Trump Ohio visit – live: Trump accused of train derailment ‘stunt’ as Norfolk Southern CEO dodges questions

Former president Donald Trump is visiting the site of the train derailment in East Palestine near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border on Wednesday and is reportedly planning to meet with local officials and donate thousands of gallons of cleaning supplies and water to support the cleanup effort.

The move has been blasted as a “political stunt” by former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican who served in the Obama administration.

Mr Trump’s visit comes as the CEO of the rail operator, Norfolk Southern, faced tough questions from a reporter on how long the company will commit to remaining in East Palestine for the clean-up effort. The CEO dodged a question on the company’s lobbying efforts against some federal rail safety measures.

“What we’re really interested in is solution-based safety rules, and we’re very focused on following the science,” CEO Alan H Shaw said.

On Tuesday, another derailment took place in Nebraska when 30 cars from a Union Pacific coal train slid off the tracks outside of Gothenburg in the early hours of the morning, sparking a fresh emergency response operation. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Key points

• Trump to visit site of Ohio train derailment today

• Nebraska coal train derailment sparks emergency operation

• Pennsylvania governor hits out at Norfolk Southern ‘greed and incompetence’

• Ohio officials share video of them drinking tap water to encourage residents

• Toxic spill health concerns prompt state to open East Palestine clinic

• Angry Ohio residents seek answers on train's toxic spill

Trump to donate water, cleaning supplies during East Palestine visit

15:40 , Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump will reportedly donate 13 pallets of bottled water as well as cleaning supplies to the village of East Palestine during his trip on Wednesday.

Mr Trump will be joined by East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, Senator JD Vance, Congressman Bill Johnson and other Republican state officials.

Watch: The Lincoln Project releases ad highlighting derailment and Trump’s deregulation efforts hours before former president’s visit to East Palestine

15:20 , Graig Graziosi

The Lincoln Project has released a new video focused on the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and rail industry deregulation efforts Donald Trump made possible during his time in office.

The group released the video just hours before Mr Trump is set to visit the village.

What the Biden administration has – and hasn’t – done in response to the Ohio train derailment

15:00 , Graig Graziosi

The Biden administration has faced increasing scrutiny in the wake of the Ohio train derailment, as locals question “where’s Pete” and East Palestine’s mayor calls the president’s Ukraine visit a “slap in the face.”

Norfolk Southern was forced to vent and burn the train’s load of vinyl chloride, a hazardous material used in the manufacturing of certain plastics, leaving East Palestine residents worried about their health and the longterm effects it might have on their small community.

Since the 3 February derailment there have been criticisms, both locally and nationally, that the Biden administration was slow to move to address the disaster.

What exactly have Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg done since the train derailment, and are the criticisms warranted?

Read more:

What the Biden administration has done in response to the Ohio train derailment

At the site of the Ohio train derailment, Trump fires up his 2024 battle plan

14:32 , Graig Graziosi

When Donald Trump won office in 2016, it wasn’t initially clear who would take the credit, or blame, for the election of a reality TV star to the US presidency.

While Democrats including Hillary Clinton initially focused their fire on Russian disinformation and the role of conspiracies on social media, others pointed to a different phenomenon: the growing conservatism of the Rust Belt, the heartland of America’s manufacturing power.

It was here where progressives and Maga Republicans diagnosed the same problem: an entire region, spurned once too often by the shuttering of massive plants and the resulting regional economic collapses which followed, had turned towards the only politician unwilling to dismiss them as “flyover country” — Donald Trump. Even Democrats find themselves admitting that Mr Trump successfully painted himself as a hero of America’s working class, and in particular a hero of the kinds of blue collar union workers whose families had voted Democrat for years, maybe even decades.

That was the embarrassed anger which was evident whenever progressives and even some centrist Democrats noted that Ms Clinton’s campaign had failed to reach out to and campaign alongside labour unions in Michigan, or even worse, failed to even show up at all in Wisconsin. After 2016, the question for the left was clear: had the Democratic Party sacrificed its connection to the working class, and in particular to unions, in favour of chasing the suburbanite Republicans and independents whom they wagered were turned off by Donald Trump’s caustic rhetoric?

Read more:

At the site of the Ohio train derailment, Trump fires up his 2024 battle plan

ICYMI: Ohio officials drink East Palestine water after train derailment

14:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Local and state officials drank from an East Palestine sink to help assuage fears that the village’s water was contaminated following a Norfolk Southern train derailment in early February.

How the Biden administration responded to the Ohio train derailment

13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Despite Mr Buttigieg’s comments there, the Biden administration has faced increasing scrutiny in the wake of the Ohio train derailment as locals ask “where’s Pete?” and East Palestine’s mayor (as we saw earlier) called the president’s Monday visist to Ukraine a “slap in the face”.

Since the disaster on 3 February there have been criticisms, both locally and nationally, that the Biden administration was too slow to react.

So what exactly have the president and his transportation secretary done since the train derailment and are the criticisms warranted?

Graig Graziosi has the answers.

What the Biden administration has done in response to the Ohio train derailment

Pete Buttigieg calls out Marco Rubio for softening rail safety requirements prior to Ohio train derailment

12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The US transportation secretary replied to criticism levied at him by Republican senator Marco Rubio by pointing out the lawmaker had voted to soften safety regulations prior to the Ohio train derailment in East Palestine.

“The facts don’t lie. The 2021 letter you signed was obviously drafted by railroad industry lobbyists. It supports waivers that would reduce visual track inspections,” he wrote.

“Now: will you vote to help us toughen rail safety accountability and fines, or not?”

Pennsylvania governor calls out 'corporate greed and incompetence' of Norfolk Southern over train derailment

11:00 , Graig Graziosi

Cleanup gets underway at site after Ohio train derailment

11:18 , Joe Sommerlad

Trump to visit site of Ohio train derailment today

10:40 , Joe Sommerlad

The former president will visit the small town of East Palestine in Ohio on Wednesday - site of a major freight train derailment earlier this month that caused a major chemical spill and forced local residents to have to temporarily leave their homes.

The accident occurred shortly after 9pm on Friday 3 February, when 38 Norfolk Southern carriages crashed off the rails as the result of what investigators later determined was a broken axle, 10 of which were transporting hazardous materials cross-country.

Fortunately, no one was harmed but more than 2,000 East Palestine residents out of approximately 4,800 had to be temporarily evacuated from the area due to health concerns arising from the spill.

As part of the clean up operation, five of the tankers containing vinyl chloride – a compound used to make plastic pipes, wires, cable coating, car parts and packaging but which can cause cancer – had to be intentionally breached by emergency crews, who diverted the substance into an excavated trench and carried out a controlled burn to prevent an explosion, sending noxious black clouds billowing into the atmosphere.

According to Fox News Digital, Mr Trump plans to meet local officials including mayor Trent Conaway and state senator JD Vance and members of the community on Wednesday and is set to donate thousands of gallons of cleaning supplies and more than a dozen pallets of water.

“President Trump is meeting with the citizens of East Palestine and will never forget them and what they are going through,” an advisor told Fox.

“Contrast that with Biden and the federal government who has failed them from the beginning.”

Nebraska coal train derailment sparks emergency operation

09:00 , Graig Graziosi

A Union Pacific freight train derailed in Nebraska early on Tuesday, sparking an emergency response.

Around 30 cars carrying coal jumped tracks three miles southeast of the town of Gothenburg at about 1.45am, officials said.

Emergency hazmat teams rushed to the site of the crash. There were no reported injuries.

Images posted to KNOP showed dozens of rail cars strewn along the tracks, alongside mounds of black coal.

It was the fourth derailment involving a Union Pacific train in the area since May last year, KNOP reported.

Read more:

Nebraska train derailment sparks third Midwest rail emergency

East Palestine mayor says he made Biden comments during a moment of frustration, would welcome him to village

08:00 , Joe Sommerlad

East Palestine mayor Trent Conaway told reporters Tueday that the comments he made claiming Joe Biden did not care about residents of the village due to his trip to Ukraine were made during a moment of frustration.

He said he stood by those comments but that he would welcome the president to East Palestine if he decided to visit.

Norfolk Southern gave donation to Ohio governor one month before East Palestine disaster

06:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Ohio governor Mike DeWine received a donation from Norfolk Southern just weeks before one of the company’s trains derailed in East Palestine, resulting in the release and burn of a hazardous gas over the village.

The company gave Mr DeWine a donation totalling $10,000, the maximum amount allowed by law, according to an investigation by WSYX, a Columbus-based broadcaster who first reported the donations.

In total, Mr DeWine has received $29,000 from Norfolk Southern since he first ran for governor in 2018. The broadcaster also found that the rail company has given a combined $98,000 over the last six years to state and legislative candidates around Ohio.

Read more:

Norfolk Southern gave donation to Ohio governor month before East Palestine disaster

EPA orders Norfolk Southern to deal with Ohio toxic train derailment - or face ‘significant’ fines

04:59 , Graig Graziosi

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has put rail operator, Norfolk Southern, on the hook for the cleanup of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

If it doesn’t complete the task, the company will be “significantly” fined, CNN reported.

The Independent has contacted the EPA for comment.

Read more:

EPA orders Norfolk Southern to deal with Ohio toxic train wreck - or face fines

EPA says no evidence of volatile organic compounds in East Palestine water

04:00 , Graig Graziosi

The head of the Ohio EPA said Tuesday that testing from multiple labs has found no evidence of volatile organic compounds resulting from the train derailment in Ohio in East Palestine’s water.

The EPA also said it has done air quality testing inside of more than 500 homes in East Palestine, and has found no evidence of volatile organic compounds at concerning levels resulting from the vented and burned vinyl chloride the train was carrying.

Buttigieg warns rail companies to expect increased fines and regulations

03:00 , Graig Graziosi

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has called on the rail industry to immediately improve safety standards or face stiff penalties after a train derailment in Ohio forced mass evacuations and a toxic chemical spill and burn off.

Mr Buttigieg unveiled a package of reforms on Tuesday that would increase fines for “egregious violations”, force rail companies to provide sick pay and inform local officials when they are transporting hazardous materials through their state.

The current maximum fine a rail company could face was $225,455, which he described as a “rounding error” for a company like Norfolk Southern who had an annual operating income of $4.8bn in 2022.

He further called on railroad companies to set up confidential hotlines where staff could report safety concerns, after previous instances of Norfolk Southern allegedly trying to silence whistleblowers.

Read more:

Buttigieg warns rail companies to expect increased fines and regulations

ICYMI: Ohio Governor demands stricter laws for trains carrying hazardous chemicals

02:00 , Graig Graziosi

Governor Mike DeWine said during a press conference that laws dictating when rail companies must announce they are carrying hazardous chemicals must be more restictive.

The Norfolk Southern train that derailed was not required under the current laws to announce the nature of its cargo.

Mr DeWine also assured East Palestine’s residents that the state would remain active in the village until the clean-up is completed.

EPA to take over East Palestine clean-up efforts

01:00 , Graig Graziosi

The Environmental Protection Agency is taking over the clean-up efforts in East Palestine, Ohio, after a Norfolk Southern train derailed, forcing the release and burning of vinyl chloride over the village.

Norfolk Southern has been leading to clean up response up until this point voluntarily. Now it will be subject to the EPA’s oversight and could face fines or other punishments if it fails to address the village.

Read more:

EPA orders Norfolk Southern to deal with Ohio toxic train wreck - or face fines

Mysterious orange flyers claiming to be from Norfolk Southern appear around East Palestine

00:00 , Graig Graziosi

Orange flyers have been appearing at the homes of East Palestine residents, warning them that there are “hazardous chemicals” inside. The flyers claim to be from Norfolk Southern.

According to local broadcaster WKBN, Norfolk Southern says it has not connection to the flyers and said the papers can be discarded.

“These are unnecessary attempts to scare residents of the town and cause confusion in the community,” the company told WKBN.

Tuesday 21 February 2023 23:00 , Graig Graziosi

US Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut called out Republicans Tuesday on Twitter, accusing them of using the East Palestine train disaster as a political cudgel even though their policies contribute to a less safe rail system.

“The same Republicans who are up in arms about East Palestine are the same ones who supported Trump’s campaign to gut Obama’s railroad safety regulations,” he said. “It’s all fake indignation.”

During former President Barack Obama’s administration rail companies were forced to include ECP brakes on their cars carrying hazardous materials. Norfolk Southern lobbied against those regulations and had them rolled back with the support of the Trump administration in 2017.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to visit East Palestine

Tuesday 21 February 2023 22:20 , Graig Graziosi

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieig appeared on Good Morning America and said he planned to visit East Palestine to survey the clean-up operation.

Host George Stephanopoulos asked Mr Buttigieg if he was planning on personally visiting the site during a recent appearance on the show, noting that some critics have asked “where’s Pete?”

“I am planning to go and our folks were on the ground from the first hours,” he said, noting that the National Transportation Safety Board also needed time to conduct an independent investigation of the crash without lawmakers overseeing the process.

Ohio officials drink East Palestine water after train derailment

Tuesday 21 February 2023 21:15 , Graig Graziosi

Local and state officials drank from an East Palestine sink to help assuage fears that the village’s water was contaminated following a Norfolk Southern train derailment in early February.

Pete Buttigieg calls out Marco Rubio for softening rail safety requirements prior to Ohio train derailment

Tuesday 21 February 2023 20:49 , Graig Graziosi

US Transportation Secretary replied to criticism levied at him by Senator Marco Rubio by pointing out the lawmaker had voted to soften safety regulations prior to the Ohio train derailment in East Palestine.

“The facts don’t lie. The 2021 letter you signed was obviously drafted by railroad industry lobbyists. It supports waivers that would reduce visual track inspections,” he wrote. “Now: will you vote to help us toughen rail safety accountability and fines, or not?”

Pennsylvania governor calls out 'corporate greed and incompetence' of Norfolk Southern over train derailment

Tuesday 21 February 2023 20:40 , Graig Graziosi

Ohio officials post video drinking East Palestine water in effort to reassure residents

Tuesday 21 February 2023 20:20 , Graig Graziosi

State and local officials in East Palestine, Ohio, filmed a video of themselves drinking the village’s water in an effort to assure residents it was safe following a catastrophic train derailment earlier this month.

Residents have expressed concerns that their water was polluted after Norfolk Southern vented and burned vinyl chloride gas that was being hauled by the train.

The water-drinking video was posted as part of a visit to the village by Ohio‘s Lieutenant Governor John Husted. He posted the clip to his Twitter feed.

Mr Husted, along with Ohio EPA Director Anne Vogel, Fire Chief Keith Drabick, police chief James Brown, Mayor Trent Conaway, and local Congressman Bill Johnson, filled their cups from a faucet and drank the water.

“The water is safe and they are working around the clock to keep it that way,” Mr Husted wrote alongside the video.

Read more:

Ohio officials post video drinking East Palestine water to reassure residents

Nebraska coal train derailment sparks emergency operation

Tuesday 21 February 2023 20:16 , Graig Graziosi

A Union Pacific freight train derailed in Nebraska early on Tuesday, sparking an emergency response.

Around 30 cars carrying coal jumped tracks three miles southeast of the town of Gothenburg at about 1.45am, officials said.

Emergency hazmat teams rushed to the site of the crash. There were no reported injuries.

Images posted to KNOP showed dozens of rail cars strewn along the tracks, alongside mounds of black coal.

It was the fourth derailment involving a Union Pacific train in the area since May last year, KNOP reported.Read more:

Nebraska train derailment sparks third Midwest rail emergency

East Palestine mayor says he does not want village to become a political pawn, wants to get back to ‘small town America'

Tuesday 21 February 2023 20:00 , Graig Graziosi

East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway said he does not want the village to become a political pawn between right-wing and left-wing lawmakers and media outlets.

He said that while he appreciated the media coverage, he hoped to stop having to hold press conferences and get back to hosting picnics in the village.

When asked what he thought justice for East Palestine looked like, he said it would be a “return to small town America,” and “rolling back the clock to 2 February,” the day before the disastrous train derailment.

East Palestine mayor says he made Biden comments during a moment of frustration, would welcome him to village

Tuesday 21 February 2023 19:40 , Graig Graziosi

East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway told reporters Tueday that the comments he made claiming Joe Biden did not care about residents of the village due to his trip to Ukraine were made during a moment of frustration.

He said he stood by those comments, but that he would welcome the president to East Palestine if he decided to visit.

Former Presidetn Donald Trump — whose administration rolled back regulations requiring train cars carrying hazrdous materials to equip special brakes — will be visiting the village on Wednesday.

Dirt under East Palestine train tracks where train derailed to be removed

Tuesday 21 February 2023 19:20 , Graig Graziosi

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said during a press conference that the dirt under the train tracks where a Norfolk Southern trian derailed in East Palestine will be removed.

He noted that the company had trains running on the tracks again just days after the accident and said the dirt hasn’t been removed from the scene of the accident. The removal will require a temporary shut-down of the route as the tracks will have to be pulled up.

Norfolk Southern gave donation to Ohio governor one month before East Palestine disaster

Tuesday 21 February 2023 19:10 , Graig Graziosi

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine received a donation from Norfolk Southern just weeks before one of the company’s trains derailed in East Palestine, resulting in the release and burn of a hazardous gas over the village.

The company gave Mr DeWine a donation totalling $10,000, the maximum amount allowed by law, according to an investigation by WSYX, a Columbus-based broadcaster who first reported the donations.

In total, Mr DeWine has received $29,000 from Norfolk Southern since he first ran for governor in 2018. The broadcaster also found that the rail company has given a combined $98,000 over the last six years to state and legislative candidates around Ohio.

Read more:

Norfolk Southern gave donation to Ohio governor month before East Palestine disaster

EPA orders Norfolk Southern to deal with Ohio toxic train derailment - or face ‘significant’ fines

Tuesday 21 February 2023 18:45 , Graig Graziosi

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has put rail operator, Norfolk Southern, on the hook for the cleanup of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

If it doesn’t complete the task, the company will be “significantly” fined, CNN reported.

The Independent has contacted the EPA for comment.

Read more:

EPA orders Norfolk Southern to deal with Ohio toxic train wreck - or face fines

EPA says no evidence of volatile organic compounds in East Palestine water

Tuesday 21 February 2023 18:21 , Graig Graziosi

The head of the Ohio EPA said Tuesday that testing from multiple labs has found no evidence of volatile organic compounds resulting from the train derailment in Ohio in East Palestine’s water.

The EPA also said it has done air quality testing inside of more than 500 homes in East Palestine, and has found no evidence of volatile organic compounds at concerning levels resulting from the vented and burned vinyl chloride the train was carrying.

Buttigieg warns rail companies to expect increased fines and regulations

Tuesday 21 February 2023 18:10 , Graig Graziosi

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has called on the rail industry to immediately improve safety standards or face stiff penalties after a train derailment in Ohio forced mass evacuations and a toxic chemical spill and burn off.

Mr Buttigieg unveiled a package of reforms on Tuesday that would increase fines for “egregious violations”, force rail companies to provide sick pay and inform local officials when they are transporting hazardous materials through their state.

The current maximum fine a rail company could face was $225,455, which he described as a “rounding error” for a company like Norfolk Southern who had an annual operating income of $4.8bn in 2022.

He further called on railroad companies to set up confidential hotlines where staff could report safety concerns, after previous instances of Norfolk Southern allegedly trying to silence whistleblowers.

Read more:

Buttigieg warns rail companies to expect increased fines and regulations

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says Ohio, Pennsylvania, and EPA will hold Norfolk Southern accountable

Tuesday 21 February 2023 17:56 , Graig Graziosi

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says Ohio, Pennsylvania, and EPA will hold Norfolk Southern accountable after the East Palestine train derailment.

“We will hold accountable Norfolk Southern the company that made this vigilance necessary ... “[for their] corporate greed, incompentence, and lack of care of residents,” he said.

He said that the EPA’s order to force the rail company to clean-up the mess will also extend to communities in Pennsylvania just over the border from East Palestine.

“We are fighting back,” he said.

Ohio Governor demands stricter laws for trains carrying hazardous chemicals

Tuesday 21 February 2023 17:50 , Graig Graziosi

Governor Mike DeWine said during a press conference that laws dictating when rail companies must announce they are carrying hazardous chemicals must be more restictive.

The Norfolk Southern train that derailed was not required under the current laws to announce the nature of its cargo.

Mr DeWine also assured East Palestine’s residents that the state would remain active in the village until the clean-up is completed.

EPA to take over East Palestine clean-up efforts

Tuesday 21 February 2023 17:22 , Graig Graziosi

The Environmental Protection Agency is taking over the clean-up efforts in East Palestine, Ohio, after a Norfolk Southern train derailed, forcing the release and burning of vinyl chloride over the village.

Norfolk Southern has been leading to clean up response up until this point voluntarily. Now it will be subject to the EPA’s oversight and could face fines or other punishments if it fails to address the village.

Read more:

EPA orders Norfolk Southern to deal with Ohio toxic train wreck - or face fines

Mysterious orange flyers claiming to be from Norfolk Southern appear around East Palestine

Tuesday 21 February 2023 16:28 , Graig Graziosi

Orange flyers have been appearing at the homes of East Palestine residents, warning them that there are “hazardous chemicals” inside. The flyers claim to be from Norfolk Southern.

According to local broadcaster WKBN, Norfolk Southern says it has not connection to the flyers and said the papers can be discarded.

“These are unnecessary attempts to scare residents of the town and cause confusion in the community,” the company told WKBN.

EPA head, Governor Mike DeWine arrive in East Palestine

Tuesday 21 February 2023 16:07 , Graig Graziosi

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and EPA Administrator Michael Regan arrived in East Palestine today.

Mr DeWine and Mr Regan will survey the clean-up operation at the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in early February.

Senator calls GOP handwringing over train disaster ‘fake'

Tuesday 21 February 2023 15:31 , Graig Graziosi

US Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut called out Republicans Tuesday on Twitter, accusing them of using the East Palestine train disaster as a political cudgel even though their policies contribute to a less safe rail system.

“The same Republicans who are up in arms about East Palestine are the same ones who supported Trump’s campaign to gut Obama’s railroad safety regulations,” he said. “It’s all fake indignation.”

During former President Barack Obama’s administration rail companies were forced to include ECP brakes on their cars carrying hazardous materials. Norfolk Southern lobbied against those regulations and had them rolled back with the support of the Trump administration in 2017.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announces push to hold rail industry accountable after East Palestine disaster

Tuesday 21 February 2023 15:06 , Graig Graziosi

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Tuesday that the federal goverment is moving to hold the rail industry accountable.

The proposed actions include increasing the total possible fine that can be levied against rail companies for disasters, making at-least two person crews mandatory, and forcing carriers to announce if their trains are carrying hazardous chemicals through a town.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to visit East Palestine

Tuesday 21 February 2023 14:45 , Graig Graziosi

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieig appeared on Good Morning America and said he planned to visit East Palestine to survey the clean-up operation.

Host George Stephanopoulos asked Mr Buttigieg if he was planning on personally visiting the site during a recent appearance on the show, noting that some critics have asked “where’s Pete?”

“I am planning to go and our folks were on the ground from the first hours,” he said, noting that the National Transportation Safety Board also needed time to conduct an independent investigation of the crash without lawmakers overseeing the process.

Trump to visit East Palestine on Wednesday, after two weeks of silence on disastrous train derailment

Tuesday 21 February 2023 14:00 , Oliver O'Connell

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

The former president’s son Donald Trump Jr first announced the visit on Friday, tweeting: “If our ‘leaders’ are too afraid to actually lead, real leaders will step up and fill the void.”

The scope of the visit was not specified but on Saturday, Mr Trump confirmed on his platform Truth Social that he will travel on Wednesday to the community with a population of 4,700.

Mr Trump did not miss a chance to slam the Biden administration, claiming that his announcement prompted the White House to deploy FEMA’s assistance to East Palestine. The agency issued a joint statement with Governor Mike DeWine on Friday saying a regional incident management assistance team will arrive in the village.

“Biden and FEMA said they would not be sending federal aid to East Palestine. As soon as I announced that I’m going, he announced a team will go,” Mr Trump said on Truth Social. “Hopefully he will also be there. This is good news because we got them to “move.” The people of East Palestine need help. I’ll see you on Wednesday!”

EPA administrator returning to East Palestine on Tuesday

Tuesday 21 February 2023 13:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan will return to East Palestine, Ohio for the second time to meet with local, state, and federal leaders and provide an update on the ongoing Federal response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment.

Mr Regan will also announce additional measures to ensure the health and safety of this community and hold Norfolk Southern accountable.

The EPA is leading the Biden administration’s multi-pronged response to the incident and has been on the scene since day one. It also secured a commitment from Norfolk Southern to pay for cleanup costs.

A press conference is scheduled for 12.30pm on Tuesday, with Mr Regan joined by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Congressman Bill Johnson, and EPA regional administrator Debra Shore.

Voices: I went home to report on the Ohio train derailment

Tuesday 21 February 2023 13:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Graig Graziosi writes:

Like the rest of the country, I was shocked and morbidly fascinated by the towering pillar of black that rose above East Palestine in early February after a Norfolk Southern train derailed and officials chose to burn off the hazardous and highly flammable vinyl chloride gas it was carrying.

Unlike the rest of the country, I was already very familiar with the tiny Ohio village — I spent many hours there in my early and late teens visiting with my father and stepmother.

Read on:

What I found when I went home to report on the Ohio train derailment

Questions mount on rail industry as another train derails – in California

Tuesday 21 February 2023 12:30 , Rachel Sharp

Questions continue to mount on the rail industry as another train derailed this week – this time in California.

Rail operator Union Pacific confirmed on Monday that four of its train cars had derailed in Riverbank, Stanislaus County, in the early hours of the morning.

Three of the cars derailed while the fourth was leaning over, the company said.

No hazardous chemicals were released in this incident and no one was injured but an investigation has been launched into what happened.

It comes just weeks after the 3 February train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which prompted operator Norfolk Southern to release and burn a toxic chemical to avoid an explosion.

Norfolk Southern gave donation to Ohio governor one month before East Palestine disaster

Tuesday 21 February 2023 12:00 , Rachel Sharp

Norfolk Southern gave a donation to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine just one month before the East Palestine train derailment disaster, according to a bombshell investigation.

State records, examined by 6 On Your Side, reveal that the rail operator gave a $10,000 contribution to the governor in January.

In total, the company has contributed $29,000 to Mr DeWine’s political funds since he first ran for governor in 2018.

As well as the governor, Norfolk Southern has given $98,000 in donations to several other Ohio statewide and legislative candidates in recent years, according to the outlet.

This comes as pressure is mounting on Norfolk Southern over the incident in East Palestine.

Video claiming to show contaminated water in Ohio goes viral

Tuesday 21 February 2023 11:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A video claiming to show the extent of the water contamination in Ohio after the East Palestine train derailment has gone viral with more than 11 million views on social media.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Video claiming to show contaminated water in Ohio goes viral

Ohio Department of Health to open clinic

Tuesday 21 February 2023 11:00 , Rachel Sharp

On Tuesday, the Ohio Department of Health will open a clinic in East Palestine as it seeks to address the growing health fears in the aftermath of the train derailment.

The clinic will have nurses, mental health specialists and a toxicologist on hand, and any residents concerned over potential medical issues are urged to attend the facility to speak to experts.

“I heard you, the state heard you, and now the Ohio Department of Health and many of our partner agencies are providing this clinic, where people can come and discuss these vital issues with medical providers,” Ohio Department of Health director Bruce Vanderhoff said in a statement.

Since the disaster, residents in East Palestine have reported symptoms including headaches, rashes, nausea and burning eyes.

Buttigieg warns Norfolk Southern

Tuesday 21 February 2023 10:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a letter Sunday to the CEO of Norfolk Southern, warning that the freight rail company must “demonstrate unequivocal support for the people” of East Palestine, Ohio, and surrounding areas after a fiery train derailment led to the release of chemicals and residents expressing concerns about their health.

Read on:

Buttigieg warns Norfolk Southern to support Ohio community

Ohio officials share video of them drinking water in East Palestine

Tuesday 21 February 2023 10:05 , Rachel Sharp

Ohio officials have shared a video of them drinking tap water in East Palestine in an effort to reassure concerned residents that it is safe.

Lt. Governor Jon Husted posted a video on Twitter over the weekend of him, East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick, Police Chief James Brown, and Mayor Trent Conaway drinking glasses of water together.

“The water is safe and they are working around the clock to keep it that way,” Mr Husted tweeted.

Separating fact from fiction in the Ohio train derailment incident

Tuesday 21 February 2023 09:30 , Oliver O'Connell

When a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on 3 February, the truth began to look stranger than fiction.

A foreboding black cloud rose up from the accident site as officials performed a controlled burn. Thousands of fish in nearby waterways died. People couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the disaster and the Don DeLillo novel White Noise, about an Ohio family living through the aftermath of train derailment, which caused an “airborne toxic event.” Netflix recently adapted the book into a movie, and filmed scenes throughout the state.

To make matters worse, social media users and unscrupulous media figures broadcast conspiracies and exaggerated claims about the real Ohio derailment, leading to misinformation and speculation.

“This is kind of the ultimate event for driving conspiracy theories and various anti-government and anti-media sentiment,” Meghan Conroy, a US research fellow with the Atlantic Council, told WIRED. “There’s a lack of clarity about what’s happening on the ground in Ohio.”

Here’s what you need to know to separate fact from fiction about the East Palestine disaster.

Ohio train derailment fact check: Separating fact from fiction

DC blame game begins over Ohio train derailment

Tuesday 21 February 2023 07:30 , Oliver O'Connell

That disaster has caused residents and local wildlife to suffer a variety of symptoms, and has caused chaos of its own in Washington, as officials have sought to pin the tragedy on one party or policy.

Josh Marcus reports.

The DC blame game begins over Ohio train derailment. Whose fault is it?