epa"ter: from the "insight newsletter. i plan to ask, because it was announced the cdc will lower blood reference levels for five to 3.5, and i wonder if administrator wheeler can say at all about how you anticipate that change will affect existing standards for lead in soil, for future roles going forward? administrator wheeler: we are using and working with all of our sister departments and agencies, and as the numbers are revised, we are looking at all regulatory programs and advising them accordingly. we will be going forward with the new lead and copper proposal this coming spring, as well as the new lead dust standards for homes by june of next year, taking into account all the changes in numbers as we all work together. it has been a great collaboration among the federal agencies and departments in addressing the lead issue across the board. reporter: david, with bloomberg environment. i was looking over some of the action items in the plan, and i noticed a lot of them were things that were already underway or maybe

epa should be a hitter when it comes to saving the environment. it is not a time for us to sort of wait and spectate and hope things get better. consequences of climate change him and are now upon us and i think it's incumbent upon this administration to get its act together and start working on these things and being a hitter as well. they can't -- this little going to first base after four balls is not going to work when it comes to climate change. we need folks who are going to try to hit for the fences, and so we're going to do that. by law they should be -- we will be out saying to the judges somebody has to be a hitter. we have no time to waste on this. every year that goes by that we have an administration that denies that things are happening and tries to come up with alternative facts, we're just going to get up and be hitters in because it's not just good for 40 million californians, it's good for the entire planet. >> as we wind down here, i want to switch gears just a little bit. you served i think 12 terms in congress and you were a t

in response, our epa region 7 office made st. joseph the focal point of a new led task force, their working closely with the city and local community to increase awareness of the dangers of the day lead-based paint, and as a result the number of children being tested for lead has decreased in recent years and many more families are becoming aware of the dangers and steps to safeguard those children. last week the mayor publicly recognized and thanked epa for its efforts. this is the type of leadership and action we are trying to encourage throughout the country. our efforts also extend outside the federal agencies across party lines. i had a number of meetings and conversations with senator tammy duckworth of illinois introduced several pieces of legislation designed for lead exposure, she's very committed to this issue. we are working with senator duckworth, to address the important issue. as we move forward it is important to remember that the us made tremendous progress reducing lead exposure over the past several decades. by

. >> most of the time it is the e epa. what you would think of as traditional polluters like a water treatment plant you're not putting toxic chemicals to flow into the rivers and streams the army corps of engineer plays the role of the dredging of the wetlands actually look to determine is this federally protected and do you needki a permit if it violates all of that than the justice department is involved. >> so the rule changes is the waters of the united states what does that mean? . >> a lot of people would be surprised to learn 46 yearsn? ago nobody defined the term water so essentially ever since then every administration has to come up with their own definition that has been hotly debated it has gone to the supreme court three different times. >> so what is water? . >> if you think of a watershed like the chesapeake bay that itself everyone would agree that is the water of the us you can boat and swim similarly the potomac river has constantly has water but when you get further upstream you have these debates what

just type epa lead in the box. a statements with from the president saying five years ago isis was a very powerful and dangerous force in the middle east and now the united states has defeated the territorial caliphate. these victories over isis and syria do not signal the end of the globe of -- global coalition for its campaign -- or its campaign. states and our allies stand ready to reengage at all levels to defend american interests whenever necessary and we will continue to work together to deny radical islamist terrorists territory, funding, support and any means of infiltrating our borders. that's from sarah sanders. the congress is in both the house and senate in session today. the house convening at noon eastern for speeches and briefly again at 2:00 p.m. and legislative work at 3:00 p.m. mitch mcconnell will introduce later today a continuing resolution. the senate live on c-span2 and the house is live here at noon on c-span. house speaker paul ryan will deliver his farewell address today at the library of

for his lobbying work, the epa wants us to point out mr. wheeler did not lobby the trump epa while working for murray energy and says he also didn't work on or receive a copy of that murray energy wish list or action plan. drew griffin, cnn atlanta. >>> one more disturbing environmental note, scientists studying sea turtles that live in the atlantic ocean, pacific ocean and mediterranean sea found traces of plastic in the bodies of every single turtle they examined, every one of them. the type is the kind in car tires, cigarettes, fishing nets. the plastic didn't kill the turtle in every case but measurable amounts were picked up in their digestive systems. scientists call it clear evidence that the amount of plastic waste in the oceans is alarmingly high. >>> to california where in the chaos of an incoming wildfire, one family was forced to evacuate without their dogs. you won't believe what they found when they finally return to their burned out home. we're live in the cnn newsroom. ? the-- paying. and what's the best part about getting t

but we did hear back from his staff at epa. they wanted to point out a couple of, i would call them finer points, anderson. number one -- while wheeler was a coal industry lobbyist just last year, his epa staff says he didn't lo lobby the epa last year and he wasn't involved in that murray energy action plan or wish list. the second point they want to make is, yes, andrew wheeler was a proud member of senator inhofe's staff, but andrew wheeler did not write any of those speeches that senator inhofe now somewhat famously gave on the senate floor. two finer points, but to answer your question, no, we don't have an answer from andrew wheeler yet about how it's possible that epa's administrator could have been a coal industry lobbyist. anderson? >> yeah, all right. drew griffin. drew, thanks. we'll continue to follow that. the news continues now. we want to head to chris for "cuomo prime time." chris? >>> thank you, anderson. i am chris caromo and welcome to "prime time." we will soon know more about the mueller probe, and i mean a

the epa came to a similar conclusion. they found that exposure to chlorpyrophos -- the epa suggested banning the use on all food crops, full stop. that ban never happened because donald trump became president. he picked scott pruitt to run the epa, and one of the first things, very first things that scott pruitt did as head of that agency was to kill that ban of the pesticide with the potential to disturb the brains of children. he said there was not enough science to justify a blanket ban despite what the experts at the epa had found before he got there. if the trump administration had not quashed that ban, we would be entering a second year in this country without a drop of that chemical touching our crops. instead, the pesticide hoses are still on, and "the new york times" has done some remarkable reporting on what that looks like for americans on the ground. quote, in may of 2015, rivera was one of the first to feel it, a pesticide drip had been sprayed on a nearby grove of mandarin oranges. there was a strong taste i

the epa came to a similar conclusion. they found that exposure to chlropyorfos had had significant long-term consequences, like declines in learning and memory, especially on people who work on farms where the pesticide is used. so the epa suggested banning the use of chlorpyrofos on all food crops, full stop. but that ban never happened because donald trump became president. he picked scott pruitt to run the epa. and one of the first things, the very first thing scott pruitt did as head of that agency was to kill that ban of that pesticide, with the potential to disturb the brains of children. he said there was not enough science to justify a blanket ban, despite what the experts at the epa had found before he got there. if the trump administration had not quashed that ban, we would be entering our second year in this country without a drop of that chemical touching our crops. instead, the pesticide hoses are still on, and "the new york times" has done some remarkable reporting on what that looks like for americans on th

according to the epa's contingency plan....nearly 14-thousand epa employees would be furloughed under a shutdown. only national security and emergency staff will stay on. (vicki) and today... federal workers will receive their last paycheck until the government re-opens. our washington correspondent jessica smith reports that for these workers -- and the rest of us -- the shutdown is about to get real. it's the last payday for 800- thousand workers caught in the middle of a partial government shutdown. friday's paychecks cover the days before the shutdown began. employees who are furloughed or working without pay don't know when they'll get their next check. office of management and budget director mick mulvaney: about 420-thousand employees are working without pay, including members of the coast guard, some tsa employees and correctional officers. another people have been sent home -- or furloughed.

overnight epa became the latest government department to shutdown. telling its 14,000 employees to shut down. >> it stayed open the first week of the government shut down, but overnight the money ran out and over 800,000 government employeest out of work or reporting to work with no promise of a paycheck. on twitter the president blamed democrats for the shutdown which

at epa we're hired to help the environment. if he wants to madge us as democrats and not civil servants, that's his problem and i hope congress can step up and be the adult in their room. >> and republicans leaving without fulfilling the campaign promise. >> and president trump, we derss demands. but is there any ininto who he may be talking to? >> reporter: no indication so far this morning the president has had discussions with any democrats about a potential solution to the shutdown. he was joined by vice president pence. his incoming acting chief of staff nick mulvaney and not traveling to mar lo-a-lago withs wife. our sources say the president is sting around it capitol until the government reopens. and there's really no ground between these two sides. mulvaney essentially told us he believed all the cards were in nancy pelosi's hands. he's trying to make the argument that she wants this shutdown to secure the votes she needs to be speaker of the house. according to our sources she had the votes well before the shutdown. o

but that was a year ago and still no action from the epa. so atkins and the other mothers planned to sue the epa next month. >> i continue to fight for the ban. i continue to speak out. and we've banded together and we're going to continue to be together until our voices are heard and until this is off the shelf. >> reporter: the environmental defense funds richard denison said those deaths were avoidable and the epa must do more. >> it can't cut corners. it can't start creating loopholes that allow the industry to escape the intent of this rule, which is to ban these uses and protect consumers as well as workers. we are concerned that one corner they might cut is to try to exempt from this ban commercial uses of these chemicals. >> reporter: but some aren't waiting for the government to act. in january, we showed you how scientists at the university of massachusetts toxic use reduction institute developed an alternative they say is safer and works just as well. research manager greg morose showed us on a test board painted with several coat

trump and democrats lay blame, more federal workers wonder when the next time they'll get paid. 14,000 epa employees joining those already furloughed. nearly a half million other federal employees are working, just aren't getting paid. president trump is digging in his heels and eupping the ante f the democrats don't fully fund his border wall. boris sanchez joins me from the white house where president trump will remain until the new year. boris, the president just tweeted on the whole shutdown. what did he say? >> reporter: that's right, martin, we were waiting for it, anticipating the tweets that come when he is here at the white house alone. as you know, the president deciding to spend the holiday here not with his family, the first lady melania is in palm beach for new year's eve. the president tweeted a few moments ago about the shutdown. he writes, quote, i am in the white house waiting for the democrats to come on over and make a deal on border security. from what i hear, they're spending so much time on presidential harassment that they have little time left for things like stoppi

below epa standards. the portable air purifier costs £75 and its noise level is marketed at less than 30 decibels, also known as whisper quiet. so it could double up as white noise to help you sleep. now that this has been taken care of, it's time to look at surfaces, and for that i have the cleansebot. at first glance it's not immediately obvious how this works, but let me show you. it doesn't seem to know exactly where it's mapping, but i'm quite impressed by its ability to not fall off the bed. it has got about 18 sensors, so it makes sense. and interestingly, when it went underneath covers, the uv lights at the top turned on, so it knows exactly when it is in an open space and when it is covered, so it is quite clever.

but we spoke to the company behind this and they said it produces very small amounts, well below epa standards. the portable air purifier costs £75 and its noise level is marketed at less than 30 decibels, also known as whisper quiet. so it could double up as white noise to help you sleep. now that this has been taken care of, it's time to look at surfaces,

with the obama administration they were trying to dramatically expand the definition of what the epa and the army corps could regulate."the epa says the proposal would also reduce permitting fees and barriers to economic development for farmers and developers.but environmentalist worry the change could increase water pollution.a number of concerned environmental are referring to this as the the dirty water rule.melanie benesh with the environmental working group believes the saftey of recreational areas as well as drinking water is at stake.she says removing federal protections would have a negative impact on communities. what that does is put a bigger burden on the state and a bigger burden on the local communities that have to clean up that water. the public can also weigh in on the debate over federallly protected waterways.the epa will have a 60 day public comment period about the proposed change.in washington brie jackson. ( darya ) still to come on the kron4 morning news... the latest on a tesla model-s that caught fire not once, but twice in the south bay. deal talk! my new $4

loreen targos is a local steward in a public sector union and a physical scientist with the epa, which shut down at midnight tonight. she, like other epa employees, received this email referring employees to the office of personnel management for additional guidance.the o-p-m thursday tweeting suggestions for workers to send to creditors, landlords, and banks if they can't make payment on time, like trading painting and carpentry work for rent payments.loreen targos, federal employee: "that's absolutely unrealistic. federal workers are going to be penalized for not paying their bills on time when we just want to go back to work and do the jobs we were hired to do."thursday the president tweeting -- without evidence -- that most federal employees are democrats,but workers say their politics shouldn't even matter.loreen targos, federal employee:"we are civil servants, we are hired to do our work at the epa, workers are hired to protect human health and the environment. and if he wants to imagine that we are democrats instead of us being human beings and civil servants, that's his problem

with the obama administration they were trying to dramatically expand the definition of what the epa and the army corps could regulate."the epa says the proposal would also reduce permitting fees and barriers to economic development for farmers and developers.but environmentalist worry the change could increase water pollution.a number of concerned environmental are referring to this as the the dirty water rule.melanie benesh with the environmental working group believes the saftey of recreational areas as well as drinking water is at stake.she says removing federal protections would have a negative impact on communities. what that does is put a bigger burden on the state and a bigger burden on the local communities that have to clean up that water. the public can also weigh in on the debate over protected waterways.the epa will have a 60 day public comment period about the proposed change.in washington brie jackson. (vicki) ahead at nine... cannabis is now being regulated more than ever... now that it's legal in the golden state... so from edibles to marijuana infused oils to your s

loreen targos is a local steward in a public sector union and a physical scientist with the epa, which shut down at midnight tonight. she, like other epa employees, received this email referring employees to the office of personnel management for additional guidance.the o-p-m thursday tweeting suggestions for workers to send to creditors, landlords, and banks if they can't make payment on time, like trading painting and carpentry work for rent payments.loreen targos, federal employee: "that's absolutely unrealistic. federal workers are going to be penalized for not paying their bills on time when we just want to go back to work and do the jobs we were hired to do."thursday the president tweeting -- without evidence -- that most federal employees are democrats,but workers say their politics shouldn't even matter.loreen targos, federal employee:"we are civil servants, we are hired to do our work at the epa, workers are hired to protect human health and the environment. and if he wants to imagine that we are democrats instead of us being human beings and civil servants, that's his problem

. >>> the epa wants to ease carbon emissions rules for new coal-fired power plants. the proposal would scrap a provision that requires plans -- plant to capture carbon and store it underground. the epa said the point is to remove excessive burdens on the energy industry but the move is largely symbolic right now because there are currently no plans to build any new coal plants as forth -- call plant in the u.s. >>> a final farewell today for george h.w. bush. he has that -- he has now been laid to rest. allen martin is here with a look at today's ceremonies. >> reporter: tens of thousands of people stood along the railroad tracks and waved american flags these -- as the train carrying george h.w. bush moved to root the countryside. >> it was heart pounding when they came through. it was exciting. >> reporter: these young air force cadets were among the first to see the locomotive. >> i was not expecting to see the casket. >> reporter: members of the family, were on board. >> just seeing him -- testing his family was great. great. -- just seeing his family was great.

epa can only ask the company for data or require testining if epa can prove that there is a potential risk. and that's hard to do without access to the company's data in the first place. >> the burden of proof has to shift. it has to be on the companies, not on the government. the companies are making the profit, and theare government simply doesn't have the resources. >> the decisions a about chemics are made almost entirely on the basis of their functionality for a manufacturer. >> in realitity, we become the guinea pigs in the marketplace. >>>> safety only y comes into py if people like us have made a stink about it. >> the chemical industry, scientists, and environmentalists all agree that changege is needed. but efforts at reforming legislation are currently stalled between the chemical industry's push for profit and safety advocates' drive to protect the public from harm. with federal toxic law broken and no improved law likely coming soon, action on chemical safety on the state level has taken the spotlight. in 2013, 29 states introduced policies to reduce exexposure to toxic c

golf course owners, including president trump, are set to benefit from the epa changes. the epa has been working toward a replacement of clean water regulations since the president took office. >>> this morning, lots of questions still remain over a video showing police arresting a mother and ripping her child from her arms at a government office. nbc's stephanie gosk has more. >> you're hurting my son! >> reporter: the mother's screams filled theocial pull ja hendley's 1-year-old son out of her arms. the more aggressive they became. >> there was nowhere to sit so the lady, she sat on the officers asked her to leave, but she refused and created a disturbance. e not show what took place before the confrontation turned physical. hendley now faces four criminal charges including resisting arrest and endangering a child. while she remains in jail held on a separate arrest warrant shuffed in new jersey, her son is with his grandmother. >> i honestly want them fired. >> reporter: the violent struggle clearly striking a nerve. >> we're better than this. and this is a blemish on

loreen targos is a local steward in a public sector union and a physical scientist with the epa, which shut down at midnight tonight. she, like other epa employees, received this email referring employees to the office of personnel management for additional guidance.the o-p-m thursday tweeting suggestions for workers to send to creditors, landlords, and banks if they can't make payment on time, like trading painting and carpentry work for rent payments.loreen targos, federal employee: "that's absolutely unrealistic. federal workers are going to be penalized for not paying their bills on time when we just want to go back to work and do the jobs we were hired to do."thursday the president tweeting -- without evidence -- that most federal employees are democrats,but workers say their politics shouldn't even matter.loreen targos, federal employee:"we are civil servants, we are hired to do our work at the epa, workers are hired to protect human health and the environment. and if he wants to imagine that we are democrats instead of us being human beings and civil servants, that's his problem

the way this works under the obama administration was that the epa regulated these smaller bodies of water, these streams and these wetlands. and they said essentially certain crops or pesticides could not be used near these streams and wetlands. this was a way to keep pesticides and other pollutants out of those waterways. now, as i said, in just a couple hours from now, the trump administration will loosen those regulations, and those rules will no longer be in place. of course, environmentalists are saying, look, this will impact things like drinking water. however, the argument on the other side, namely from the trump administration, is this was an example of federal government taking way too much control over land that belonged to farmers and farmers had to essentially run it by the epa if they wanted to plant things or plant certain crops on their own land. but again, this is a controversial move, and we expect to hear lots of pushback, especially from environmentalists after this announcement is made in just a couple hours from now. >> fertilizers are a big pollutant. they end

golf course owners, including presidt trump, are set t benefit from the epa changes. the epa has been working toward aemreplt of clean water regulations since the president took office. >>> this morning, lots of questions still remain over a video showing police arresting a mother andipping her child from her arms at a government office. nbc's stephanie gosk has more. >> you're hurting my son! >> reporter: the mother's f screamilled the social services office in brooklyn. multiple new york city police office tried to pull jasmine hendley's 1-year-old son out of he arms. the more aggressive they became, the more shocked the crowd grew. >> my god!t look w they're doing to her. >> reporter: witness it all started because the office was crowded. >> there was s nowhere to sito the lady, she sat on the floo r edorter: the nypd says officers a her to leave, but she refused and created a disturbance. the video posted online does not show what took place before the confrontation turned physical. hendley now faces four criminal charges including resisting arrest and endanging a

." >> getting you up to speed on what's happening in the world this morning. 14,000 epa employees are joining the already long lines of government workers who have been told to stay home. >> overnight, the environmental protection agency closed its doors, the latest department to shutter as the government shuts down, enters an eighth day. more agencies, more government services are expected to run out of funds as weeks go on, adding to the growing number of federal workers fearing for their financial futures. there are concerns the shutdown could stretch into the new year. that's the expectation. neither the senate nor the house are expected to vote on any type of funding until thursday when democrats take control of the house. >> despite claims that he would shutdown the government and own it, president trump is putting the blame it seems on the democrats, threatening to close the southern border with mexico if they don't fund the border wall. cnn white house correspondent boris sanchez is with us now. boris, i know math changes for the president when pelosi and the democrats take ba

shut it down, if it is his shutdown, we're talking about extended vacation for nasa workers and the epa. that's about -- i mean there's not much more than that. less than 10% of the government that would not be funded. kennedy: i know you have written very tightly worded legislation abolishing entire departments of the federal government. is there any way if we have a shutdown like this you and your colleagues can write something that says that instead of, you know, taking a little bit from here and a little bit from there and, you know, government workers get a little time off, they will get paid eventually, can we just abolish the department of commerce? >> we could start there. i would like to get rid of the department of education. >> that was your bill. i think it should have passed >> you know, the deadline is december 31st, 2018 for it to shut down in my legislation. look, even that is already funded. even in the shutdown, if it were to happen, the department of education would be funded. that's what nobody is talking about. to be very serious, the president is in a very good pos

. >>> plus acting epa administrator today rolling back rules on the poll industry. this is the same andrew wheeler who used to lobby for the coal industry. that story, ahead. - [narrator] the typical vacuum head has its limitations, so shark invented duo clean. while deep cleaning carpets, the added soft brush roll picks up large particles, gives floors a polished look, and fearlessly devours piles. duo clean technology, corded and cord-free. and fearlessly devours piles. up here at the dewar's distillery, all our whiskies are aged, blended and aged again. it's the reason our whisky is so extraordinarily smooth. dewar's. double aged for extra smoothness. so lionel, what does 24/5 mean to you?rade well, it means i can trade after the market closes. it's true. so all... evening long. ooh, so close. yes, but also all... night through its entirety. come on, all... the time from sunset to sunrise. right. but you can trade... from, from... from darkness to light. ♪ you're not gonna say it are you? >>> breaking news, north carolina's ninth congressional district race roc

oh, we have to change the epa and get it going. but if it doesn't have an adequate budget, if it doesn't have adequate authority, what kind of quality of staff are going to stay there? it goes back to congress. 535 people. amy: ralph, your book "to the is subtitled "how bush and obama paved the way for the trump presidency and why it isn't too late to reverse course." >> donald trump wanted to be president in his 30's. he is very ambitious. very, very egocentric. so he is sitting here watching a lot of tv and he sees all of the trouble clinton got into with infidelity, mistreated and women, covering up and even been convicted of perjury in a court case, losing his law license and arkansas and donald trump says, oh, i see him at like that is one more barrier that falls that he can get away with. then he is watching george w. bush driving health and safety regulation to ground, coddling wall street, wars of aggression, sort of a presidency of immense concentrated power regardless of the constitution or other legal restraints will ste

you have, with epa. you have interior department. you have it at the commerce department. you have it at h.u.d. he has brought the swamp to washington, and flooded the plains and i think mueller will deal with trump. >> and he's begun to turn over his cards. >> that's right. you don't have to go and lead mueller. you need mueller to lead. you have an entire government that is not on its game, protecting the american people. the house should focus there. now, and that -- >> what about the things that people voted on, the things you mentioned earlier on healthcare and these other issues in >> david, look at what they're doing to the epa and the environment. if you wanted to communicate to urban and suburban voters the relationship and the literally cahoots between both the polluters and the departments, people that came out of these very polluters are writing the laws to ease up on them. to me, i would just go into the interior department and the epa and literally watch wholesale what people believe happens in republican administrations and that, to me, is worthy of oversigh

recorders laureen is a physical scientist with the epa which shut down friday at midnight. she like other epa employees received this e-mail referring employees to the office of personnel management for additional guidance. the opm thursday tweeting suggestions for workers to send to creditors, landlords, and banks if they can't make their payments on time, like trading maintenance work for rent payments. >> that's absolutely unrealistic. federal workers will be penalized for not paying their bills on time when we just want to go back to work and do the jobs we were hired to do. >> reporter: thursday the president tweeting without evidence that most federal employees are democrats. workers say their politics shouldn't even matter. >> we are civil servants. we are hired to do our work at the epa, workers are hired to protect human health and the environment. if he wants to imagine that we are democrats instead of us being human beings and civil servants, that's his problem, and i hope congress steps up and is able to be the adult in the room. >> one thing to add, that tweet

epa administrator scott pruitt was forced to quit his job in the cabinet. his sudden departure might have also had something to do with the fact that he like ryan zinke was being scrutinized not just by ethics investigators but by federal prosecutors with the justice department who were looking into whether pruitt broke laws while he say running the epa. cnn reports that that doj investigation into pruitt, the criminal one, it conveniently stalled once scott pruitt up and quit. that's maybe an important precedent if you're ryan zinke, right? he seemed to have taken a page out of scott pruitt's handbook. but maybe this is the rule. you quit before the criminal inquiry actually grabs crow, get out of town, hope the whole thing fizzles before you're gone. that does it for us tonight. we will see you again tomorrow. now it's time for the "last word" with lawrence o'donnell. >> and you know who else quit when the investigation pressure became too tough? president richard nixon. so there is a presidential model of quitting when the investigation stuff gets too to

if i do something at epa it's -- if i do something at epa, it's going to matter to doe, it will matter to hhs. all of the alphabet soup things need to go away we are doing -- when we are dealing with people's lives. they don't just want a job. they prefer to breathe. you know? and we need to stop thinking that these are dynamic problems that can't be reconciled. and start talking about what people need, not what our bureaucracy needs. and that means we have to get out of our own little closets. >> absolutely. and one of the exciting things about the bloomberg initiative is, it is talking about the future and how we think about cities, how we think about communities, and the built environment not in these narrow , lanes. but inclusively, using tools like health impact assessment which you have pushed. and that allows us to get public health at the table. >> it sure does. i think the exciting thing is you have all of these reports that told us that we have real challenges, and we have to act fast on climate change. but the interesting thing was that each and every one of them ended up by

caller: i think it is ludicrous that they would water down the epa. i live in the bay area. to they are releasing into the bay? will they be able to release more under this watered down resolution? guest: any bay or ocean will still be protected under this, what we call a traditionally navigable waterway. those waterways have been covered since the 1890's. that will not change under the trump administration. host: let's go to thomas, who is calling from illinois on independent line. thomas, good morning. caller: good morning. host: did i get that right, is it no-- --ler: it is host: wow. a completely different place. go ahead. caller: i am american indian, and i am 80 years old, and i have seen, experience, and watched as foreigners that have invaded our country from centuries ago, raped the land, raped thewater, people, and all they care about is their dad gum money. people,e european people who still have the european attitude that they can take anything they want or they can do anything they want, because they have the money, they hassled the rest of us, and problem that

a coal industry lobbyist just last year, his epa staff says he didn't lo lobby the epa last year and he wasn't involved in that murray energy action plan or wish list. the second point they want to make is, yes, andrew wheeler was a proud member of senator inhofe's staff, but andrew wheeler did not write any of those speeches that senator inhofe now somewhat famously gave on the senate floor. two finer points, but to answer your question, no, we don't have an answer from andrew wheeler yet about how it's possible that epa's administrator could have been a coal industry lobbyist. anderson? >> yeah, all right. drew griffin. drew, thanks. we'll continue to follow that. the news continues now. we want to head to chris for "cuomo prime time." chris? >>> thank you, anderson. i am chris caromo and welcome to "prime time." we will soon know more about the mueller probe, and i mean as in starting tomorrow. we're going to learn who's been helpful to the special counsel, who's been lying. there is a pattern to the filings by mueller, and we're going to show it to you and show you why it suggest

essentially the epa says the current formula is too costly. they say the dramatic change first supported in the "new york times" could do irreparable harm to public safety. >>> people have died after a massive storm. where is this storm headed next? we'll talk you live to the cnn weather center. ♪ looking to lose weight this year? try fda-approved alli®. for every 5 lbs you lose, alli® can help you lose two to three more by preventing about 25% of the fat you eat from being absorbed. for the only fda-approved otc weight loss aid, try alli®. so we improved everything. we used 50% fewer ingredients added one handed pumps and beat the top safety standards the new johnson's® choose gentle >>> well, this massive winter storm we've been watching, there are at looersz six who have died because of the. minnesota got about a foot of snow and partser of the southeast got about a foot of rain. >> live from the cnn weather center. how much longer is it going to last? >> unfortunately rain chances through the rest of the year, especially into the sou

at epa we had laws and we had our lanes. we did not stay in lanes. you reached out. >> no.>> whether it was energy or working with the other department. [laughter] >> no one will hire me. for crying out loud! no, i think the value of a bureaucracy is they had the focus in certain areas. but the best thing about a bureaucracy is actually the work together. because everything matters. if i do something at epa it's going to matter to doa, it will matter to hhs. all of the alphabet soup things need to go away we are doing with peoples lives. they don't just want a job they prefer to breathe. you know? and we need to stop thinking that these are dynamic problems that can't be reconciled. and start talking about what people need, not with the bureaucracy needs. and that means you have to get rid of our own little closets. >> absolutely.in one of the exciting things about the bloomberg initiative is, it is talking about the future and how we think about cities, communities. not in these narrow lanes. but inclusively, using tools like health impact assessmen

. >> reporter: lawyuren is a loca steward with the epa that shut down friday at midnight. she like other employees received this e-mail. the opm thursday tweeting suggestions for workers to send to creditors, landlords and banks if they can't make their payment on time, like trading maintenance work for rent payments. >> federal workers are going to be penalized for not paying their bills on time when we want to go back to the jobs we were hired to do. >> reporter: the president tweeting most workers are democrats but they're saying it shouldn't matter. >> we're hired to protect human health and the environment. if he wants to imagine that we are democrats instead of us being human beings and civil servants, that's his problem and i hope congress is able to step up and be the adult in the room. >> it's important because as we have this conversation about who's responsible, the money for the wall, if it's a wall or a fence and all of that, we have to remember this is about people who are not getting paid. we want to talk about one person right now. lila johnson, her bills a

. >> ryan zinke kind of lived in the shadow of shadow of former epa administrator scott pruitt and so many stories about pruitt and the scandals he was involved in. what is interesting about both of these figures they were effective if what they did with actual policy. they did unburdesome regulation and zinke leased out private coal companies to public lands. environmentalists are not happy with him about that. with him using agency resources for personal gain and let the investigation on decide whether he actually violated federal law, but, you know, with democrats taking control of the house, the trump administration probably saw what was on the horizon and didn't like what they saw. i guess to julian's point with the subpoena power, you know, that is going to be probably pretty powerful in the next two years. >> right, right. the president did -- look. the president has a couple of notches that he can brag about. tax reform, of course, they have gotten done. last night, he talked about the fact that infrastructure bill is coming soon and that criminal justice reform, he believes,

. $12.5 billion, the department of labor, interior, transportation and the epa, those are some big numbers. >> they are. it is important to think about, this is a result of the president's pledge when he took office to eliminate two regulations for every new one they issue and offset the cost of new regulations. that led agencies to dramatically reduce the flow of new regulations. it is important to distinguish the stock of regulations. >> what do you see when democrats take control of the house? >> that will change things. we are going to see much more oversight than regulatory agencies seen during the last two years. but also getting rid of existing regulations is what the agencies are doing now and that takes more work than slowing down the pace of new regulations would you actually have to write a rule to get rid of a rule so agencies are starting hard work developing the record, doing the analysis, getting public comment before they can issue something. jillian: the regulations from president obama and donald trump, significantly different numbers. looking at the 1800 for donald trump