All language subtitles for West Wing S07E12 Duck and Cover.DVDRip.NonHI.cc.en.WB

Previously on The West Wing:

You got a four point bump,

Vinick only got
a two point bump.

When we're talking
about education,

we are talking about our
most precious resource.

Matt Santos is a lot smarter
and tougher than you think.

We got to take it to him.

We got to put Santos in a jam.

Kazakhstan isn't
China's only oil source.

Their most promising one.

The Kazakh people, meanwhile,
are rioting in the streets,

'cause they've just been
screwed out of an election.

Worst case scenario...

Two nuclear powers are
positioning themselves

to actively engage in
an armed conflict over oil.

Did the Chinese invade?

No, Kazakhstan is stable.

What is it? Some kind
of nuclear accident.

A weapon? Power plant.

Is it Russia?

San Andreo, California.

They think it might blow up.

What do we know?

17 minutes ago, at
6:02 Pacific Time,

emergency sirens went off

at the Nuclear
Generating Station

in San Andreo, California.

The main feedwater pump failed.

Everything proceeded
as expected.

A relief valve opened
to let the water escape,

the reactor scrammed.

It shut itself down.

But now a valve's
malfunctioning,

and 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
highly combustible.

We could be looking at a
full-scale nuclear 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?

It could be human
error, a design flaw...

It's not likely

terrorists would sneak
in there and jam a valve.

We're rechecking
all the relevant intel.

Has the public been notified?

No, but when they
shut down the reactor,

there was a steam release
that sounded something

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 right away.

Get CNN to stop running rumors.

I'll make a statement
in 15 minutes.

Sir, you really don't
want to notify the public

till there's a plan in place.

There could be widespread panic.

Then we'd better
get moving on a plan,

'cause I'm making a
statement in 15 minutes.

Yes, sir.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Yes, we worry about

what's happening in the culture.

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, I'm fine.

You told Rolling Stone you like

Bob Dylan... I was just wondering
which is your favorite album?

My favorite Bob Dylan album.

Uh, I guess I should say,
uh, Highway 61 Revisited,

and then we can just ease
into transportation policy.

But really, it's, uh,
Blonde on Blonde.

Believe me, there's no
policy implications to that.

Did he just imply...

Jay Leno's gonna
have a field day.

No big issue's
captivated the voters.

You're surprised it's come
down to geezer rock trivia?

Wrap it up.

What?

There was a nuclear
accident in California.

Get to a television, a laptop,
get any details you can.

Santos is doing that "Rock
the Vote" event in Tampa.

Probably pandering like mad

to a bunch of pre-teens.

Better be some post-teens.

You're sending me
up there tomorrow.

I'm sending you 'cause
you talk like a President,

not some latter-day
Mick Jagger-in-chief.

Yeah. Bruno.

I can tell 'em about
my psychedelic phase,

when I wore brown
socks on the Senate floor.

Call me the second
you get confirmation.

Confirmation on what?

A, uh, 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 what appears to be some
kind of nuclear accident.

All the PDDs from
the past month.

The Office of Cabinet Affairs.

Just make sure I have an
open line to the field director.

The entire office,
page them all.

Yeah, it's an emergency.

We 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
these crazy rumors?

The only thing certain
in cases like this...

First reports are always wrong.

How we handle this

in the next 90
minutes will determine

whether there's panic
within a 100 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
has dropped at least a foot,

exposing an eighth
of the fuel rods.

How can they get
cool water in there?

They're running a
temporary feed line

to bypass the broken valve
while they figure out what's wrong.

In the meantime?

They're activating an
emergency heat removal pump.

The hope is that it'll
lower temperatures enough

to prevent a meltdown.

There's a second problem.

Yes, another
valve is stuck open.

With the temperatures
rising in the reactor,

an awful lot of radioactive
steam is being generated,

and it's pouring into
the containment building.

Are we worried
about a radiation leak?

We're worried they might
have to pump radioactive gases

into an auxiliary building,

which is not built to hold them.

One poorly-welded seam...

How much radiation
are we talking about?

It's unclear, but administrators

at 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 over there.

I couldn't even get
them on the phone.

I want the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission

to take command of that plant,

and I want to evacuate the area.

It's a state and local matter.

Get the governor of
California, right away.

Yes, sir.

Governor Tillman wants to wait

until we're absolutely
sure it's necessary.

He'll argue that a rash,
messy, nighttime evacuation

could be worse than...

The governor's on the line.

Thank you. Gabe, you
have to evacuate San Andreo.

We're all working off

sketchy information.

'Cause trust me on this,

we would rather have a
few fender-benders on the I-5

than a generation of
babies with thyroid cancer.

My FEMA Director is right here.

He'll coordinate with your
State 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.

Mr. President,
with all the levels

of government involved
in this, maybe 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,

regional officials.

We've got hundreds
of press requests.

I want to issue a statement

supporting the governor's
evacuation plan.

We should couple it with
a call for an investigation.

This has to have been
a regulatory failure.

Yeah, we want to
be careful, though.

Everyone knows the
senator is pro-nuclear.

He said it in the first debate.

That's why we have
to act defensively.

The DNC's got to know he lobbied

to get that plant opened.

Defensive, but not destructive.

What do you want?

Jamie and your grandkids
are in, uh, San Diego?

Phone lines are jammed.

Cell phones, everything.

We'll put out a statement
supporting the governor.

The President wants
to make a statement

in the next few minutes.

Saying what? Whatever we can
figure out in the next few minutes.

You wouldn't believe the rumors
that are bouncing around here.

That there's a fire
near the reactor,

and it's about to
blow. Not exactly.

That we're shutting
down every nuclear plant

with the same design.

Not the dumbest
of ideas, but no.

Look, the press are
going to talk to everybody.

They're gonna speculate
about everything.

I need you to grab hold
of the information flow.

I have no information.
Welcome to the club.

Let's start with that statement.

What are the odds this
leads to a meltdown?

A meltdown isn't when
one thing goes wrong.

It's when 12 things go wrong.

There must be six million people

living within 100
miles of that plant.

Based on prevailing
winds, FEMA recommends

we evacuate 15 down,
six and nine around.

It'll cover all of San Andreo.

15 down?

15 miles, between six
and nine, like a clock.

But State Emergency Services
want to do just ten down,

six and nine around...
The legal minimum.

And tell 'em if they're
fine with ten miles,

the governor and I will be
setting up a command post

at ten point one
miles from the plant.

We'd like them to join us there.

The press ready
for my statement?

Readier than we are.

It's not like we have
much to tell them.

Sounds like they're more
comfortable with 15 miles.

Good evening.

32 minutes ago, there
was a mechanical problem

at the Nuclear
Generating 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 right 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 so
it doesn't melt down.

Federal officials believe

they can avoid the
worst, but I can tell you...

I don't understand why

they put a nuclear plant so
close to a population center.

They're all near
population centers.

Otherwise, they lose too
much power in transmission.

So, the whole idea
is kind of crazy.

Kind of.

You should give a
big speech on that...

Put out a whole new energy plan.

Or point out that Vinick's
plan glows in the dark.

It's true. Vinick's
for nuclear power.

You've fought
against it for years.

We could 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.

Get them to cool it
on the political chatter.

I don't want us holding
rallies on the Hindenburg.

Yeah, I'm gonna cancel
our events 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 on the other side.

This is all upside for us.

I say we go completely dark.

Let the press go after
Vinick on their own,

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 heat removal pump
hasn't had much impact;

a 20-degree drop,

but 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'd avoid a meltdown.

Radioactive 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 of pressure

per square inch,

it's now at 34 psi and rising.

The coolant won't
be enough to stop it.

And the fuel rods

give off hydrogen gas.

Which is extremely explosive.

If we get near maximum
pressure levels...

The containment building might

be able to withstand
that kind of a blast.

The auxiliary building cannot.

So? Unless we
fix the valves soon,

we have to vent a radioactive
gas into the atmosphere

to relieve the pressure.

How many people
are still in San Andreo?

About 30,000.

I don't want to
release any radiation

until everyone's been evacuated.

What's the alternative?

An explosion that
spreads radiation

all over Southern California,

maybe parts of Arizona
and Nevada... sir.

How much would we have to vent?

We think it would be
within EPA's parameters

for an acceptable dosage.

It's Santa Ana season

in Southern California.

Which could be good.

If the winds stay consistent,

the 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 'em up.

How much time
before we reach 50 psi?

Maybe an hour.

Who would give the order?

We've taken charge
of the plant, sir.

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?

Have you got an update
for us? Radioactive steam's

been spilling into the
containment building,

so much of it, they've had to
pump it into another building.

The other building can only hold

50 pounds of pressure
per inch, 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.

I called you all here 'cause
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.

All right? No one.

I've got a call list ten
pages long. I can assure you

they've all called
my office, too.

There will be one briefer: me.

What if this turns out to be

the administration's fault?

We can't withhold
information from the public.

We won't be
withholding anything.

We're trying to maintain calm,

make it look like we
know what we're doing,

so there will be one voice,
the dulcet tones of Will Bailey.

Get your souvenir
programs in the lobby.

What about political questions?

Vinick's the pro-nuke
guy, in the first debate...

There will be one briefer,

and I won't be answering
political questions.

Guys? Guys?

It's almost morning

in Kazakhstan, sir.

The polls open in two hours.

Busy night for you.

It's always morning somewhere.

We have election
monitors on the ground?

Through the OSCE.

China needs to see this
is a genuine democracy,

not some Russian
puppet government

out to screw them
out of their oil interests.

China's got troops
along the border,

if they think it's
a phony election

rigged to protect a
Russian-installed incumbent...

They cross the
border, so does Russia,

and we have a war on our hands.

I'll have regular
updates for you.

So we're at 46 psi?

We don't have much
time to relieve the pressure

in that auxiliary building.

Where are we in the evacuation?

Maybe a third of the people

in the evacuation zone are out.

At least 700,000

from the region are
pouring onto freeways.

700,000?

That's a conservative estimate.

Plus, there aren't
enough busses and vans

to take care of
at-risk populations...

Seniors, people
with disabilities.

The governor wants you
to activate military support

from Camp Pendleton.

So ordered.

Do we have a direct line to
the control room in San Andreo?

The superintendent
for operations is on now.

We've got helicopters overhead

to get an immediate reading,

to make sure we're within
the acceptable dosage.

Which is? HAYES: 500 millirems.

Is there any way to wait for
support from Camp Pendleton?

I don't like idea of the
elderly and the disabled

taking the brunt of this.

The longer we wait, the
more chance of an explosion,

and God knows how much radiation

shooting into the atmosphere.

Vent it now.

Open the stack.

SUPERINTENDENT:
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 1,200 m-rems...

1,200?! C. J.: Inside the stack.

Once it's in the
air, it'll disperse.

Anything below 500, we're fine.

569 millirems above the stack.

We have to announce the number.

It'll make the evacuation
50 times harder.

Can we take another reading?

Steady at 561.

It's more than we consider safe.

We have to let the people know.

Anyone who's not on the freeway

will be looking for an on-ramp.

Make the freeway one-way.

No one feels comfortable
in making that choice.

Santa Ana winds
could shift at any time.

We're spilling
radiation into the sky,

people are jamming the freeways,

and we don't know what
direction they should drive?

Tell Will to
announce the number.

Yes, sir.

Will, so you're saying
the radiation release

was at a dangerously
unsafe level?

No, I'm saying it
was slightly above

EPA's standard for
an acceptable dosage.

The government
believes it's safe?

I didn't say that...

I'm just trying to
present the facts.

An estimated one million people

are fleeing Southern California.

Isn't the President
worried about public panic?

He's worried
about public safety.

He's urging those outside the
evacuation zone to stay home,

so those in the
zone can get out.

Will, is EPA going to
brief on the levels of radia...

I'm briefing on that
and everything else.

What if we need more information
on... Ask me and I'll get it.

Will, Assistant Secretary
Blieden at HHS says

the weather agencies are worried

that winds will shift.

That people could be
evacuating the wrong way.

Blieden said that? Yes,
that NOAA and NARAC...

I'll get into it.

Plants that we already have.

Nuclear power is

a completely safe,
dependable energy source.

Did you say... Of
course we should build

more nuclear power
plants... "Completely safe?!"

Look, I don't want to
be an alarmist here...

They've been playing
Vinick's debate clip a lot.

They're starting to, yeah.

Site advance wants to
know if we're scrubbing

the whole Oregon trip.

The congressman doesn't
want to politicize a tragedy.

We don't want to do a press
statement in the morning?

A few interviews? No
interviews, no statements.

Not from us, not from the DNC,

and not from anyone we control.

We could make a
lot of hay out of this.

Vinick's the
pro-nuke poster child.

No hay. No posters.

The Oregon trip is off.

You may want to hang
onto 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?

Well, 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 going
to break? I don't know.

The press is kind
of preoccupied.

We don't want to
nudge them along?

We could put it out, yeah.

But then 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.

NEWS ANCHOR 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.

And 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.

Unlikely to abate
anytime soon...

There are health risks...

For now.

There are traffic jams.

There are certainly
lots of dire predictions...

I don't like hearing the word
"meltdown" on cable news;

12 things have
not gone wrong yet.

By my count, we're
barely at six or seven.

Well, they're still
trying everything

to fix the valves. Who's "they"?

Our engineers
plus their engineers.

Lots of engineers.

Radioactive steam
is going to build up

in that damned
auxiliary building again.

11 psi and climbing.

The more immediate
concern is panic,

the freeways are
like parking lots.

Fox is running a story
about a family in Michigan

that's leaving the country.

How soon can I visit San Andreo

without diverting resources
from the evacuation?

I could get FEMA's okay
for you to travel tomorrow,

assuming that the
valves are fixed.

But there's
substantial risk of...

Tell the press now
I'm flying out tomorrow.

RAVITCH Sir, the steam is still

building up, if we have to
vent more... If people know

I'm going, maybe
they'll stop buying

one-way tickets to Norway.

And what about Senator Vinick?

That's his home state.

We always invite the senators
to join you on disaster trips.

Have we ever had a situation

where one's a
major-party nominee?

And if we take Vinick,
do we invite Matt Santos?

Maybe we're better off...
Vinick's senator 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.

Of course we should build
more nuclear power plants...

Fifth time this hour.

Words that are
coming back to haunt...

You know how many
press requests we've got?

A bunch. Every network,
every major newspaper,

plus Japanese
TV, internet radio.

There's probably requests
from homing pigeons in here.

We have to say something.

"We support the
governor's evacuation."

We'll say it in Japanese.

The senator, on camera.

We have to give them fresh video

or they keep running
that debate clip.

He should whack
federal regulators. Bob.

The regulations are too lax!

It's practically Scout's Honor.

We're in a great
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 in the debate.

Look, they're
killing us out there...

And they still
don't know our guy

helped get that plant approved

in the first place! Bob,
I know Josh Lyman.

There is a reason he
is camped out in Florida,

the swingingest of swing states.

Santos is going to whack
us, then we hit him back

for politicizing a
national disaster.

Well, that's a
big roll of the dice

on one weak pair of knees.

Trust me, Josh has
the political equivalent

of Tourette's Syndrome...

he can't help himself.

We wait for his next
spasm, then we strike back.

Yeah, Bruno.

Yeah.

C.J.

All right, I'll tell him.

The 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 for this job.

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 is best.

Keep me in your prayers, too.

Yes, Mr. President, I will.

Thanks.

It's an enormous gift.

Jed Bartlet's our
radiation shield.

Now we're banking on
the Democrat helping us?

Is Santos coming? No.

Your state, not his.

What if the news of your
lobbying for San Andreo

breaks while you're standing
next to the President?

This is how we survive it.

Not if the story
breaks while we're...

You don't you get it, do you?

Santos is shut out of the trip.

Josh has to attack us now.

Flying down there
links us to the disaster,

and just hoping Josh
Lyman's blood sugar spikes

isn't any kind of... I
represent the 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 poured ice water in it.

The pipe's cracking.

And the water level around
the fuel rods is dropping again.

They've tried everything
to fix the valves

from the control room...
We have to send men

into the containment
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 could deploy?

This is their job, sir.

You think when they
started engineering 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
try to fix the valves manually.

They must be taking an enormous
risk just by walking in there.

It's a very dangerous
work environment;

they're trained for it.

Is more radioactive gas

building up in the
auxiliary structure?

We're hoping we can
fix the underlying problem

before that's an issue.

You'd tell us if we were on
the verge of an explosion?

I promised you the facts,
you're going to get them.

The AP's saying

these kind of
mechanical problems

show clear regulatory failures
on the part of the Bartlet...

There are lots of people who
think they know what's going on.

Let me tell you who does:
he briefs from this podium.

This isn't the Kremlin, Will.

How do we know you're
not covering something?

Second announcement:

Tomorrow morning 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
California delegation.

What about Congressman Santos?

No other delegations are going.

Tough crowd in there.

You told Time we were
worried about wind shifts.

I got that from your office.

Which is why my
office has taken you 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 telling people something
which can only cause further panic.

Doesn't matter if it's true,

doesn't matter if
I've already said it.

We're trying to prevent
mass hysteria in a climate

in which even the truth
can be misinterpreted,

so we speak with one voice.

You're lucky you
still have a job.

Donna! Donna! 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, right?

Well, let's hope everyone
uses the correct fork.

It could hurt Vinick,

flying into the fallout.

He gets to be statesman, healer,

and when is the the
press going to figure out

that he got the plant open?

Cable news is still
running that debate clip.

More press requests. Plus...

Governor of Colorado,
head of the DNC, Governor...

These are all for me?

They're wondering why
we're holed up in Florida,

instead of mobilizing the
whole party to slam Vinick.

Prevailing winds.

Even the Advance guys are
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 gonna...

It's estimated that
the radiation levels

inside the containment 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 for their lead segment,

every cable show... Are you
changing your mind on this?

I don't know, it's
just... the second Vinick

gets on Air Force One,

the second he has Jed
Bartlet's arm around him,

it's like a mega-dose
of political penicillin.

One day with the President

does not erase three
decades of pushing plutonium.

Josh is right... it gives Vinick
a chance to absolve himself.

If the press find out he
lobbied for San Andreo

before he gets on that plane,

there goes his
get-out-of-jail-free card.

If we do anything, if our
fingerprints are anywhere on that...

Maybe we get a
third party to do it.

Why hasn't anyone
linked Vinick to that plant?

Because they just
sent two engineers

into the containment building...

The press are probably
on the freeways, too.

If it comes out after that
trip, after they become

the Martin and Lewis of
disaster management...

A couple network
presidents called,

direct appeals to do
their morning shows.

And open the coolant valve

to get cool water to the core.

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.

The 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 what he says...

You want that debate clip
to air another 6,000 times?

Josh hits us, we call it
bare-knuckled exploitation

of a tragedy, and we let the
President do the heavy lifting.

The President?

Yeah. We get him to say,
right there in California,

that accidents happen.

You think 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
head of the Red Cross?

20 minutes ago.

They need more potassium
iodine in the shelters.

FEMA can work it through
HHS... We took care of it.

Petcock's working,
the valve's turning.

What happened?

The engineers opened
the coolant valve.

Once they make sure there's
no overflow, we can pull them out.

What about the relief valve?

Radioactive
steam's still spewing

into the containment building.

It's already been 17 minutes.

I didn't want them in
there more than 15.

If they shut the other valve,
we're out of the woods.

It'll take too long.

It's an extremely toxic
environment. If more gas pours out

of that structure, so is
most of Southern California.

Plus they're already in there,
you want to expose another team?

How much longer would it take?

Five, maybe ten minutes.

Ask them to try and
shut down the other valve.

Ask them to move
on to the relief valve.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Excuse me, Mr. President.

The polls just
closed in Kazakhstan;

the Russian-installed
incumbent...

Tarimov.

He's been declared the winner.

Please tell me they counted the
votes first. Our election monitors

are reporting
widespread harassment...

Beatings, mass
arrests of civic activists.

We barely got China
to hold their troops

by scheduling this election...

This could lead
to open hostilities.

We've already got 'em.

A pro-democracy riot's
broken out in the Kazakh capital.

There's a corrosion
buildup on the valve stem.

We're not getting enough torque.

They finally pulled
out the engineers.

32 minutes... they couldn't
stop the steam leak.

Did you see my memo
about your press availability

with the President tomorrow?

Bob wants me to make a
statement from the Capitol

in the morning, before
I get on Air Force One.

Yeah, Senator, I urge you not...

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 want to show your
face and say what...

You've been wrong
your whole career?

Nuclear's peachy keen, while
a million people are on the run?

This wasn't a failure
of nuclear technology.

This was a regulatory screwup.

You point fingers now, and
it will look like you're trying

to avoid taking 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 not...

Every time they show
that debate clip, it looks like

I ran into that plant myself

and spilled
uranium on the floor.

Santos is going to hit us.

You have to wait.

That is how we change the story.

I'm going to give the
press some footage

besides that debate clip.

I need you to keep
your political hat on.

31 states with nuclear plants!

We don't know how many
voters'll 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
about his speech.

But I'm the senator
from California,

and I'm going to
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's slipped into a coma.

Sir, they knew the
danger better than us.

You weren't wrong...

No one ever told me their names.

James Cook is the one in...

James Cook and Mark Laroche.

We'll get call sheets
for their 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.

15 minutes and out.

If they don't solve
the problem...

15 minutes and out.

Of course, but if they
can't solve the problem,

we may be looking

at another venting of radiation.

And the Santa Anas don't
stay consistent for long.

If 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 conferences.

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 in the debate?

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 are the
ones who fell down on the job.

You can start a fire with
a match, too, you know.

You're suggesting

this was the Bartlet
administration's fault?

He just did.

And he strapped
himself to that reactor.

This isn't a time
to point fingers.

This is a time
for national unity.

Which is why the President and
I will be traveling to that region

later this morning.

Thank you.

The President's
wheels-up in an hour.

Tray tables and all.

I want you to lead
a couple reporters

toward those documents
about Vinick and San Andreo.

I thought you didn't
want our fingerprints on it.

Just drop hints,

ask leading questions,
do it off the record.

That's going to get out.

You were the one
who didn't want to...

Once the President bear-hugs
Vinick, the game is over.

Does the congressman
know about this?

Just go.

Leading questions.

Or we blow the biggest chance

to win this thing
we're ever gonna get.

Isn't Vinick right?

How could this not be a
failure of Bartlet's regulators?

We don't even know
the cause of the accident.

I'm not going to speculate.

You can't deny that the NRC

leaves tons of
inspection procedures

up to the plants themselves.

Five minutes until
the motorcade leaves.

I'll see you on the plane.

I can't talk about the
Armenian genocide.

I know it's important,
but it's non-binding.

Right now, I only have time

for things that could
spontaneously combust.

You ready?

To fly into a massive
cloud of radiation

while the rest of the country's
making hats out of tin foil?

Yeah, that was more
of a rhetorical question.

You think we're flying into a
massive cloud of radiation?

I was dramatizing a point.

Maybe.

Thought you weren't
talking to the press today.

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 humming 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
want to 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 some of them
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 on this.

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.

And 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 on-line scoop...

Documents showing
that Senator Vinick

was a strong and early
supporter of the San Andreo plant...

That now 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 as you deplane.

Apparently, Senator
Vinick was involved

in the original federal approval
of the San Andreo plant.

We're sure 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 the border

into ethnic Chinese enclaves.

Russian troops are
ready to enter as well.

We can't have China and
Russia blowing each other to bits

over election fraud.

Oil, really. Fraud's
just the kicker.

The governor's waiting
in the motorcade.

We've canvassed the NATO nations

to see if there's an appetite

for an international
police force.

They've made
clear it'd 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! Senator Vinick!

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 Senator Vinick

question his energy
plans for the country?

I can't speak for anyone else.

Makes me question a
lot about our energy plans.

Thank you.

Based on our flash polls,

more than a dozen
states that had been

squarely in the Vinick
column... Including Florida, Ohio,

South Carolina, 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,

but 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.

There's gonna be
wall-to-wall press on this.

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.