The only way I can describe it is like the doors of hell were open.

I mean it was hot and the flames were shooting up an air at least a hundred feet.

Nobody seems to have any idea what's going on. They are all pointing to fingers at somebody else.

It's a pretty frustrating.

What started as a trained arraignment in the village of East Palestino, Ohio,

has escalated into suspicion that the water and air have been poisoned, calls for calm by authorities,

the opening of a state-run health clinic, the announcement of visits from Aaron Brockovich and Donald Trump,

all crescendoing yesterday in what looked a little like a game of chicken.

Did someone want to drink the water?

I'll drink it.

I'll drink it.

As one resident offered the governor and the EPA administrator a drink from her tap.

That's good.

That's really cold coming from there.

Coming up on today explained just how dangerous is the situation in East Palestine.

Support for the show comes from Into the Mix, a Ben and Jerry's podcast about joy and justice produced with Vox Creative.

More than four and a half million people in the US cannot vote because they have a felony conviction.

Season two of Into the Mix is the story of Desmond Meep, who went to prison and then went on to lead the largest expansion of voting rights in Florida since the Voting Rights Act.

Into The Mix Season two is out now.

It's today explained, I'm Newell King, Abigail Boatar, is a reporter and producer at Idea Stream Public Media in Ohio.

East Palestine, where this train derailed, is one of the areas that Abigail covers.

And so she has been all over the story since early February.

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