congressman, tom marino has been nominated to head the office of national drug control policy. but president trump now says, he may withdraw that nomination. here is bill whitaker's report. this is an dennis tree out of control that allowed millions of drugs to go into bad pharmacies and doctors' offices that distributed them out to people who had no need for the drugs. >> one example, a pharmacy in kermit, west virginia, a town of 392 people. ordered 9 million hydrocodone pills. >> the companies are a big reason? >> absolutely they are. i can tell you with 100% accuracy we were in there on multiple occasions trying to get them to change their behavior. they flat out ignored. >> reporter: then there was congress, a bill introduced in the house by pennsylvania congressman, tom marino pro promoted as a way to ensure patients had access to the pain medication they needed. jonathan novak who worked in the dea legal office says what the bill really did was strip the agency of its ability to immediately freeze suspicious shipments of prescription narcotics to keep the drugs off u.s. stre

from power. president trump is reconsidering the nomination of congressman tom marino as the nation's chief drug czar. mr. trump's second thoughts were prompted by reports by cbs news and the washington post that he played a key role in weakening federal authority to stop opioid distribution. west virginia senator whose state was hit hard by the opioid epidemic says the 2016 law needs to be changed. to be changed. >> they made it and camouflaged it so well that all of us, all of us were fooled. nobody knew. >> west virginia democrat says he's horrified that a bill everyone approved made the epidemic worse. >> there's no oversight now. that bill has to be retracted. it has to be repealed. >> reporter: the law sailed through the senate last spring. >> those in favor say aye. >> it had the backing of the justice department. it was sponsored by members of both parties so no one in congress thought to question it. >> it's not unusual for something like this to roll through without much fanfare. >> missouri democrat introduced a bill to repeal last year's law. >> how realistic is t

taking a second look at his nominee for drug czar, pennsylvania congressman tom marino. in that report, former d.e.a. insider-turned whistle blower joseph rannazzisi accused drug distributors aided by congress and lobbyists, of fueling the opioid epidemic. have a look. this map shows drug overdose deaths in 1999. and this 16 years later in 2015, when opioid deaths alone topped 33,000. bill whitaker has more now from this joint investigation by "60 minutes" and the "washington post." >> this is an industry that's out of control, that allowed millions and millions of drugs to go into bad pharmacies and doctors' offices that distributed them out to people who had no legitimate need for those drugs. >> reporter: one example, a pharmacy in kermit, west virginia, a town of just 392 people, ordered nine million hydrocodone pills over two years. >> these companies are a big reason for this epidemic? >> absolutely they are. and i can tell you with 100% accuracy that we were in there on multiple occasions trying to get them to change their behavior, and they just flat out ignored us. >> r

from the white house. >> reporter: congressman tom marino withdrew his name to be the next head of the u.s. drug enforcement agency. president trump tweeted this morning, representative tom marino has informed me that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as drug czar. tom is a fine man and a great congressman. >> he told me, look, if there's even a perception that he has a conflict of interest, he doesn't want anything do with it. >> reporter: he came under intense scrutiny after a "60 minutes" report showed that a bill he sponsored tied the hands of the dea in fighting the epidemic. the bill passed unanimously last year. >> when dea signs off and doj signs off and democrats and republicans sign off together, it's not unusual for something like this to roll through without much fanfare. >> reporter: missouri senator claire mccaskill has introduced legislation to repeal the law. president trump says he is committed to fighting the opioid epidemic and plans to declare a national emergency t. >> it's a very important step and to get to that step, a lot of work has to be done and

enforcement. tom marino is now president trump's nominee to be federal drug czar. nancy cordes is on capitol hill with all the reaction. nancy, good morning. >> good morning. this bill was sold on capitol hill as a way tone sure that patients had access to pain medication, but former dea officials say that it actually stripped their agency of its ability to go after suspicious shipments. for example, when one town of 400 people in west virginia got 9 million hydrocodone pills over just two years. now, as bill whitaker mentioned, pennsylvania's tom marino and tennessee's marsha blackburn introduced this bill back in 2015. each of them received significant contributions that year from the pharmaceutical industry. more than $70,000 for marino, more than $160,000 for marsha blackburn and $177,000 went to utah senator orrin hatch who negotiated this bill with the dea. it ended up passing with unanimous consent and signed by president obama. former administration officials, some of them now say they didn't realize how much this one bill would change things. we reached out to marino and bla

"60 minutes"/"the washington post" investigation. a whistle-blower claims tom marino sponsored legislation that weakened the dea's power to control opioid drugs. >>> there are multiple reports that the isis capital raqqah has fallen. holly williams is there where u.s.-backed forces are celebrating. >>> women around the world say me too online revealing how they endured sexual harassment or assault. gretchen carlson is in studio 57 with her playbook to help women fight back. >>> dozens of cities are competing for amazon's new led quarters and 50,000 new jobs. the areas with the best chances of willing and some say it's not worth the price. >>> we begin with a look at today's eye opener, your world in 90 seconds. >>> we're probably now i think at least as far as i'm concerned closer than before. >> the president plays both sides with mcconnell and bannon. >> i have a good relationship as you know with steve bannon. i like steve a lot. steve is doing what steve thinks is the right thing. >> standing next to mitch mcconnell as he's saying it. >> winners make policy. losers go home.

pennsylvania congressman tom marino and congresswoman marsha blackburn of tennessee, was promoted as a way to ensure that patients had access to the pain medication they needed. jonathan novak, who worked in the d.e.a.'s legal office, says what the bill really did was strip the agency of its ability to immediately freeze suspicious shipments of prescription narcotics to keep drugs off u.s. streets-- what the d.e.a. calls diversion. >> novak: you're not going to be able to hold anyone higher up the food chain accountable. >> whitaker: because of this law? >> novak: because of this law. >> whitaker: how hard does it make your job in going after the wholesale distributors? >> novak: i-- i-- i would say it makes it nearly impossible. >> whitaker: this 2015 justice department memo we obtained supports that. it states the bill "could actually result in increased diversion, abuse, and public health and safety consequences." >> novak: they are toothless. i don't-- i don't know how they stop this now. it's a very sad state of affairs. >> whitaker: who drafted the legislation that would have such a dir

mason. pennsylvania congressman tom marino withdrew under pressure today as president trump's nominee to be drug czar. this follows a "60 minutes" report that revealed marino's role in legislation that makes it easier for drug companies to distribute opioids in the midst of an epidemic that's claiming thousands of lives. here's chief congressional correspondent nancy cordes. >> i'm very happy that's done. >> reporter: democrats and republicans said congressman hrino was right to withdraw his nomination, which president tump announced in a tweet this morning. >> i think it was wise. >> sounds like the first amendment serves the country well. >> reporter: the investigation by "60 minutes" and the "washington post" found that marino worked closely with the drug industry to craft a bill that whistle-blowers say has weakened the d.e.a.'s ability to block suspicious drug shipments. >> some of the criticism is just false, in fact, all of it is. >> reporter: utah republican orrin hatch defend marino and the law, but several of the law's co-authors say it may need to be revised. the senate's r

national drug control policy. his first choice, pennsylvania congressman, tom marino pulled his name from consideration. marino was a central figure in a 60 minutes "washington post" investigation into the nationwide opioid crisis. marino one of the architects of a law that tied the hand of the dea. meanwhile one community hard hit by the opioid crisis is fighting back in court. chip reid reports. >> sasha and cain wyatt are members of the cherokee nation, they adopted luke when he was 8 days old. >> i remember holding him and just crying, trying not to cry now. it is just so hard to see him go through something like that. >> reporter: oklahoma has one of the most severe opioid problems in the nation and especially bad here in the 14 counties that make up the cherokee nation. it is devastating to our people. todd hembre, the charity nation attorney general earlier this year he sued america's three largest pharmacies and three largest prescription drug distributors. >> they know what they're doing is wrong. they need to be held accountable. >> reporter: the complaint accuses the compa

for a new czar nominee this morning. republican congressman tom marino withdrew yesterday saying the best course of action is to remove the distraction my nomination has created. a "60 minutes"/"washington post" investigation found marino worked on a new law that weakened the dea's ability to block suspicious drug shipments. deputy attorney general rod rosenstein promises a review. >> the issue addressing the "60 minutes" piece and "the post" story is illegitimate pharmaceutical drugs for illegitimate issues. >> lawmakers are working on a new bill giving regulators more tools to fight the opioid epidemic. >>> president trump is firing back at senator john mccain. the president issued a warning yesterday to the arizona republican one day after mccain slammed current american foreign policy adds, quote, half baked, spurious nationalism. mr. trump responded in a radio interview at the white house. >> you heard what he said yesterday, senator mccain. >> yeah, well, i hear it. people have to be careful because at some point i fight back, you know. i'm being very nice. i'm being very, very

claims tom marino sponsored legislation that weakened the dea's power to control opioid drugs. >>> there are multiple reports that the isis capital raqqah has fallen. holly williams is there where u.s.-backed forces are celebrating. >>> women around the world say me too online revealing how they endured sexual harassment or assault. gretchen carlson is in studio 57 with her playbook

regulated. since our story ran, president trump's nominee for drug czar, congressman tom marino, has withdrawn. the law congressman marino sponsored, which joe rannazzisi told us has hobbled the d.e.a.'s enforcement power, is now the target of a repeal movement by members of the senate. now, 50 seasons of "60 minutes." this week, we look back to october 23, 1983. morley safer interviewed the memorable george finn, a savant with limited intellectual ability, but an unlimited talent when it came to calculating dates. years later, george finn would serve as one of the inspirations for dustin hoffman's portrayal of a savant in the movie "rainman." >> safer: what day of the week was august 13, 1911? >> george finn: a sunday. >> safer: what day of the week was may 20, 1921? >> finn: friday. >> safer: well, you're remarkable, and it's been a great pleasure to meet you. >> finn: i'm glad. what's your name again? >> safer: morley. >> finn: morley. and i'm glad to meet you. i'll remember this day as long as i live. >> whitaker: i'm bill whitaker. we'll be back next week, with another edition o