Patrick Orsagos | Associated Press

Pittsburgh's most storied steel company, U.S. Steel, is on the cusp of being bought by Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel Corp. in a deal that's kicking up an election year political maelstrom.

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy says Norfolk Southern repeatedly tried to interfere with the investigation into the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment and shape its conclusions about what the agency called a flawed decision to blow open five tank cars and burn the vinyl chloride inside.

The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is trying to assure residents forced from their homes by a toxic train derailment in Ohio nearly two weeks ago that testing shows the air and water are now safe.

Hundreds of worried people gathered Wednesday in East Palestine to hear officials say again that testing so far shows the air there is safe, and that air and water monitoring will continue.

Plumes of smoke, questions about dead animals, worries about the drinking water. A train derailment in Ohio and subsequent burning of some of the hazardous chemicals has people asking: how worried should they be?

It's unclear when evacuated residents might be able to return home to the area where officials released and burned toxic chemicals from the wreckage of a derailed train.

Crews in Ohio have released toxic chemicals from five cars of a derailed train near the Pennsylvania state line to reduce the threat of an explosion. Flames and black smoke billowed high into the sky from the derailment site. Norfolk Southern Railway confirmed Monday evening that the cars were draining and that burning was underway as planned.

Authorities in Ohio say they plan to release toxic chemicals from five cars of a derailed train in Ohio at 3:30 p.m. Monday to reduce the threat of an explosion.