Microsoft Names New CEO; Interview with Natalie Tennant
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.</s>COSTELLO: Well, it's been in the works for quite some time. Bill Gates has stepped aside and Microsoft has a new CEO. Kind of weird, right? Let's head to New York with Christine Romans. Tell us more.</s>ROMANS: Hi, Carol, a rare change of power at Microsoft. This would be the only third CEO in the history of this company. Steve Ballmer, of course, last fall told us he was stepping aside and now Satya Nadella, the board has named Satya Nadella, the new CEO, a consummate Microsoft insider. He has been there since 1992. Microsoft on its Web site right now introducing Satya to the rest of the world outside of those who have known him at Microsoft for many, many years. And as chairman of the board, we know that Bill Gates is now stepping down. So really it is sort of a new era at Microsoft. MSFT is the ticker symbol. It's not really moving, the stock is not moving very much right now. But clearly, Carol, only three CEOs since 1975. Satya Nadella, an insider of the company, will be the third -- Carol.</s>COSTELLO: And he has a lot of big challenges ahead. Right?</s>ROMANS: He absolutely does. I mean Microsoft is a mature company in a world where tech changes and innovation and technology are moving very, very rapidly. Many are hoping that Microsoft, to get his mojo back, with some new leadership -- Carol.</s>COSTELLO: We'll see. Christine Romans, many thanks.</s>ROMANS: You're welcome.</s>COSTELLO: It has been nearly one month since thousands of gallons of chemical seeped into West Virginia's water supply, and guess what? It ain't over. There are alarming new fears over tainted water there. But state official says it's likely residents have been exposed to traces of formaldehyde. A substance that can cause cancer following last month's chemical spill into the Elk River. Health officials say the claims are unfounded but people are still complaining of a licorice smell coming from their water and an aftertaste. The spill left 300,000 people stranded without tap water for more than a week. In less than an hour the U.S. said it will hold a hearing on the safety and security of the states' drinking water policies amid calls for tighter regulation. West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant will be called to testify. She joins us now live from Washington. Welcome.</s>NATALIE TENNANT, WEST VIRGINIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Thank you, Carol. Good morning to you.</s>COSTELLO: Good morning and thank you for being with us. It is unfathomable. The citizens of West Virginia have not trusted their water supply for a month. A lot of people are asking how can this be?</s>TENNANT: And we're all asking that same question. You're exactly right, Carol, and that's why I'm here on Capitol Hill to tell the stories of West Virginia, to tell what the families are going through, the small businesses, the minimum wage employees who have lost money because of this. And that's what I'm asking for. I'm asking as the CDC tell us everything they know, tell us what they're testing indicates. How they're going there, testing, and make sure that we have the confidence back in our water in West Virginia. Because we can't get back to restoring our economy if we don't have trust in our water and we don't have trust in the system.</s>COSTELLO: It's not just the Centers of Disease Control that's causing confusion among the people in West Virginia, though, right? Health officials said with safe drinking water, but maybe we you better think about drinking bottled water, too. And that's caused a lot of confusion among West Virginia residents. Is anyone giving him a straight story?</s>TENNANT: That's what I'm asking for today. We need those straights, we need that transparency that comes from this because you're right, so many people are still using -- you know, we -- the "Do Not Lift" or "Do Not Use" band has been lifted but many folks may be taking showers and washing their clothes but they're still using bottled water. <09:15:12> And those are the answers that we want. We are also asking -- I'm going to be asking today, to this committee that it's not just about now. It's not about these four weeks into this crisis that we've had. What about the 10 years from now? Because that becomes the concern. How do we prevent something like this from happening again? But really, how do we address potential health risks and I'm asking for a 10-year study that would study the effects of this score now and for our children in the future.</s>COSTELLO: The owner of the company responsible for this chemical spill, we still haven't heard much from him. Does that frustrate you?</s>TENNANT: It certainly does frustrate me. And it frustrates me the fact that only a couple of weeks -- if you'll remember, a couple of weeks ago into this situation, they chose to file bankruptcy even before some people in West Virginia were able to use the water. So you want to talk about frustrating. I'm here on Capitol Hill standing up for West Virginians to say this is our story. We did not deserve to be treated this way. We want answers and we want ways that we can prevent this from ever happening again.</s>COSTELLO: What should be done to the owners of Freedom Industries?</s>TENNANT: Well, we have many investigations that are taking place. The U.S. attorney's office has been investigating. And I know that there have been FBI agents on the scene where tanks are located. And you can see -- you know, this committee is a start. We obviously have legislation that's moving through the West Virginia state legislator that I'm happy to say that, you know, one -- I'm part of helping small businesses get back on track who have been hurt by this. And it would be telling those stories that one small business lost $40,000 in about a four-day period and continues to spend $500 a day on bottled water. Now that's certainly not giving it back to the employees or the workers at that restaurant or being able to hire new workers or grow your business. And so, you know, we have legislation that will have greater oversight of tanks and chemicals that are stored above ground. Both on the state level and this piece of legislation we'll be talking about today at this hearing. Natalie Tennant, the West Virginia Secretary of State, thank you so much for joining me this morning.</s>TENNANT: Thank you, Carol.</s>COSTELLO: Still to come on the NEWSROOM, a pawn and a huge fight. That's what Woody Allen's attorney is calling new sexual absolute claims Allen's adopted daughter. What else he says this morning. Next.