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Breaking news about japan. "the new york times" reporting tonight that u.s. government engineers sent to help with japan's nuclear crisis are now warning that the trouble at the fukushima daiichi plant is facing long-term threats as a result of the measures being taken to keep the plant stable. the "times" got ahold of the report outlining the potential problems and we're going to run them by nuclear engineer michael freelander. but first, some other developments today with this plant. tepco, the owner of the plant, says it has stopped a serious lake at the number two reactor. tepco released t...

Radioactive water leaking from the complex. levels are up to 100,000 times higher than normal. crews are working in shifts and often have to be evacuated. and now there's a report plutonium has been found in soil near the plant, but it's not harmful to humans. james stebbins, professor of nuclear engineer at the university of illinois. what's most concerning to you at this point. the fact that there's been a breach and even the sea water now is radiated? >> well, i think the first issue, of course, is the higher levels of radiation that are being detected. this seems to be the most serious thi...

Downstairs and walk away and the machine will shut down all by itself. >> that's been a big question on social media, why can't these things just shut down? >> it will shut down with power. >> you need power to stop the rods from overheating. >> correct. the whole thing happens because the uranium -- i'm not aa nuclear engineer, but i've listened to a lot of very smart guys. it's in and it's out. i'm going to do my best to bring it to layman's terms. fuel rods here get very, very hot. they uranium 235, they're excited, their atoms bounce, they get very, very hot. control rods down below, when ...

They did in chernobyl. >> david lochbaum, nuclear engineer, director of nuclear safety project at the union of concerned scientists, thank you for helping us understand this, sir. this is a dramatic and bad night in this news, but i appreciate your time. >> thank you very much. >> thanks. >> there is a reason in the english language and in american english we use the word meltdown so much as a metaphor. that's because it always sounds like hyperbole. it sounds like you are overstating it no matter what context you use it in. when we mean the word literally, it is worth being precise. it is not...

Japan, so it seems like the workers would be able to handle the other two units, and even the stricken unit at japan like they did in chernobyl. >> david lochbaum, nuclear engineer, director of nuclear safety project at the union of concerned scientists, thank you for helping us understand this, sir. this is a dramatic and bad night in this news, but i appreciate your time. >> thank you very much. >> thanks. >> there is a reason in the english language and in american english we use the word meltdown so much as a metaphor. that's because it always sounds like hi perp blee. it sounds like you a...