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A handwritten sign is displayed outside a flower shop on February 14, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio.
"Why are people getting sick if there's nothing in the air or the water?" asked one town hall attendee.
Anxious and angry residents of East Palestine, Ohio gathered for a town hall Wednesday night hoping to get answers about the potential health impacts of a massive train derailment and chemical spill that put their small village in the national spotlight.
But those who wanted to hear directly from the company at the center of the toxic disaster—Norfolk Southern—pulled out of the event hours before it began, expressing concerns about "the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community... stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties."
News that company officials would be a no-show infuriated East Palestine residents who are worried about the health and safety of their families in the wake of the train crash—and the subsequent release of hazardous chemicals such as the carcinogen vinyl chloride into the atmosphere and waterways.
"We are all excited for this town hall meeting, and it is just a slap in the face because the people who put us out are too afraid to show up to the meeting," said Nate Velez, a resident whose family is currently staying in rentals outside of East Palestine, unsure whether it's safe to return to their home half a mile away from the site of the fiery derailment.
“Most people did not want to go home, but they had to," Velez said of those who evacuated following the crash. "So, all the people who had to go home were complaining of smells, pains in their throat, headaches, sickness. I have gone back a few times, and the smell does make you sick. It hurts your head."
In addition to foul odors in the air, residents have reported strange-smelling and discolored water as well as sick or dead animals—accounts that have intensified the Ohio community's sense of alarm and demands for transparency from local authorities and Norfolk Southern, which has fought off safety regulations that could have helped prevent the crash on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
\u201cNEWS: We were sent this image of a sink at workplace in East Palestine OH right next to train explosion.\n\n"The water is literally white and smells like wet dog," the worker, who felt sick when they were forced back to work the day after the explosion, said. #EastPalestineOH\u201d— Status Coup News (@Status Coup News) 1676495839
The office of Mike DeWine, Ohio's Republican governor, said in a news release Wednesday that the state Environmental Protection Agency has not detected any "contaminants in raw water from the five wells that feed into East Palestine's municipal water system."
"With these tests results, Ohio EPA is confident that the municipal water is safe to drink," the governor's office insisted, a claim Norfolk Southern has echoed.
Additionally, the federal EPA has been monitoring the area's air and water and assisting with individual home screenings.
"The National Transportation Security Board has also been on site for over a week to lead the investigation into the cause of the derailment," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters earlier this week. "And the EPA will continue to conduct 24/7 air quality monitoring throughout the East Palestine community in the days to come."
But residents weren't satisfied with assurances from their representatives and Norfolk Southern.
"Why are people getting sick if there's nothing in the air or the water?" one town hall attendee shouted Wednesday.
"Is it OK to still be here?" another asked. "Are my kids safe? Are the people safe? Is the future of this community safe? We all know the severity of that question. What's at stake?"
Others have openly questioned Norfolk Southern's commitment to the emergency response and recovery effort. Speaking to reporters at Wednesday's town hall, one resident dismissed Norfolk Southern's $1,000 payments to those impacted by the crash—so-called "inconvenience checks"—as "insulting."
Trent Conaway, East Palestine's mayor, directly addressed community members during Wednesday's town hall and pledged to do all he can to ensure that Norfolk Southern lives up to its promise of a safe and thorough clean-up—while acknowledging that's a difficult task for a small-town official.
"I'm a mayor of a town of 4,700 people," Conaway said. "You think I can fight against the railroad or fight against the EPA or fight against anything like that?"
Echoing his constituents' anger over Norfolk Southern's no-show Wednesday night, Conaway said, "They screwed up our town. They're going to fix it."
Norfolk Southern's handling of the disaster—which rail workers say was a predictable consequence of Wall Street-backed policy changes that have cut costs and undermined safety—has also drawn growing scrutiny from state and federal lawmakers.
Earlier this week, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sent a letter to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw raising "serious concerns" about the corporation's handling of the February 3 train derailment.
Specifically, Shapiro noted that soon after the crash, "Norfolk Southern personnel separated themselves from the rest of the incident management structure... to conduct separate operational and tactical planning, forcing state and local response agencies to react to tactics that were developed unilaterally and without the combined input of key state agencies."
Shapiro added that the company's "unwillingness to explore or articulate alternate courses of action to their proposed vent and burn [of toxic chemicals] limited state and local leaders' ability to respond effectively."
"Norfolk Southern failed to explore all potential courses of action, including some that may have kept the rail line closed longer but could have resulted in a safer overall approach for first responders, residents, and the environment," Shapiro wrote. "Norfolk Southern's well-known opposition to modernized regulations require further scrutiny and investigation to limit the devastating effects of future accidents."
"While regulation of the railroad industry is largely the purview of our federal partners," Shapiro continued, nodding toward U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, "we plan to take direct action here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania."
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Anxious and angry residents of East Palestine, Ohio gathered for a town hall Wednesday night hoping to get answers about the potential health impacts of a massive train derailment and chemical spill that put their small village in the national spotlight.
But those who wanted to hear directly from the company at the center of the toxic disaster—Norfolk Southern—pulled out of the event hours before it began, expressing concerns about "the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community... stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties."
News that company officials would be a no-show infuriated East Palestine residents who are worried about the health and safety of their families in the wake of the train crash—and the subsequent release of hazardous chemicals such as the carcinogen vinyl chloride into the atmosphere and waterways.
"We are all excited for this town hall meeting, and it is just a slap in the face because the people who put us out are too afraid to show up to the meeting," said Nate Velez, a resident whose family is currently staying in rentals outside of East Palestine, unsure whether it's safe to return to their home half a mile away from the site of the fiery derailment.
“Most people did not want to go home, but they had to," Velez said of those who evacuated following the crash. "So, all the people who had to go home were complaining of smells, pains in their throat, headaches, sickness. I have gone back a few times, and the smell does make you sick. It hurts your head."
In addition to foul odors in the air, residents have reported strange-smelling and discolored water as well as sick or dead animals—accounts that have intensified the Ohio community's sense of alarm and demands for transparency from local authorities and Norfolk Southern, which has fought off safety regulations that could have helped prevent the crash on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
\u201cNEWS: We were sent this image of a sink at workplace in East Palestine OH right next to train explosion.\n\n"The water is literally white and smells like wet dog," the worker, who felt sick when they were forced back to work the day after the explosion, said. #EastPalestineOH\u201d— Status Coup News (@Status Coup News) 1676495839
The office of Mike DeWine, Ohio's Republican governor, said in a news release Wednesday that the state Environmental Protection Agency has not detected any "contaminants in raw water from the five wells that feed into East Palestine's municipal water system."
"With these tests results, Ohio EPA is confident that the municipal water is safe to drink," the governor's office insisted, a claim Norfolk Southern has echoed.
Additionally, the federal EPA has been monitoring the area's air and water and assisting with individual home screenings.
"The National Transportation Security Board has also been on site for over a week to lead the investigation into the cause of the derailment," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters earlier this week. "And the EPA will continue to conduct 24/7 air quality monitoring throughout the East Palestine community in the days to come."
But residents weren't satisfied with assurances from their representatives and Norfolk Southern.
"Why are people getting sick if there's nothing in the air or the water?" one town hall attendee shouted Wednesday.
"Is it OK to still be here?" another asked. "Are my kids safe? Are the people safe? Is the future of this community safe? We all know the severity of that question. What's at stake?"
Others have openly questioned Norfolk Southern's commitment to the emergency response and recovery effort. Speaking to reporters at Wednesday's town hall, one resident dismissed Norfolk Southern's $1,000 payments to those impacted by the crash—so-called "inconvenience checks"—as "insulting."
Trent Conaway, East Palestine's mayor, directly addressed community members during Wednesday's town hall and pledged to do all he can to ensure that Norfolk Southern lives up to its promise of a safe and thorough clean-up—while acknowledging that's a difficult task for a small-town official.
"I'm a mayor of a town of 4,700 people," Conaway said. "You think I can fight against the railroad or fight against the EPA or fight against anything like that?"
Echoing his constituents' anger over Norfolk Southern's no-show Wednesday night, Conaway said, "They screwed up our town. They're going to fix it."
Norfolk Southern's handling of the disaster—which rail workers say was a predictable consequence of Wall Street-backed policy changes that have cut costs and undermined safety—has also drawn growing scrutiny from state and federal lawmakers.
Earlier this week, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sent a letter to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw raising "serious concerns" about the corporation's handling of the February 3 train derailment.
Specifically, Shapiro noted that soon after the crash, "Norfolk Southern personnel separated themselves from the rest of the incident management structure... to conduct separate operational and tactical planning, forcing state and local response agencies to react to tactics that were developed unilaterally and without the combined input of key state agencies."
Shapiro added that the company's "unwillingness to explore or articulate alternate courses of action to their proposed vent and burn [of toxic chemicals] limited state and local leaders' ability to respond effectively."
"Norfolk Southern failed to explore all potential courses of action, including some that may have kept the rail line closed longer but could have resulted in a safer overall approach for first responders, residents, and the environment," Shapiro wrote. "Norfolk Southern's well-known opposition to modernized regulations require further scrutiny and investigation to limit the devastating effects of future accidents."
"While regulation of the railroad industry is largely the purview of our federal partners," Shapiro continued, nodding toward U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, "we plan to take direct action here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania."
Anxious and angry residents of East Palestine, Ohio gathered for a town hall Wednesday night hoping to get answers about the potential health impacts of a massive train derailment and chemical spill that put their small village in the national spotlight.
But those who wanted to hear directly from the company at the center of the toxic disaster—Norfolk Southern—pulled out of the event hours before it began, expressing concerns about "the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community... stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties."
News that company officials would be a no-show infuriated East Palestine residents who are worried about the health and safety of their families in the wake of the train crash—and the subsequent release of hazardous chemicals such as the carcinogen vinyl chloride into the atmosphere and waterways.
"We are all excited for this town hall meeting, and it is just a slap in the face because the people who put us out are too afraid to show up to the meeting," said Nate Velez, a resident whose family is currently staying in rentals outside of East Palestine, unsure whether it's safe to return to their home half a mile away from the site of the fiery derailment.
“Most people did not want to go home, but they had to," Velez said of those who evacuated following the crash. "So, all the people who had to go home were complaining of smells, pains in their throat, headaches, sickness. I have gone back a few times, and the smell does make you sick. It hurts your head."
In addition to foul odors in the air, residents have reported strange-smelling and discolored water as well as sick or dead animals—accounts that have intensified the Ohio community's sense of alarm and demands for transparency from local authorities and Norfolk Southern, which has fought off safety regulations that could have helped prevent the crash on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
\u201cNEWS: We were sent this image of a sink at workplace in East Palestine OH right next to train explosion.\n\n"The water is literally white and smells like wet dog," the worker, who felt sick when they were forced back to work the day after the explosion, said. #EastPalestineOH\u201d— Status Coup News (@Status Coup News) 1676495839
The office of Mike DeWine, Ohio's Republican governor, said in a news release Wednesday that the state Environmental Protection Agency has not detected any "contaminants in raw water from the five wells that feed into East Palestine's municipal water system."
"With these tests results, Ohio EPA is confident that the municipal water is safe to drink," the governor's office insisted, a claim Norfolk Southern has echoed.
Additionally, the federal EPA has been monitoring the area's air and water and assisting with individual home screenings.
"The National Transportation Security Board has also been on site for over a week to lead the investigation into the cause of the derailment," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters earlier this week. "And the EPA will continue to conduct 24/7 air quality monitoring throughout the East Palestine community in the days to come."
But residents weren't satisfied with assurances from their representatives and Norfolk Southern.
"Why are people getting sick if there's nothing in the air or the water?" one town hall attendee shouted Wednesday.
"Is it OK to still be here?" another asked. "Are my kids safe? Are the people safe? Is the future of this community safe? We all know the severity of that question. What's at stake?"
Others have openly questioned Norfolk Southern's commitment to the emergency response and recovery effort. Speaking to reporters at Wednesday's town hall, one resident dismissed Norfolk Southern's $1,000 payments to those impacted by the crash—so-called "inconvenience checks"—as "insulting."
Trent Conaway, East Palestine's mayor, directly addressed community members during Wednesday's town hall and pledged to do all he can to ensure that Norfolk Southern lives up to its promise of a safe and thorough clean-up—while acknowledging that's a difficult task for a small-town official.
"I'm a mayor of a town of 4,700 people," Conaway said. "You think I can fight against the railroad or fight against the EPA or fight against anything like that?"
Echoing his constituents' anger over Norfolk Southern's no-show Wednesday night, Conaway said, "They screwed up our town. They're going to fix it."
Norfolk Southern's handling of the disaster—which rail workers say was a predictable consequence of Wall Street-backed policy changes that have cut costs and undermined safety—has also drawn growing scrutiny from state and federal lawmakers.
Earlier this week, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sent a letter to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw raising "serious concerns" about the corporation's handling of the February 3 train derailment.
Specifically, Shapiro noted that soon after the crash, "Norfolk Southern personnel separated themselves from the rest of the incident management structure... to conduct separate operational and tactical planning, forcing state and local response agencies to react to tactics that were developed unilaterally and without the combined input of key state agencies."
Shapiro added that the company's "unwillingness to explore or articulate alternate courses of action to their proposed vent and burn [of toxic chemicals] limited state and local leaders' ability to respond effectively."
"Norfolk Southern failed to explore all potential courses of action, including some that may have kept the rail line closed longer but could have resulted in a safer overall approach for first responders, residents, and the environment," Shapiro wrote. "Norfolk Southern's well-known opposition to modernized regulations require further scrutiny and investigation to limit the devastating effects of future accidents."
"While regulation of the railroad industry is largely the purview of our federal partners," Shapiro continued, nodding toward U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, "we plan to take direct action here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania."
"Thank you to the hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country who are standing up and speaking out for our voting rights, fundamental freedoms, and essential services like Social Security and Medicare."
In communities large and small across the United States on Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people collectively took to the streets to make their opposition to President Donald Trump heard.
The people who took part in the organized protests ranged from very young children to the elderly and their message was scrawled on signs of all sizes and colors—many of them angry, some of them funny, but all in line with the "Hands Off" message that brought them together.
"Thank you to the hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country who are standing up and speaking out for our voting rights, fundamental freedoms, and essential services like Social Security and Medicare," said the group Stand Up America as word of the turnout poured in from across the country.
A relatively small, but representative sample of photographs from various demonstrations that took place follows.
Demonstrators gather on Boston Common, cheering and chanting slogans, during the nationwide "Hands Off!" protest against US President Donald Trump and his advisor, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in Boston, Massachusetts on April 5, 2025. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP)
"Everyone involved in this crime against humanity, and everyone who covered it up, would face prosecution in a world that had any shred of dignity left."
A video presented to officials at the United Nations on Friday and first made public Saturday by the New York Times provides more evidence that the recent massacre of Palestinian medics in Gaza did not happen the way Israeli government claimed—the latest in a long line of deception when it comes to violence against civilians that have led to repeated accusations of war crimes.
The video, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), was found on the phone of a paramedic found in a mass grave with a bullet in his head after being killed, along with seven other medics, by Israeli forces on March 23. The eight medics, buried in the shallow grave with the bodies riddled with bullets, were: Mustafa Khafaja, Ezz El-Din Shaat, Saleh Muammar, Refaat Radwan, Muhammad Bahloul, Ashraf Abu Libda, Muhammad Al-Hila, and Raed Al-Sharif. The video reportedly belonged to Radwan. A ninth medic, identified as Asaad Al-Nasasra, who was at the scene of the massacre, which took place near the southern city of Rafah, is still missing.
The PRCS said it presented the video—which refutes the explanation of the killings offered by Israeli officials—to members of the UN Security Council on Friday.
"They were killed in their uniforms. Driving their clearly marked vehicles. Wearing their gloves. On their way to save lives," Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN's humanitarian affairs office in Palestine, said last week after the bodies were discovered. Some of the victims, according to Gaza officials, were found with handcuffs still on them and appeared to have been shot in the head, execution-style.
The Israeli military initially said its soldiers "did not randomly attack" any ambulances, but rather claimed they fired on "terrorists" who approached them in "suspicious vehicles." Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an IDF spokesperson, said the vehicles that the soldiers opened fire on were driving with their lights off and did not have clearance to be in the area. The video evidence directly contradicts the IDF's version of events.
As the Times reports:
The Times obtained the video from a senior diplomat at the United Nations who asked not to be identified to be able to share sensitive information.
The Times verified the location and timing of the video, which was taken in the southern city of Rafah early on March 23. Filmed from what appears to be the front interior of a moving vehicle, it shows a convoy of ambulances and a fire truck, clearly marked, with headlights and flashing lights turned on, driving south on a road to the north of Rafah in the early morning. The first rays of sun can be seen, and birds are chirping.
In an interview with Drop Site News published Friday, the only known paramedic to survive the attack, Munther Abed, explained that he and his colleagues "were directly and deliberately shot at" by the IDF. "The car is clearly marked with 'Palestinian Red Crescent Society 101.' The car's number was clear and the crews' uniform was clear, so why were we directly shot at? That is the question."
The video's release sparked fresh outrage and demands for accountability on Saturday.
"The IDF denied access to the site for days; they sent in diggers to cover up the massacre and intentionally lied about it," said podcast producer Hamza M. Syed in reaction to the new revelations. "The entire leadership of the Israeli army is implicated in this unconscionable war crime. And they must be prosecuted."
"Everyone involved in this crime against humanity, and everyone who covered it up, would face prosecution in a world that had any shred of dignity left," said journalist Ryan Grim of DropSite News.
"They're dismantling our country. They're looting our government. And they think we'll just watch."
In communities across the United States and also overseas, coordinated "Hands Off" protests are taking place far and wide Saturday in the largest public rebuke yet to President Donald Trump and top henchman Elon Musk's assault on the workings of the federal government and their program of economic sabotage that is sacrificing the needs of working families to authoritarianism and the greed of right-wing oligarchs.
Indivisible, one of the key organizing groups behind the day's protests, said millions participated in more than 1,300 individual rallies as they demanded "an end to Trump's authoritarian power grab" and condemning all those aiding and abetting it.
"We expected hundreds of thousands. But at virtually every single event, the crowds eclipsed our estimates," the group said in a statement Saturday evening.
"Hands off our healthcare, hands off our civil rights, hands off our schools, our freedoms, and our democracy."
"This is the largest day of protest since Trump retook office," the group added. "And in many small towns and cities, activists are reporting the biggest protests their communities have ever seen as everyday people send a clear, unmistakable message to Trump and Musk: Hands off our healthcare, hands off our civil rights, hands off our schools, our freedoms, and our democracy."
According to the organizers' call to action:
They're dismantling our country. They’re looting our government. And they think we'll just watch.
On Saturday, April 5th, we rise up with one demand: Hands Off!
This is a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history. Trump, Musk, and their billionaire cronies are orchestrating an all-out assault on our government, our economy, and our basic rights—enabled by Congress every step of the way. They want to strip America for parts—shuttering Social Security offices, firing essential workers, eliminating consumer protections, and gutting Medicaid—all to bankroll their billionaire tax scam.
They're handing over our tax dollars, our public services, and our democracy to the ultra-rich. If we don't fight now, there won’t be anything left to save.
The more than 1,300 "Hands Off!" demonstrations—organized by a large coalition of unions, progressive advocacy groups, and pro-democracy watchdogs—first kicked off Saturday in Europe, followed by East Coast communities in the U.S., and continued throughout the day at various times, depending on location. See here for a list of scheduled "Hands Off" events.
"The United States has a president, not a king," said the progressive advocacy group People's Action, one of the group's involved in the actions, in an email to supporters Saturday morning just as protest events kicked off in hundreds of cities and communities. "Donald Trump has, by every measure, been working to make himself a king. He has become unanswerable to the courts, Congress, and the American people."
In its Saturday evening statement, Indivisible said the actions far exceeded their expectations and should be seen as a turning point in the battle to stop Trump and his minions:
The Trump administration has spent its first 75 days in office trying to overwhelm us, to make us feel powerless, so that we will fall in line, accept the ransacking of our government, the raiding of our social safety net, and the dismantling of our democracy.
And too often, the response from our leaders and those in positions to resist has been abject cowardice. Compliance. Obeying in advance.
But not today. Today we've demonstrated a different path forward. We've modeled the courage and action that we want to see from our leaders, and showed all those who've been standing on the sidelines who share our values that they are not alone.
Citing the Republican president's thirst for "power and greed," People's Action earlier explained why organized pressure must be built and sustained against the administration, especially at the conclusion of a week in which the global economy was spun into disarray by Trump's tariff announcement, his attack on the rule of law continued, and the twice-elected president admitted he was "not joking" about the possibility of seeking a third term, which is barred by the constitution.
"He is destroying the economy with tariffs in order to pay for the tax cuts he wants to push through to enrich himself and his billionaire buddies," warned People's Action. "He has ordered the government to round up innocent people off of the streets and put them in detention centers without due process because they dared to speak out using their First Amendment rights. And he is not close to being done—by his own admission, he is planning to run for a third term, which the Constitution does not allow."
Live stream of Hands Off rally in Washington, D.C.:
Below are photo or video dispatches from demonstrations around the world on Saturday. Check back for updates...
United Kingdom
France
Germany
Belgium:
Massachusetts:
Maine:
Washington, D.C.:
New York:
Minnesota:
Michigan:
Ohio:
Colorado:
Pennsylvania:
North Carolina:
The protest organizers warn that what Trump and Musk are up to "is not just corruption" and "not just mismanagement," but something far more sinister.
"This is a hostile takeover," they said, but vowed to fight back. "This is the moment where we say NO. No more looting, no more stealing, no more billionaires raiding our government while working people struggle to survive."