native American communities. New Mexico legalized recreational cannabis sales last year amid concerns about conflicts with federal prohibition.
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Trujillo previously worked as a national Native American coordinator at the U.S. Department of Agriculture on its rural development programs and as general counsel to Sandia Pueblo.
Haaland and Trujillo are both graduates of the University of New Mexico School of Law.
New Mexico overlaps with 23 federally recognized Native American communities including large portions of the Navajo Nation.
___
This story was originally published on Feb. 13, 2023. It was updated on Feb. 14, 2023, to correct Lynn Trujillo’s title. She is senior counselor, not senior counsel.
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Dewine , our pos gop governor, FINALLY made a statement yesterday. Effectively passing the buck. 10 DAYS AFTER THE DERAILMENT
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mickey your state knows how to pick em, for sure. almost as badly as missouri.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
Not sure what you mean by “nobody is talking about,” as it’s been widely reported upon and continues to be, as opposed to the oil pipeline breach that has banned press access and I haven’t heard much since the keystone operator said, “don’t worry about it, it’s fine.” For what it’s worth:
“A rule was passed under President Barack Obama that made it a requirement for trains carrying hazardous flammable materials to have ECP brakes, but this was rescinded in 2017 by the Trump administration. The industry said it would cost more than $3 billion to implement. The FRA under Obama said it would be around half a billion.
"The National Transportation Safety Board, a federal agency responsible for investigating rail accidents, told The Lever that the Ohio train that derailed was not fitted with ECP brakes."
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Edit: The bearings went on the wheel so I don't know if this proposed brake would have helped of not?
Ohio Train Derailment Is Part of 'War on White People': Charlie Kirk
The Ohio train derailment has one conservative talk show host convinced there are bigger issues at play.
A Norfolk Southern Railway train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month. Shortly after the derailment, officials decided to conduct a controlled burn of the cars to prevent an explosion. Some of the cars contained toxic chemicals like vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen. Since the derailment, area residents have experienced concerning physical symptoms. The environment has also taken a hit, with the chemical release proving fatal to hundreds of fishin the area and leading to the deaths of other wildlife, like foxes and birds. Officials are monitoring the level of toxic chemicals in the water.
On Tuesday, Charlie Kirk said members of President Joe Biden's administration haven't visited East Palestine, Ohio, after the derailment because the town's population is mainly white.
"So, why is it that they kind of shrug their shoulders and they say, yeah, okay, whatever? It's very simple. It's because the war on white people continues. Why would you care for the white working-class voters in eastern Ohio? You haven't cared about them in other reasons."
Census data shows that East Palestine, Ohio, residents are mostly white. In 2020, the town's population was nearly 4,500 people, with 93.5 percent of the population being white. Nearly 3 percent of the population was Hispanic and not even half a percent of residents were Black.
Kirk argued that if the train derailment happened in a city with a high Black population, Biden's administration would have a different response.
"And I will prove it to you. If this train derailment happened in downtown Atlanta in the densely populated Black neighborhoods, this would be the number one news story," Kirk said. "It would be Flint water crisis 2.0. There would be clamoring and activism and talks for reparations."
Kirk then goes on to criticize U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who recently spoke at the National Association of Counties Conference. At the conference, Buttigieg addressed the topic of workplace diversity, saying when minority neighborhoods see a new infrastructure project, the workers "don't look like they came from anywhere near the neighborhood", according to a clip Kirk shared on his show.
"Buttigieg is out talking about how workers are too white," Kirk said. "For the last couple of years, I have been warning about this crusade against white people. And people shrug their shoulders, say, oh, Charlie, why does that matter? I could tell you why it matters. When there is a crisis now and the leaders hate working class whites, they're not going to scramble to save your life. They'll lie to you and tell you to go back home while you're poisoned."
https://www.newsweek.com/ohio-train-derailment-war-white-people-charlie-kirk-1781254
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https://www.levernews.com/rail-companies-blocked-safety-rules-before-ohio-derailment/
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So, now. Do they implement this tech or just same ol same ol?
Thread integrity, this would go under the Federal Railroad Administration under Biden.
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It's definitely something that should be implemented. That accordion effect makes absolute sense in preventing. No brainer.
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"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Residents of the Ohio village upended by a freight train derailment packed a gymnasium demanding reassurances after toxic chemicals spilled and burned in a huge plume over their homes and businesses.
“I have three grandbabies,” said Kathy Dyke, who came with hundreds of her neighbors to a meeting Wednesday where representatives of Norfolk Southern were conspicuously absent. “Are they going to grow up here in five years and have cancer? So those are all factors that play on my mind.”
State officials insisted yet again that testing shows the air is safe to breathe around East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania state line. They promised air and water monitoring would continue.
With the community in the national spotlight, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan prepared to visit Thursday to assess the ongoing response and hear from impacted residents.
Those attending Wednesday's informational session, originally billed as a town hall meeting, had many questions over health hazards, and they demanded more transparency from railroad operator Norfolk Southern, which did not attend, citing safety concerns for its staff.
“They just danced around the questions a lot," said Danielle Deal, who lives a few miles from the derailment site. “Norfolk needed to be here.”
In a statement, Norfolk Southern said it didn't attend alongside local, state and federal officials because of a “growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event."
Deal called that a “copout" and noted the seriousness of the incident.
Deal and her two children left home to stay with her mother, 13 miles away “and we could still see the mushroom cloud, plain as day,” she said.
Nearly two weeks after the derailment, people in the area have many concerns about the huge plumes of smoke they saw, persisting odors, risks to pets and wild animals, potential effects on drinking water and what's happening with the cleanup.
Even as school resumed and trains were rolling again, people were worried.
“Why are they being hush-hush?" Dyke said of the railroad. “They’re not out here supporting, they’re not out here answering questions. For three days we didn’t even know what was on the train."
The people living in and around East Palestine said they want assistance figuring out how to get the financial help the railroad has offered to hundreds of families who evacuated. Beyond that, they want to know whether the railroad will be held responsible.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost advised Norfolk Southern on Wednesday that his office is considering legal action against the rail operator.
“The pollution, which continues to contaminate the area around East Palestine, created a nuisance, damage to natural resources and caused environmental harm,” Yost said in a letter to the company.
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency will today visit an Ohio village where toxic chemicals spilled in a train derailment. AP correspondent Donna Warder reports.
The state's Environmental Protection Agency said the latest tests show five wells supplying the village's drinking water are free from contaminants, but recommends testing private water wells that are closer to the surface.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates spilled contaminants affected more than 7 miles (11.2 kilometers) of streams and killed some 3,500 fish, mostly small ones such as minnows and darters.
There have been anecdotal reports that pets or livestock have been sickened. No related animal deaths have been confirmed, state officials said, but that confirmation would require necropsies and lab work to determine the connection to the incident.
Norfolk Southern announced Tuesday that it is creating a $1 million fund to help the community of some 4,700 people while continuing remediation work, including removing spilled contaminants from the ground and streams and monitoring air quality.
It also will expand how many residents can be reimbursed for their evacuation costs, covering the entire village and surrounding area.
“We will be judged by our actions," Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw said in a statement that the company is "cleaning up the site in an environmentally responsible way.”
No one was injured when about 50 cars derailed in a fiery, mangled mess on the outskirts of East Palestine on Feb. 3. As fears grew about a potential explosion, officials seeking to avoid an uncontrolled blast had the area evacuated and opted to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke billowing into the sky again.
A mechanical issue with a rail car axle is suspected to be the cause of the derailment, and the National Transportation Safety Board said it has video appearing to show a wheel bearing overheating just beforehand. The NTSB said it expects its preliminary report in about two weeks.
Misinformation and exaggerations spread online, and state and federal officials have repeatedly offered assurances that air monitoring hasn't detected any remaining concerns. Even low levels of contaminants that aren’t considered hazardous can create lingering odors or symptoms such as headaches, Ohio’s health director said Tuesday.
Precautions also are being taken to ensure contaminants that reached the Ohio River don't make it into drinking water.
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Opinion by Eugene Robinson
February 16, 2023 at 16:46 ET
Assembling superlong freight trains and employing fewer workers to staff them works out well for the nation’s big railroad companies. For the desperate residents of East Palestine, Ohio, not so much.
It has been two weeks since 38 cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed catastrophically in East Palestine, a town of about 5,000 near the Pennsylvania border. Eleven of those overturned cars carried toxic chemicals that were immediately released into the town’s air, water and soil — or later deliberately set ablaze in a “controlled” burn that sent a vast mushroom cloud of acrid black smoke into the winter sky.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has finished efforts to recover the remnants of the large balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina, and analysis of the debris so far reinforces conclusions that it was a Chinese spy balloon, U.S. officials said Friday.
Officials said the U.S. believes that Navy, Coast Guard and FBI personnel collected all of the balloon debris off the ocean floor, which included key equipment from the payload that could reveal what information it was able to monitor and collect. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said a significant amount of debris was recovered and it included “electronics and optics” from the payload. He declined to say what, if anything, the U.S. has learned from the wreckage so far.
U.S. Northern Command said in a statement that the recovery operations ended Thursday and the final pieces are on their way to the FBI lab in Virginia for analysis. It said air and maritime restrictions off South Carolina have been lifted.
The announcement capped three dramatic weeks that saw U.S. fighter jets shoot down four airborne objects — the large Chinese balloon on Feb. 4 and three much smaller objects about a week later over Canada, Alaska and Lake Huron. They are the first known peacetime shootdowns of unauthorized objects in U.S. airspace.
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The officials also said the search for the small airborne object that was shot down over Lake Huron has stopped, and nothing has been recovered. U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. The U.S. and Canada have also failed to recover any debris so far from the other two objects which were shot down over the Yukon and northern Alaska.
While the military is confident the balloon shot down off South Carolina was a surveillance airship operated by China, the Biden administration has admitted that the three smaller objects were likely civilian-owned balloons that were targeted during the heightened response, after U.S. homeland defense radars were recalibrated to detect slower moving airborne items.
Due to their small size and the remote areas where they were shot down, officials acknowledge that recovering any debris is difficult and probably unlikely. Those last two searches, however, have not been formally called off.
Much of the Chinese balloon fell into about 50 feet (15 meters) of water, and the Navy was able to collect remnants floating on the surface, and divers and unmanned naval vessels pulled up the rest from the bottom of the ocean. Northern Command said Friday that all of the Navy and Coast Guard ships have left the area.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden directed national security adviser Jake Sullivan to lead an interagency team to establish “sharper rules” to track, monitor and potentially shoot down unknown aerial objects.
Meanwhile, key questions about the Chinese balloon remain unanswered, including what, if any, intelligence it was able to collect as it flew over sensitive military sites in the United States, and whether it was able to transmit anything back to China.
The U.S. tracked it for several days after it left China, said a U.S. official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. It appears to have been blown off its initial trajectory, which was toward the U.S. territory of Guam, and ultimately flew over the continental U.S., the official said.
Balloons and other unidentified objects have been previously spotted over Guam, a strategic hub for the U.S. Navy and Air Force in the western Pacific.
It’s unclear how much control China retained over the balloon once it veered from its original trajectory. A second U.S. official said the balloon could have been externally maneuvered or directed to loiter over a specific target, but it’s unclear whether Chinese forces did so.
____
Copp reported from aboard a U.S. military aircraft.
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Apparently, to answer your question, no, they have not.
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https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/18/us/ralphie-jerk-dog-failed-adoption-trnd/index.html
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EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Federal environmental regulators on Tuesday took charge of the cleanup from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment and chemical burn and ordered Norfolk Southern to foot the bill.
The Environmental Protection Agency told Norfolk Southern to take all available measures to clean up contaminated air and water, and also said the company would be required to reimburse the federal government for a new program to provide cleaning services for impacted residents and businesses.
The EPA warned Norfolk Southern that if failed to comply with its order, the agency would perform the work itself and seek triple damages from the company.
“The Norfolk Southern train derailment has upended the lives of East Palestine families, and EPA’s order will ensure the company is held accountable for jeopardizing the health and safety of this community,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement ahead of a news conference with the governors of Ohio and Pennsylvania.
“Let me be clear: Norfolk Southern will pay for cleaning up the mess they created and for the trauma they’ve inflicted on this community," he said.
“In no way shape or form will Norfolk Southern get off the hook for the mess they created," Regan said at the press conference.
He added that he knows the order “cannot undo the nightmare that families in this town have been living with, but it will begin to deliver much needed comfort for the pain that Norfolk Southern has caused."
The agency said it would release more details on the cleanup service for residents and businesses this week.
The EPA said its order marks the end of the “emergency” phase of the derailment and the beginning of long-term remediation phase in the East Palestine area.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday also acknowledged the community’s concern that it will be left to handle the aftermath on its own once the news cameras leave and public attention turns elsewhere, and he assured residents that won’t be the case.
EPA issued the order under the so-called Superfund law that gives the agency authority to order those responsible for contamination or hazardous waste to clean it up. EPA can fine the railway up to $70,000 a day if the work is not completed. EPA can also do the work itself if necessary and bill Norfolk Southern triple its costs.
Appearing at the news conference with Regan, DeWine and other officials, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro blasted Norfolk Southern over what he called its “failed management of this crisis," saying the company chose not to take part in a unified incident command, and provided inaccurate information and conflicting modeling data.
“The combination of Norfolk Southern's corporate greed, incompetence, and lack of concern for our residents is absolutely unacceptable to me,” he said.
Shapiro said his administration had made a criminal referral of Norfolk Southern to the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office, while DeWine said Ohio’s attorney general had also launched an investigation.
Separately, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a package of reforms Tuesday, calling on railroad operators to take immediate steps to improve safety, such as accelerating the planned upgrade of tank cars.
Some 50 freight cars derailed on the outskirts of East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania state line, prompting persistent environmental and health concerns. The derailment prompted an evacuation as fears grew about a potential explosion of smoldering wreckage.
Officials seeking to avoid the danger of an uncontrolled blast chose to intentionally release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke again billowing high into the sky. That left left people questioning the potential health impacts for residents in the area and beyond, even as authorities maintained they were doing their best to protect people.
___
Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania. AP writer Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.
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About Us
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation.
Who We Are
Congress established the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in 1992 to make substance use and mental disorder information, services, and research more accessible. Visit "Who We Are" to learn more.
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EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized the federal response to the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, as a “betrayal” during a visit to the village where residents and local leaders are increasingly frustrated more than two weeks after the disaster.
The former president, who is mounting a third bid for the White House, wore his trademark red “Make America Great Again” cap as he said the community needs “answers and results,” not excuses.
“In too many cases, your goodness and perseverance were met with indifference and betrayal," Trump said at a firehouse roughly half a mile from where more than three dozen freight cars — including 11 carrying hazardous materials — came off the tracks. The fiery, mangled mess near the Pennsylvania state line apparently followed a mechanical issue with a rail car axle.
Trump appeared with U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Mayor Trent Conaway and state and local leaders — and traveled via motorcade — giving the visit the look of an official presidential visit.
The Feb. 3 derailment led to evacuations and fears of air and water contamination after a controlled burning of toxic chemicals aimed at preventing an explosion. The disaster has become the latest front in America’s political divide, with Trump criticizing the federal response and the White House in turn saying Trump could have done more as president to toughen rail and environmental regulations.
The trip offered Trump, who has held few events since he launched his campaign in November, an opportunity to reprise the role he often held as president: surveying disaster damage and meeting with residents following tragic events. He praised the staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, even as he offered criticism.
He also donated cleaning supplies along with pallets of what he said was Trump-branded bottled water to residents concerned about the water coming out of their taps.
Before leaving town, Trump stopped by a local McDonald’s, where he passed out hats, ordered meals for first responders and picked up food for the plane ride home. He also visited Little Beaver Creek to inspect the damage and greeted supporters assembled nearby to cheer him on.
“Thank you for not forgetting about us,” one woman told him.
“Have fun, everybody,” Trump told them after signing autographs.
Trump, in his remarks at the firehouse, seized on Biden’s decision to make a surprise visit to Ukraine this week, saying he hoped Biden would have "some money left over” for the residents of East Palestine when he returns. Biden, who has yet to come to the Ohio town, was traveling back from Poland on Wednesday after marking the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Biden White House has defended its response to the derailment, saying officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, National Transportation Safety Board and other agencies were at the rural site within hours of the derailment. The White House says it has also offered federal assistance and that FEMA has been coordinating with the state emergency operations center and other partners.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan visited the site last week to try to reassure skeptical residents that the water was fit for drinking and the air safe to breathe. And shortly before Trump arrived in Ohio, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced he would visit Thursday after also facing criticism for not coming sooner.
Trump took credit for Buttigieg's trip and also criticized FEMA's role in the response, accusing the agency of having “changed their tune” after he announced his own visit to East Palestine.
The White House, however, has said FEMA was involved from the beginning, even as other agencies have taken the lead. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, has said Ohio has received all the resources it needs from the federal government.
DeWine and FEMA announced the same day that Trump’s trip was announced that FEMA would be deploying additional federal resources to the site, but the timing appears to be coincidental. Federal and state officials have also said Norfolk Southern, the train company, will pay the full cost of cleanup and other expenses such as hotel stays.
Biden administration officials called out a decision by the Trump administration to repeal an Obama-era Transportation Department rule that would have requiring “high-hazard” cargo trains hauling large amounts of flammable liquids such as crude oil and ethanol to be equipped with more sophisticated, electronically controlled brakes by 2023.
Buttigieg said this week that the Federal Railroad Administration will look at reviving that brake rule now, though the NTSB noted it couldn’t have helped in this derailment because the train wasn’t considered a “high hazardous flammable train.” Only three of the 20 hazardous materials cars the train was carrying were filled with flammable liquids. Regulators may now look at expanding which trains are covered by the “high hazardous” rules.
Almost three weeks after the derailment, the smell of chemicals that blanketed the village is mostly gone, but some residents close to the tracks say there’s still an odor inside their homes.
The village of just under 5,000 residents is near the Pennsylvania state line in Columbiana County, which has grown increasingly Republican in recent years. Trump won nearly 72% of the vote in the 2020 election, and signs of his popularity remain clear.
At a car dealership in town, where bottled water was being distributed, a photo of Trump leaned against a barricade, reading, “A Hero Will Rise.” Signs and flags around the village broadcast support both for Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate.
Since the derailment, residents have complained about headaches, irritated eyes and other ailments. Thousands of fish have been found dead, and residents have talked about finding dying or sick pets and wildlife. Residents are also frustrated by what they say is incomplete and vague information about the lasting effects from the disaster and have demanded more transparency from Norfolk Southern.
The gas that spilled and burned after the train derailment — vinyl chloride, a chemical used to make hard plastics — is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers.
Environmental officials say that they monitored for toxins in the air during the controlled burn and that continuing air monitoring — including testing inside 550 homes — hasn’t detected dangerous levels in the area since residents were allowed to return.
Residents like Cory Brittian, whose family owns an auto dealership in the center of the village, praised Trump for his visit.
“Any light that can be shined on the situation here, especially with the federal government, can only help,” he said. ___
Associated Press writers Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, and Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.
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I think he told everybody to have a good time when he visited Houston after Hurricane Harvey.
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How Biden thinks
I want to use today’s newsletter — on Presidents’ Day — to explain how President Biden thinks about the country and what distinguishes him from many other leading Democrats. To do so, I spent time at the White House last week talking with senior officials and emerged with a clearer sense of why Biden and his inner circle believe that he should run for re-election.
You may not agree with them. He is already 80 years old. But even if you think his age should be disqualifying for 2024, Biden’s analysis of American politics is worth considering. He believes that he understands public opinion in ways that many of his fellow Democrats do not, and there is reason to think he is correct.
Let’s start in the same place that Biden often does when talking about this subject: with the campaign that launched his career.
‘Limousine liberals’
Biden was first elected to the Senate in a very bad year for the Democratic presidential nominee. It was 1972, and that nominee was George McGovern. Richard Nixon, the incumbent, portrayed McGovern as an effete liberal who was focused on the three A’s — amnesty (for draft dodgers), abortion and acid. Despite McGovern’s own humble background and World War II heroism, he played into the caricature, allowing Hollywood stars and college activists to become symbols of his campaign.
Biden, a 29-year-old long-shot Senate candidate in Delaware, took a different approach. On economic issues, he ran as a populist. He complained about “millionaires who don’t pay any taxes at all” and “billion-dollar corporations who want a ride on the public’s back.”
On other issues, Biden signaled that he was more moderate. He called for an end to the Vietnam War while also opposing amnesty for draft dodgers. He said the police should focus less on marijuana busts while also opposing legalization. He distanced himself from McGovern’s student volunteers. “I’m not as liberal as most people think,” Biden told a Delaware newspaper.
On Election Day, McGovern lost every state except Massachusetts and received less than 40 percent of the vote in Delaware. Biden won a shocking upset that launched his long Senate career.
Today, when Biden reminisces about the McGovern campaign, he uses the phrase “limousine liberals,” which was coined in 1969. “They forgot about the neighborhood I grew up in,” he has said. The key lesson was that the rest of America looked more like Biden’s old neighborhood in Scranton, Pa., than like Hollywood or the Ivy League.
Biden has never forgotten that. Every president since Nixon had hung a portrait of George Washington above the fireplace in the Oval Office, but not Biden. That spot has instead gone to Franklin D. Roosevelt. When Biden looks up from his desk, he sees the portrait. He tells people that F.D.R. is the president who never forgot about the working class.
“We didn’t pay nearly as much attention to working-class folks as we used to,” Biden said recently, talking about 1972. “And the same thing is happening today.”
‘Sick and tired’
Regular readers of The Morning may recognize this theme. The Democratic Party, especially its left flank, has gone upscale in the 21st century, increasingly reflecting the social liberalism of well-off professionals. Most Americans without a four-year college degree now vote Republican, even though they lean left on economic issues.
When explaining the shift, liberals sometimes argue that it stems from working-class bigotry. And racism certainly influences American politics. But the shift is not simply about race (nor is it smart politics to describe millions of voters as bigots).
After all, the Democratic Party’s upscale liberalism has alienated voters of color, too. Latinos have become more Republican in the past few years; one recent analysis of the Latino vote found that liberals’ stridency on Covid precautions and their lack of concern about border security have harmed Democrats. Many Black voters, for their part, hold more moderate views on crime, immigration and gender issues than liberal professionals do.
Biden’s own rise to presidency highlighted this dynamic. He ran as Joe from Scranton — and Black voters in South Carolina rescued his campaign. Affluent moderates often preferred Michael Bloomberg or Pete Buttigieg, while affluent progressives liked Elizabeth Warren.
As president, Biden has stuck to this approach. He is more socially liberal than he was in 1972 but downplays the issues on which many swing voters are moderate. In his State of the Union address, he didn’t say much about abortion, a recognition that the country is more conflicted about the issue than liberals often imagine. On immigration, he has taken steps to reduce the surge of undocumented migrants (albeit slowly, as Republicans note). On Covid, he infuriated some on the left by saying what seems obvious to many Americans: The virus is still a threat, but the pandemic is over.
On economic issues, by contrast, Biden is the most progressive president in decades. “Damn it,” he has said, “I’m sick and tired of ordinary people being fleeced.”
He talks proudly about his crackdown on corporate concentration. He says that the pharmaceutical industry has “ripped off” the country, and he has capped some drug costs. He says that the solution to Social Security financing involves raising taxes on the rich. He waves away neoliberal criticism of his “Buy America” trade policies. He has enacted a huge infrastructure program and plans to travel the country this year telling voters about the bridges, roads and factories that are part of it.
The Democrats’ dilemma
Biden, to be clear, has not solved the Democratic Party’s working-class problem. He too lost voters without a bachelor’s degree in 2020, although he won a few more percentage points of their vote than Hillary Clinton had in 2016. He has also not solved the country’s inequality problem. It’s too soon to know if his policies will make a meaningful difference.
But Biden has demonstrated something important. He occupies the true middle ground in American politics, well to the left of most elected Republicans on economics and somewhat to the right of most elected Democrats on social issues. Polls on specific issues point to the same conclusion. That’s the biggest reason that he is the person who currently gets to decide how to decorate the Oval Office.
All of which underscores a dilemma facing the Democratic Party. In 2024, it either must nominate a man who would be 86 when his second term ended or choose among a group of prominent alternatives who tend to bear some political resemblance to George McGovern.
For more: Three words sum up Biden’s 2024 message — competent beats crazy.
Go back in time: “Delaware Elects Youngest U.S. Senator,” The Times reported in 1972.
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EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday to tour the site where a train wrecked nearly three weeks ago as the government faces growing criticism over the federal response to the derailment.
The Feb. 3 derailment led to evacuations and fears of air and water contamination after a controlled burn of toxic chemicals aimed at preventing an explosion.
The Biden White House has defended its response to the derailment, saying officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, National Transportation Safety Board and other agencies were at the rural site within hours of the derailment. The White House says it has also offered federal assistance and FEMA has been coordinating with the state emergency operations center and other partners.
Buttigieg has faced criticism for not visiting the site earlier, including from former President Donald Trump, who came to Ohio on Wednesday. The Department of Transportation said Buttigieg is visiting now that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared the emergency phase of the crash to be over and the start of long-term cleanup efforts is underway.
The NTSB was expected to release a preliminary report later Thursday on the derailment.
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More than three dozen freight cars — including 11 carrying hazardous materials — derailed on the East Palestine outskirts, near the Pennsylvania state line, prompting an evacuation as fears grew about a potential explosion of smoldering wreckage.
Officials seeking to avoid an uncontrolled blast intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke high into the sky. That left people questioning the potential health effects even as authorities maintained they were doing their best to protect people.
As remediation of the site continued, Norfolk Southern announced late Wednesday it had agreed to excavate the soil under two tracks. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine had called out the railroad company's failure to address the contaminated soil underneath its tracks before repairing them and running freight again.
“Our original plan would have effectively and safely remediated the soil under our tracks. As I listened to community members over the past two weeks, they shared with me their concerns about that approach. I appreciate the direct feedback, and I am addressing it," Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan H. Shaw said in a written statement.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, whose Pennsylvania district borders the East Palestine disaster site, asked Norfolk Southern to expand the boundaries of the geographic zone in which it is providing financial assistance and testing. He asserted the current zone excludes many affected Pennsylvania residents and businesses, and said the company should commit to cleaning up soil and water up to 30 miles (48 kilometers) beyond it.
“Norfolk Southern is failing to show any commitment to rebuilding lost trust in our community,” Deluzio wrote in a letter to Shaw. Providing additional resources “would help your company restore the sense of security that the Norfolk Southern train derailment and its aftermath destroyed.”
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you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
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another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14