Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst.

A Republican-led House Committee plans to open an inquiry into the way the EPA has handled

the Norfolk Southern trained railman earlier this month in East Palestine, Ohio.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee says it wants information on the

EPA's role in responding to the incident.

Several cars were carrying toxic chemicals and many residents are reported feeling sick.

Contaminated soil and water is being shipped out of the area.

In a roundtable today, Senator Sherrod Brown says rail safety legislation is paramount

and that he wants it to be pro-worker and pro-safety.

They have not invested in rail safety, box-car safety, engine safety, the way that they should

have.

And that's what will come out of this.

I want to see rail safety legislation pass.

Some of the rail cars were carrying vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen.

The White House is facing a barrage of questions after a published report in the Wall Street

Journal yesterday showed that the coronavirus most likely came from a lab leak in China.

Impares Windsor Johnston reports the Biden administration says there's still no definitive

consensus on how COVID-19 started.

The Wall Street Journal says its report was based on an assessment from the Department

of Energy, which was previously undecided on how the pandemic began.

White House spokesman John Kirby did not confirm the report, stressing that there's still

not enough information to determine the origin.

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