Previously on The West Wing:
You got a four-point bump. Vinick only got two.
When we're talking about education, we talk about our most precious resource.
Matt Santos is a lot smarter and tougher than you think.
We gotta take it to him.
We gotta put Santos in a jam.
Kazakhstan isn't China's only oil source.
The Kazakh people are rioting because they've been screwed out of an election.
Worst case, two nuclear powers are positioning themselves to engage...
...in an armed conflict over oil.
Did the Chinese invade?
- Kazakhstan is stable. - What is it?
- A nuclear accident. - A weapon?
- A power plant. - Is it Russia?
San Andreo, California.
They think it might blow up.
- What do we know? - Seventeen minutes ago at 6:02...
...emergency sirens went off at the nuclear station...
...in San Andreo, California.
The main feedwater pump failed.
Everything proceeded as expected.
A relief valve opened to let the water escape...
- It shut itself down? - But now a valve's malfunctioning.
Coolant's stopped flowing into the reactor's core.
If they can't get coolant into the core...
The uranium fuel rods become exposed, which makes them combustible.
We could be looking at a full-scale meltdown.
- Full-scale as in... - FEMA thinks...
...the plume could cover all of San Andreo, population 42,000.
Federal response teams are on the way.
- Any word on the cause? - Could be human error, a design flaw...
Not likely terrorists would sneak in and jam a valve.
- We're re-checking all the intel. - Has the public been notified?
No, but when they shut down the reactor...
...a steam release sounded like a Concorde landing...
...and CNN's already running rumors of an explosion.
I want the FEMA director...
...and the chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in here.
Get CNN to stop running rumors. I'll make a statement in 15.
You don't want to notify the public till there's a plan.
There could be widespread panic.
We better get a plan. I'm making a statement in 15 minutes.
Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. President.
Yes, we worry. We have two young children.
But censorship's like saying I can't have a steak...
...because a baby can't chew it. Let's be careful.
- Yeah? - He's good tonight.
As long as he keeps pivoting to the issues.
You told Rolling Stone you like Bob Dylan.
Which is your favorite album?
My favorite Bob Dylan album...
I guess I should say Highway 61 Revisited...
...and then we can just ease into transportation policy.
But really it's Blonde on Blonde.
Believe me, there are no policy implications to that.
- Did he just imply...? - Jay Leno's gonna have a field day.
No big issues captivated the voters.
Surprised it's come down to geezer-rock trivia?
Yes, it was a positive experience.
No, I wouldn't recommend it to others.
- Wrap it up. - What?
There was a nuclear accident in California.
Get to a television, laptop. Get any details you can.
Santos is doing that Rock the Vote event in Tampa.
Probably pandering like mad to a bunch of preteens.
Better be some post-teens, you're sending me there tomorrow.
I'm sending you because you talk like a president...
...not some latter-day Mick-Jagger-in-chief. Yeah, Bruno.
I can tell them about my psychedelic phase...
...when I wore brown socks on the Senate floor.
Call me the second you get confirmation.
Confirmation on what?
A problem with a nuclear plant in California. San Andreo.
Might be an explosion.
San Andreo.
- It's near San Diego. - Yeah, I know where it is.
What?
I pushed the licensing commission...
...to get San Andreo up and running 25 years ago.
Pushed?
I helped get that plant online.
No one knows what's happened at the San Andreo nuclear plant.
We're waiting for confirmation of some kind of nuclear accident...
The Office of Cabinet Affairs.
Make sure I have an open line to the director.
Yeah, it's an emergency.
We've received numerous reports of a loud explosion...
... as well as reports of Arab tourists...
... seen near the facility in the last two days.
How can they run rumors?
Only thing certain in cases like this, first reports are wrong.
How we handle this will determine whether there's panic...
...within a hundred miles of every nuclear plant in this country.
We don't get a second chance to make a first impression. Harry?
The coolant in the reactor's dropped, exposing the fuel rods.
How can we get cool water in there?
They're running a temporary feed line while they figure out what's wrong.
- In the meantime? - They're activating an emergency pump.
They hope it'll lower temperatures enough to prevent meltdown.
There's a second problem.
Yes, another valve is stuck open.
With temperatures rising, radioactive steam is being generated...
...pouring into the containment building.
We worried about a radiation leak?
They might have to pump radioactive gases...
...into an auxiliary building not built to hold them.
- One poorly-welded seam... - How much radiation we talking?
It's unclear, but Cal Vista Gas and Electric...
They run the San Andreo plant.
Yes, they believe any leak would pose little or no threat to the public health.
- Without knowing how big it might be. - It's chaos.
I couldn't get them on the phone.
I want the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to take command.
- And I want to evacuate the area. - It's a state and local matter.
- Get the governor of California. - Yes, sir.
Governor Tillman wants to wait until we're sure it's necessary.
He'll argue that a rash, nighttime evacuation could be worse.
- Governor's on the line. - Thank you.
Gabe, you have to evacuate San Andreo.
We're all working off sketchy information.
Because trust me on this...
...we'd rather have a few fender-benders on the l-5...
...than a generation of babies with thyroid cancer.
My FEMA director is here.
He'll coordinate with your emergency services...
...and I'm going to declare a major federal disaster.
You're gonna have every federal resource you need.
We're gonna get through this.
With all the levels of government involved in this...
...now's a good time to designate a czar.
- A single point-person to oversee... - You're looking at him.
We talked to the Senate office.
They're reaching out to the governor's office.
Hundreds of press requests.
Issue a statement supporting the governor's evacuation.
Call for an investigation. This has to be a regulatory failure.
We wanna be careful, though. The Senator is pro-nuclear.
- He said it in the first debate. - We have to act defensively.
DNC's gotta know he lobbied to get that plant open.
Defensive but not destructive. What, you want...?
Jamie and your grandkids are in San Diego?
Phone lines are jammed there.
Cell phones, everything.
Put out a statement supporting the governor.
- President wants to make a statement. - Saying what?
Whatever we figure out in a few minutes.
You wouldn't believe the rumors...
...that there's a fire near the reactor. - Not exactly.
That we're shutting down every nuclear plant.
Not the dumbest of ideas. The press are gonna talk to everybody.
They're gonna speculate. Grab hold of the information flow.
- I have no info. - Welcome to the club. Start with that.
What are the odds this leads to meltdown?
A meltdown isn't when one thing goes wrong. It's when 12 things do.
There must be 6 million people within a hundred miles of that plant.
FEMA recommends we evacuate 15 down, six and nine around.
- That'll cover all of San Andreo. - Fifteen down?
Fifteen miles between six and nine, like a clock.
But emergency services wants to do 10 down...
...six and nine around, the legal minimum.
If they're fine with 10 miles, the governor and I'll be setting up...
...a command post at 10. 1 miles from the plant.
We'd like them to join us. The press ready for my statement?
- Readier than we are. - Not like we have much.
Sounds like they're more comfortable with 15 miles.
Good evening.
Thirty-two minutes ago, there was a mechanical problem...
...at the nuclear station at San Andreo, California...
...which is causing the reactor's core to overheat.
There's been no explosion.
There's no indication of terrorism or foul play.
Engineers are working to address the problem now.
Governor Tillman has begun an evacuation...
...and I'm declaring a major federal disaster...
...and dispatching every possible resource.
We don't have all the facts. You will have them as soon as we do.
But every level of government is working together on this.
No matter what happens, we're going to handle it.
So, what they're doing is bypassing the broken valve...
... running a new pipeline to get cool water into that reactor.
Federal officials believe they can avoid the worst, but I can tell you...
I don't understand why they put a plant so close to a population center.
They all are. Otherwise they lose too much power in transmission.
- So the whole idea's kind of crazy. - Kind of.
You should give a big speech on that. Put out a new energy plan.
Vinick's plan glows in the dark.
Vinick's for nuclear power. You've fought against it.
Get every environmental group for a press conference.
Skip Oregon. Campaign along the evacuation route, give out bottled water.
Can I talk to you?
Let me know when they get the pipeline to the core.
- Where's Leo? - He's on a charter to Ohio.
He's gonna call in when he lands.
Cool it on the political chatter. I don't want rallies on the Hindenburg.
I'm gonna cancel tomorrow. We can't be exploiting this.
- Yeah. - And I don't think we're gonna have to.
You're anti-nuclear, Vinick's got a long history.
This is all upside for us.
I say we go completely dark.
Let the press go after Vinick so they can't accuse us of playing politics.
- I'm fine doing nothing on this issue. - I mean nothing on any issue.
No speeches, no press releases. We just...
...stay right here.
See which way the wind blows.
And what's blowing in it.
Have we cooled down the reactor's core?
The pump hasn't had much impact.
We're talking 700 degrees in there.
Hang on. We've got a temporary coolant line to the core.
I don't see anyone popping champagne corks.
I thought if we got a line in there, we avoid a meltdown.
Steam is still gushing into the containment building.
They had to start pumping it into the auxiliary building.
- Which wasn't designed to hold it. - No, it can accommodate...
...up to 50 pounds psi. It's now at 34 psi and rising.
The coolant won't be enough, and the fuel rods give off hydrogen gas.
Which is extremely explosive.
If we get near maximum levels...
The containment building might withstand that blast.
The auxiliary building cannot.
- So? - Unless we fix the valves soon...
...we have to vent radioactive gas to relieve the pressure.
- How many people still in San Andreo? - About 30,000.
I don't want to release any radiation until everyone's evacuated.
- What's the alternative? - An explosion that spreads radiation...
...over Southern California, maybe parts of Arizona and Nevada, sir.
How much would we have to vent?
It would be within parameters for an acceptable dosage.
It's Santa Ana season in Southern California.
Could be good if winds stay consistent. Radiation could drift out over the ocean.
How do we speed up the evacuation?
Tell people we're about to spill radiation into the air.
Good chance that'll speed them up.
How much time before we reach 50 psi?
Maybe an hour.
Who would give the order?
We've taken charge of the plant. That would be you.
DOE, EPA, NOAA. Okay, let's get started.
I wanted all the agency spokespeople in one place so we could...
- Yes, Blieden? - You got an update for us?
Radioactive steam's been spilling so much...
...they've had to pump it into another building.
The building can hold 50 pounds of pressure.
It's now at 38.
We may have to vent radiation into the atmosphere to avoid a big bang.
Guys, guys, I don't have time to do this by Socratic method.
Each of your agencies is going to be involved in this...
...but no one, not a single one of you, is going to talk to the press.
- No one. - I've got a call list 10 pages long.
I assure you, they've called my office too. There'll be one briefer: Me.
What if it's the administration's fault? We can't withhold information.
We won't be. We're trying to maintain calm, like we know what we're doing.
So there'll be one voice, the dulcet tones of Will Bailey.
- Souvenir programs in the lobby. - What about political questions?
Vinick's the pro-nuke guy in...
There'll be one briefer, and I won't answer political questions.
- Will. Will. - Guys.
It's morning in Kazakhstan. The polls open in two hours.
- Busy night for you. - It's always morning somewhere.
We have election monitors?
Through the OSCE.
China needs to see this is a genuine democracy...
...not some Russian puppet-government out to screw them.
China's got troops along the border.
If they think it's a phony election to protect a Russian-installed incumbent...
They cross the border, so does Russia, we have a war.
I'll have regular updates for you.
So we're at 46 psi?
We don't have much time to relieve the pressure.
- Where are we in the evacuation? - Maybe a third of the people are out.
At least 700,000 are pouring onto freeways.
- Seven hundred thousand? - That's conservative.
There aren't enough buses and vans to take at-risk populations.
Seniors, people with disabilities.
The governor wants to activate military support from Camp Pendleton.
So ordered.
Do we have a direct line to the control room?
The superintendent is on now.
We've got helicopters overhead...
...to make sure we're within the acceptable dosage.
- Which is? - Five hundred millirems.
Any way to wait for support from Camp Pendleton?
I don't like the idea of the elderly and disabled taking the brunt of this.
The longer we wait, the more chance of an explosion...
...and radiation shooting into the atmosphere.
- Vent it now. - Open the stack.
Opening auxiliary stack.
What do we mean by "acceptable dosage," anyway?
It's the amount the body can safely absorb through direct exposure.
But radiation also enters the surface layers of the soil...
...where it's absorbed by plants and insects and enters the food supply.
It seeps into water sources.
When it does enter the body, sometimes it kills cells instantly...
...sometimes it forms damaged cells.
- Cancer? - Yes, sir.
Stack opened, steady at 1200 mrems.
- Twelve hundred? - Inside the stack.
Once it's in the air, it'll disperse. Anything below 500, we're fine.
Five hundred and sixty-nine millirems above the stack.
- We have to announce the number. - It'll make the evacuation harder.
Can we take another reading?
Steady at 561.
It's more than we consider safe. We have to let the people know.
Anyone not on the freeway will get on.
Make the freeway one-way.
No one feels comfortable making that choice.
Santa Ana winds can shift...
We're spilling radiation, people are jamming the freeways...
...and we don't know what direction they should drive?
- Tell Will to announce the number. - Yes, sir.
Will! Will!
So you're saying the radiation release was at a dangerously unsafe level?
No, I'm saying it was slightly above EPA standards for an acceptable dosage.
The government believes it's safe?
I didn't say that, I'm just trying to present the facts.
One million people are fleeing Southern California.
- Is the president worried about panic? - He's worried about safety.
He's urging those outside the evacuation zone to stay home...
...so those in the zone can get out.
- Is the EPA going to brief on radiation...? - I'm briefing on that.
- What if we need more information...? - Ask me and I'll get it.
Blieden says the weather agencies are worried winds will shift.
People could be evacuating the wrong way.
- Blieden said that? - Yes, that NOAA and NARAC...
- I'll get into it. - Will! Will!
- Power. Plants that we already have.
Nuclear power is a completely safe, dependable energy source.
- We should build more... - Completely safe?
I don 't wanna be an alarmist...
- Playing Vinick's debate clip a lot. - Yeah, starting to.
Site Advance wants to know if we're scrubbing the Oregon trip.
The congressman doesn't want to politicize a tragedy.
We don't want to do a press statement in the morning?
No interviews, no statements.
Not from us, not from the DNC, not from anyone we control.
We could make hay. Vinick's the pro-nuke poster child.
No hay, no posters.
The Oregon trip is off.
You may want to hang on to your pitchfork.
I'm behind you on all this, Gabe.
All right, bye.
How's the governor?
- Nervous. - I don't see why.
Any angry constituents will just be vaporized anyway, right?
Am I the only one left in the family with a sense of humor?
Anything new?
- How about something old? - What is it?
Vinick lobbied for federal approval for San Andreo 25 years ago.
He's the reason the plant's there.
- When is this gonna break? - The press is kind of preoccupied.
We don't want to nudge them?
We could put it out, yeah.
He could hit us back for playing politics with a mushroom cloud.
If the press finds it on its own, it'll be 900 times bigger.
- And what if they don't find it? - They will.
This isn't politics, this is policy.
Those places are unsafe. It's a legitimate point.
- In San Andreo is a phone line and a television set.
In New Mexico, in Arizona, in Colorado...
... people are getting in their cars and driving east.
While higher-than-acceptable levels of radiation drift into the air...
... the White House won 't say if we're past risk of a meltdown or explosion.
Hide these under your mattress.
For now.
I don't like hearing "meltdown" on cable news.
Twelve things have not gone wrong. We're barely at six.
- They're still trying to fix the valves. - "They"?
Our engineers, their engineers. Lots of engineers.
Radioactive steam is gonna build up in that damned auxiliary building again.
Eleven psi and climbing.
The more immediate concern is panic. The freeways are like parking lots.
Fox is running a story about a family that's leaving the country.
How soon can I visit without diverting resources from the evacuation?
I could give FEMA's okay for you to travel tomorrow...
...but there's substantial risk... - Tell the press I'm flying out tomorrow.
Sir, steam is still building. If we vent...
People know I'm going, they'll stop buying tickets to Norway.
What about Senator Vinick? It's his home state.
We always invite senators to join you on disaster trips.
Have we ever had a situation where one's a party nominee?
And if we take Vinick, do we invite Matt Santos?
- Maybe... - Vinick's from California.
He's on the plane if he wants to be. Set up a call with Matt Santos.
Nuclear power is a completely safe, dependable energy source...
Fifth time this hour.
Words that haunt the candidate...
Know how many press requests we've got?
A bunch.
Every network, every major newspaper, plus Japanese TV, Internet radio.
There's requests from homing pigeons in here.
We have to say something.
We support the governor. We'll say it in Japanese.
The senator, on camera.
Give them fresh video or they'll keep running that.
- He should whack federal regulators. - Bob...
The regulations are too lax. It's practically Scout's honor.
We're in a big glass house. We do not throw the first stone.
Okay, a moratorium on all new nuclear plant construction.
He cannot retreat from what he said.
They're killing us and they don't know...
...our guy helped get that plant approved.
Bob, I know Josh Lyman.
There is a reason he is camped out in Florida...
...the swingingest of swing states.
Santos is gonna whack us...
...then we hit back for politicizing a national disaster.
- That's a big roll of the dice. - Trust me.
Josh has the political equivalent of Tourette's Syndrome.
We wait for his next spasm, then we strike.
Yeah, Bruno.
Yeah. C.J.
All right, I'll tell him.
President wants the senator to fly with him on Air Force One tomorrow.
To San Andreo.
Yes, Mr. Mayor, there's coolant running into the reactor now.
Fingers crossed.
I thought a degree in economics was plenty.
- My kingdom for a plumbing license. - I have Matt Santos on the line.
Thanks.
Matt, you look great out there, when you're actually, you know, out there.
Just holding tight, Mr. President. Praying for the people of San Andreo.
Matt, I'm taking Arnie Vinick to California.
I know this could help him politically.
- Yes, sir. - The senior senator from California.
If I do anything else, I'd be playing games with a national emergency.
Well, you have to do what you think's best.
- Keep me in your prayers too. - Yes, Mr. President. I will.
Thanks.
It's an enormous gift. Jed Bartlet's our radiation shield.
- We're banking on the Democrat to help. - Is Santos coming?
No. Your state, not his.
What if news of your lobbying for San Andreo breaks?
- This is how we survive it. - Not if the story breaks.
You don't get it, do you? Santos is shut out of this trip.
Josh has to attack us now.
Flying there links us to the disaster, and hoping Josh's blood sugar spikes...
I represent this state. I'm taking that seat on Air Force One.
What is it?
The temporary pipeline that runs cool water to the core...
...it usually carries hot water, not cold. - Okay.
Imagine heating a glass to 700 degrees...
...then pouring ice water in it. - The pipe's cracking.
Water level around the fuel rods is dropping.
They've tried to fix it from the control room.
We have to send men into the building to fix them by hand.
I'm guessing the radiation in there is above the acceptable dosage.
Five times more, even with anti-contamination gear.
Who would we be sending in?
Two mechanical engineers from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Civilian engineers?
There isn't some military team, some Pentagon specialist we can deploy?
This is their job, sir.
You think when they started school...
...they imagined the president would ask them to risk their lives...
...by prying open a piece of pipe?
Let's send them in.
I have a couple announcements to make.
The emergency secondary pipeline...
...the temporary line that's bringing cool water to the reactor's core...
...it's cracking and degrading.
Technicians are working to run new pipe...
...and two NRC engineers will be entering the containment building...
...to fix the valves manually.
They must be taking an enormous risk by walking in there.
It's very dangerous. They're trained for it.
Is more radioactive gas building up in the auxiliary structure?
We hope to fix the problem before that's an issue.
- You'd say we're close to an explosion? - I promised the facts, you'll get them.
The AP's saying these kind of mechanical problems...
...show clear failures on the part of the Bartlet...
Let me tell you who knows what's going on.
- He briefs from this podium. - This isn't the Kremlin.
How do we know you're not covering something?
Second announcement.
Tomorrow, the president will travel to a command center...
...outside the evacuation zone.
He'll be accompanied by the California Congressional delegation.
He believes it's safe?
The immediate danger is inside the zone.
- Does this mean Senator Vinick's going? - He's a member of the delegation.
- What about Congressman Santos? - No other delegations are going.
Does this jeopardize Santos' campaign?
Tough crowd in there.
- You said we're worried about wind. - I got it from your office.
It's why you're off the talking points distribution list.
- I need those to do my job. - Not anymore.
You're being transferred. You no longer speak for this government.
- For telling people the truth? - For causing further panic.
Doesn't matter if it's true or if I've already said it.
We're trying to prevent hysteria in a climate where truth is misinterpreted.
So we speak with one voice. You're lucky you still have a job.
- Donna? - Here she is. Donna?
No comment.
Guess you heard the president's...
...taking Vinick to California. - Yeah.
It's his home state. There's a protocol to these things.
Well, let's hope everyone uses the correct fork.
It could hurt Vinick, flying into the fallout.
He gets to be statesman, healer.
When will the press figure out he got the plant opened?
Cable news is still running the debate clip.
More press requests, plus...
Governor of Colorado, the DNC. These are all for me?
They're wondering why we're in Florida instead of mobilizing to slam Vinick.
Prevailing winds.
Advance is begging us to get off the dime.
Tell advance to stick to losing my luggage.
Vinick's coasting toward his bipartisan buddy weekend with the president.
The advance guys are right. If we don't take him on, he's...
It's estimated that the radiation levels inside the building...
... are four or five times higher...
Just sent two engineers into the containment building.
Like putting them in a microwave set on high.
- Getting a few press requests. - By "a few," you mean...?
- A million-gajillion. - Okay, that's not a real number.
I'm not talking Radio Free Yonkers. Every morning show wants you.
- Are you changing your mind on this? - I don't know.
The second Vinick gets on Air Force One and has Bartlet's arm around him...
...it's like a dose of political penicillin.
One day with the president doesn't erase three decades of pushing plutonium.
Josh is right. It gives Vinick a chance to absolve himself.
If they know he lobbied for San Andreo, there goes his get-out-of-jail-free card.
If our fingerprints are anywhere on that...
- Maybe we get a third party to do it. - Why isn't Vinick linked to that plant?
They just sent engineers to the building. The press are on the freeways too.
If it comes out after they become the Martin and Lewis of disasters...
Couple of network presidents called. Direct appeals to do the morning shows.
You were right four hours ago, you're still right now.
Tell them thanks, but no thanks.
Nothing on Drudge, nothing on The Note, nothing on the wires.
I don't know what Josh is waiting for.
Senator has to say something on camera before he gets on that plane.
- No, he doesn't. - Sympathy for the region.
Sympathy for the Redskins, I don't care.
You want that debate to air another 6000 times?
Josh hits us, we call it bare-knuckled exploitation of a tragedy...
...and we let the president do the heavy lifting.
We get him to say, right there in California, that accidents happen.
The president will defend us on nuclear power?
A nuclear disaster on his watch? He'll jump at the chance.
He'll be defending himself too.
- Did you talk to the Red Cross? - Twenty minutes ago.
They need more potassium iodine in the shelters.
- FEMA can work it. - We took care of it.
Petcock's working. The valve's turning.
- What happened? - The engineers opened the valve.
If there's no overflow we can pull them.
What about the relief valve? Steam's still spewing into the building.
It's already been 17 minutes.
They shut the other valve, we're okay.
- This is an extremely toxic environment. - If more gas pours out...
...so is most of Southern California. - You wanna expose another team?
How much longer would it take?
Five, maybe 10 minutes.
Ask them to try and shut down the other valve.
- Ask them to move on to the relief valve. - Excuse me, Mr. President.
The polls just closed in Kazakhstan.
- The Russian-installed incumbent... - Tarimov.
- He's been declared the winner. - Tell me they counted the votes first.
Our election monitors are reporting beatings, mass arrests of civic activists.
Barely got China to hold their troops by scheduling this election.
- This could lead to hostilities. - Already got them.
A pro-democracy riot's broken out in the Kazakh capital.
There's a corrosion build-up on the valve stem.
We're not getting enough torque.
They finally pulled out the engineers.
Thirty-two minutes, they couldn't stop the leak.
Did you see my memo about your press availability with the president tomorrow?
Bob wants me to make a statement before I get on Air Force One.
You want me to get the president to say "accidents happen." That's fine.
But Bob's right. I can't wait another seven hours to show my face in public.
You wanna show your face and say what?
You've been wrong? Nuclear's peachy, while a million people are on the run?
This wasn't a failure of nuclear technology.
This was a regulatory screwup.
You point fingers, it will look like you're avoiding any responsibility for this.
You know why Europe's greenhouse emissions are so much lower than ours?
- Nuclear power. Totally emissions-free. - Sure, but...
You know how many Americans die from oil-refinery explosions?
From coal soot in the air? Tens of thousands.
And not one from a nuclear-power anything in 30 years.
- Okay, you're right, but that is still... - Every time they show that debate clip...
...it looks like I ran into that plant and spilled uranium on the floor.
Santos is gonna hit us. You have to wait.
That is how we change the story.
I'm gonna give the press some footage besides that debate clip.
I need you to keep your political hat on.
Thirty-one states with nuclear plants.
We don't know how many voters will be living in California by Election Day.
My lobbying for San Andreo is out there like a ticking time bomb.
We can't control the politics of this, not even close.
I'll talk to the president, but I'm the senator from California.
And I'm gonna make a statement before I get on that plane.
Both the engineers who were in the containment building...
...they've been hospitalized for radiation sickness.
One slipped into a coma.
Sir, they knew the danger better than us.
- You weren't wrong... - No one told me their names.
James Cook is the one in...
James Cook and Mark Laroche.
We'll get call sheets for the families.
The pressure in the auxiliary building's up to 28 psi.
You may need to authorize a second team to try to shut the valve manually.
If you'd like, you can deputize the NRC chair to make the call.
- Fifteen minutes and out. - But if they don't solve...
Fifteen minutes and out.
If they can't solve the problem, we may look at another venting of radiation.
The Santa Anas don't stay consistent if the sea winds push them north...
Call the governor, make a contingency plan to widen the evacuation.
And I want updated weather models every half-hour.
You weren't wrong to keep them in there, Mr. President.
- Still nothing from Santos? - No press advisories.
They haven't reserved any rooms for press.
Josh must be strapped to a gurney with a gag in his mouth.
This is a mistake.
Good morning. We're all struck by the difficult events in San Andreo.
I've been in constant touch with the governor's office, and I hope...
...as we all do, that the evacuation is only a precaution.
Do you still support nuclear power?
Finish the statement.
And I hope that the situation will be resolved quickly and safely.
Your family's in the region. Don't you question what you said?
- My family's not the issue. - You didn't answer the question.
Are you still pro-nuclear?
Nuclear power didn't break those valves.
To blame nuclear technology itself for whatever mess happened in...
Federal regulators were the ones who fell down on the job.
You can start a fire with a match too, you know.
You saying this was the Bartlet administration's fault?
- He just did. - And he strapped himself to that reactor.
This isn't the time to point fingers. This is a time for national unity.
Which is why the president and I will be traveling to that region this morning.
Senator Vinick, why do you think the administration 's...?
- President's wheels-up in an hour. - Tray tables and all.
I want you to lead a couple reporters toward those documents about Vinick.
- You didn't want our fingerprints on it. - Just drop hints.
- Ask leading questions, off the record. - That's gonna get out. You didn't want...
Once the president hugs Vinick, it's over.
- Does the congressman know about this? - Just go.
- Leading questions. - Yeah.
Or we blow the biggest chance to win this thing we're ever gonna get.
How can this not be a failure of Bartlet's regulators?
We don't even know the cause of the accident.
The NRC leaves tons of inspection procedures up to the plants themselves.
Five minutes until the motorcade leaves.
I can't talk about the Armenian genocide. It's non-binding.
Right now I only have time for things that could spontaneously combust.
You ready?
To fly into a cloud of radiation while the country makes hats out of tinfoil?
Yeah, that was more of a rhetorical question.
You think we're flying into a cloud of radiation?
I was dramatizing a point. Maybe.
Thought you weren't talking to the press.
I was hoping I could interest you in a little mumbling and whispering.
Biggest political story in six months. I don't care if you start to hum off-key.
You think this is the biggest...?
Vinick's lobbying for that San Andreo plant?
Make your quote good, it'll be front page, column six.
Yeah. Sorry, not talking to the press today.
Excuse me, Mr. President. Senator Vinick's asked for a moment.
Sure.
- Mr. President. - Arnie.
- Thanks for bringing me along. - Standard protocol.
Well, I appreciate it.
I thought we might wanna coordinate our statements for the press availability.
You're expecting me to bash myself too?
- That wasn't aimed at you. - "Federal regulators"?
- I think a few of them work for me. - Due respect, two broken valves...
...and a radiation leak say they should look for other work.
Where's your bill to improve federal oversight?
Senate leader on the issue, let's have your bill. I'll sign it now.
- You've had eight years to do something. - You've had 25.
I'm not the one who manages it. Nuclear power itself is safe.
Take a nuclear chain reaction 20 times more powerful than Hiroshima.
Run it through a power plant every day near families.
What management would negate the risk?
Risk is everywhere. People get into car accidents.
When they do, they don't tell you stop eating produce three states away.
What's your answer? Solar?
One-fifth of one percent of all our energy at five times the cost?
Wind? Another spike in OPEC prices? Nuclear is the only alternative.
It is not an alternative. I know the regulation's a mess.
No regulation could make it safe. We could barely evacuate a town...
Forgive me, Mr. President. The second team's closed the relief valve.
The crisis is over for now.
But the engineer who'd fallen into a coma...
...he died 20 minutes ago from acute radiation poisoning.
We'll get you another call sheet.
Two copies of that call sheet.
The Vinick campaign can 't be happy with the Post's online scoop.
Documents show Senator Vinick was a supporter of the San Andreo plant.
- Symbolizes, more than anything since Three Mile Island or Chernobyl...
... the cost and perils of nuclear power in the United States.
With 103 plants up and running...
You might get some questions.
Apparently, Senator Vinick was involved in the original approval...
...of the San Andreo plant.
- It's safe to take everybody out there? - According to the EPA...
...the remaining radiation's within the acceptable dosage.
You're too young to remember "Duck and Cover."
Sir?
We'd hide under our little wooden desks at school.
At some point, they stopped the drills.
The threat was still there, they just stopped having the drills.
I guess they realized a piece of plywood wasn't gonna protect us...
...against an atomic blast. Kazakhstan?
Newly-elected government's killed 114 protesters.
China's crossing into Chinese enclaves. Russian troops are also ready to enter.
Can't have China and Russia blowing each other to bits over election fraud.
Well, oil, really. Fraud's just the kicker.
Governor's waiting in the motorcade.
We've canvassed the UN about an international police force.
It would have to be predominantly U.S. Troops operating from our bases.
- How many would I have to send? - CINCs are guessing 90,000.
For starters.
Based on federal safety standards...
... evacuated residents will be allowed to return.
But we don 't know the full effects of any radiation releases.
We may not know for months, maybe even years.
And we have to be candid about that.
And so while we continue monitoring and testing...
... we will also help with the relocation of those residents...
... who may not wish to return to San Andreo. Thank you.
Senator Vinick, why do you think the administration fell down?
We're all relieved the worst is over.
My thoughts and prayers are with the family of James Cook...
...the federal engineer who gave his life to save others.
Should this make Vinick question his energy plans?
I can't speak for anyone else. Makes me question a lot about our energy plans.
- Congressman... - Thank you.
Based on our flash polls...
... more than a dozen states that had been squarely in the Vinick column...
... including Florida, Ohio...
... his own state of California...
... all states with nuclear power plants, are now within the margin of error.
It's a political meltdown, that's for sure.
The Santos campaign is declining to comment.
They've been flooded with volunteers and donations since the news...
... that Senator Vinick lobbied for the San Andreo nuclear generating station...
- Advance wants to know if... - We're taking tomorrow off too.
It's gonna be wall-to-wall press. He's said all he's gonna say.
Best day of the campaign and we didn't do a thing.
At the rate we're going, maybe we should take the whole month off.
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