Exactly one month ago Sunday, at least 10,000 gallons of MCHM and a secondary chemical spilled into the Elk River near Charleston, West Virginia. 300,000 residents were banned from drinking or even showering in the water, some for over a week. (Watch our January 19 discussion on the crisis here.)
Even now, public concerns about the water quality resulted in school closures, and there is still no official word on the status of the water. About one week ago in North Carolina, 82,000 tons of coal ash mixed with 27 million gallons of contaminated water leaked into the Dan River near Eden, North Carolina. The 25 miles affected by the spill stretches into Southern Virginia. Residents in the affected areas are still waiting for conclusive tests on their water. There are major questions surrounding both spills, and we’ll explore them this Sunday morning on Melissa Harris-Perry.
Also, we'll look into new developments in New Jersey, where the state is now letting some of those previously rejected for Sandy aid reapply. This comes after a new report showing that thousands of people who applied for Sandy aid were wrongfully rejected. Nearly 80% of individuals who appealed their rejections were found to be eligible for aid.we’re breaking down the Sandy funding issues and a new plan by Democrats to exploit the Christie scandal for their own benefit.
The screaming headlines this week that the Affordable Care Act would cost 2.5 million Americans their jobs? Not true at all. The data from the Congressional Budget Office actually shows that 2.5 million Americans will no longer be tied to their jobs out of fear of losing their healthcare. And speaking of healthcare, did you hear about the AOL CEO who first blamed Obamacare for the change in his company’s 401(k) policies, then blamed the cost of two "distressed babies"? We'll dig into that Sunday morning as well.
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday at 10:30 a.m. EST -- again, delayed by the Olympics -- on MSNBC! Also, don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.