Transcripts For CNNW The 20240703

And more, allegedly trading his influence to benefit business associates, and egypt. Also tonight, ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy takes his appeal for western aid to canada after getting a mixed reception from top officials here in washington. This, as Ukrainian Forces target russianoccupied crimea with new attacks. And President Biden leads donald trump in cnns exclusive new poll from New Hampshire. Well break down the numbers and signs that anger at trump that outweigh concerns about bidens age in a potential rematch. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States, and around the world, im wolf blitzer, youre in the situation room. Announcer this is cnn Breaking News. We begin with the federal Criminal Indictment of a powerful senate democrat, democrat bob menendez temporarily giving up his post as Foreign Relations Committee Chair as he faces corruptionrelated charges for the second time in ten years. Cnns Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez is working to support the story for us, evan, break down the charges for us. Wolf, the senator is facing very serious charges, including bribery and Honest Services charges. What prosecutors are laying out are some astonishing details of what they say the senator was trading in excess access to his office, essentially, for money, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars, Mortgage Payments for the home of his wife as well as a Mercedes Benz car, a 60,000 car that prosecutors say was all paid for by some of these codefendants. Now, prosecutors laid out a june 2022 search by the fbi where they say they found some of is this money. 480,000 in cash was found, some of it stuffed into jackets, bearing the name of the senator, you see pictures there inside the 40page indictment that was unsealed today by prosecutors at the Southern District of new york. They also said they found 70,000 in a Safe Deposit Box that was also searched that day in june. They also noted that they found nine gold bars, they also said that they found fingerprints and dna from some of the codefendants that linked some of that cash directly to the senator. Now, what one of the hurdles for prosecutors is to show what Senator Menendez was doing in exchange for the bribes, in exchange for this money, and heres what they laid out in this indictment. They say that he pressured a Department Of Agriculture official to help one of his codefendants maintain his monopoly on halal meat exports to egypt. They say he pressured State Prosecutors in new jersey to help fix a case for one of his codefendants and friends of his codefendants. They say that he also provided nonpublic information on Military Sales to egypt. Again, information that made its way to egyptian officials as well as editing a letter that was being used to help Lobby Members of the senate, again related to Egyptian Military sales here from the United States, wolf. Evan, what is Senator Menendez saying about these charges . Reporter in addition to announcing hes stepping down from his powerful perch at the as chairman of the senate Foreign Relations committee he accused the Justice Department of discrimination because he is a latino. Ill read you a part of his statement here. He says, i have been falsely accused before because ive refused to back down to the powers that be, and the people of new jersey were able to see through the smoke and mirrors and recognize i was innocent. He promised, wolf, that he will beat these charges as he has in the past. And, evan, how are these charges different than the previous investigation into menendez . Reporter you know, the senator has been under the cloud of doj investigations almost from the time he got to the senate back in 2006. As a matter of fact, when he was when he ran for office in 2005 there was an investigation already ongoing into his relationship with the nonprofit that got federal aid. He later got under another investigation and got indicted, wolf, with a donor, a South Florida doctor. He ended up beating those charges, the jury there was a mistrial, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on some of the charges, the Justice Department declined to retry that case. That happened in 2018, and according to prosecutors, thats when the timeline begins on these current charges, the current charges that are now been announced in the Southern District of new york. Evan perez, thank you very much. Lets get more right now on this important story in the menendez indictment. Our legal and political experts are here with me in the situation. And paula reid, let me start with you, we just got a statement from the governor that this is the governor of new jersey, and let me read it to you, because its very serious. This is governor murphy on todays indictment against Senator Menendez. The allegations in the indictment against Senator Menendez and four other defendants are deeply disturbing. These are serious charges that implicate national security, and the integrity of our Criminal Justice system. Under our legal system Senator Menendez and the other defendants have not been found guilty and will have the ability to present Evidence Disputing these charges, and we must respect the process. However, the alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state. Therefore, i am calling for his immediate resignation. Thats a thats the democratic governor of his own state. Yeah, and this is not the first person today to call for the senators resignation. As evan just mentioned, this is the second time in a decade Senator Menendez has faced corruption charges. It was several years ago that he was accused, along with very wealthy eye doctor of exchanging nearly a Million Dollars in gifts for political favors. Now, he was there was a mistrial, then he was acquitted, but what makes this case different is youre also talking about sharing Sensitive Information with a foreign government, and that is something that i think is really going to fan the flames calling more his resignation particularly with his now former role on the Foreign Relations committee. Youre going to hear a lot more people calling for his resignation. These charges are pretty serious. Very serious indeed if you read this indictment, nearly 40 pages of evidence, including a lot of pictures as well of some of the evidence. Tia mitchell is with us. Hes going to be under enormous pressure to resign right now. How do you see that unfolding . Well, hes been defiant so far, but who knows how he reacts as the Pressure Mounts . Especially from democrats. Thats something thats also different from his last indictment, there was a republican governor, democrats, you know, were a little bit more hesitant to directly criticize him, and call for his resignation. The circumstances are different. The case is different. The fact that theres a democratic governor who would appoint a replacement is different. And quite frankly, i think the fact that hes facing charges again, that, you know, theres a perception that even after facing this cloud of scrutiny for several years, that he didnt operate a little bit better just to avoid any questions, whether he ultimately gets found guilty or not. And so i think the calls for his resignation will increase. The question is, will he remain defiant or will he start, you know, reacting to that pressure . When he was charged, yeah, years ago, he was acquitted effectively because there was a hung jury, and that he keeps pointing to that right now as evidence that hell be acquitted this time as well. How strong is the case against him . Well, right now i would say from a legal stand poind, gold bars, and cash stuffed in your pocket makes for a splashy press conference. That isnt the meat of the case. They have to show theres a nexus between all those goodies and something he did was improper. He will argue he didnt do anything improper, just acting as a senator. Ill say some of the things in the indictment about sort of nonpublic knowledge being shared look like theyre going ton to be hard to explain. He has a Strong Defense counsel who is a wizard in the courtroom, and i suspect this will end up in the courtroom. I suspect youre right. You know, paula, its interesting, because in this indictment. Ive read the whole thing, one thing that jumped out at me is they accuse him of, quote, secretly aided the government of egypt. Now, until today, he was the chairman of the Foreign Relations committee. When youre chairman of the senate Foreign Relations committee you have access to a lot of very, very Sensitive National security information. Thats a very serious charge right there. It is, because theyre accusing him of sharing Sensitive Information with the government of egypt. The allegation is that his wife received pretty much a noshow job in exchange for him wielding his enormous influence to help the government of egypt, not only sort of advocating for them on certain issues related to the military but also sharing nonpublic information specifically about personnel working at the u. S. Embassy. And this is the part of the indictment, again, that really separates it from the previous case, and i think is what is going to most support these calls for his resignation, and its been an incredibly serious acquisition to lob against a u. S. Senator. Thats a really, big, big deal. Yes. The fact theyre accusing him of sharing Sensitive Information with a foreign government. Absolutely, and im actually somewhat surprised they havent ventured into that area more specifically of espionage type charges. Theyre really sticking with the notion that theres corruption here, theres money and gold being paid in return for the exercise of this influence, spinning, you know, again the prosecution has to show that next us, that what he did was wrong in return for these benefits for his wife and for him, oernds, its not that easy of a road for him either because the question there is like does he not believe in banks . This is really an embarrassment for the u. S. Senate as well. Yeah, i mean, you know, congress is having a lot of drama these days, and i think the last thing either Chamber Wants is another member accused of corruption, another member accused of behavior that undermines Public Confidence in how washington works. So in general, its not great for the house or the senate for, again, for public perception, thats another reason why i think there will be more calls for his resignation. Yeah, i suspect youre absolutely right. Guys, thank you very, very much. Coming up, the star witness in the January 6th Congressional Hearings opens up about her fear of testifying. Cassidy hutchinson revealing she almost ran out of the u. S. Capitol. vo trade in any iphone in any condition for a new iphone 15 pro on us. Only onon verizon. I was stuck. Unresolved depression symptoms were in my way. I needed more from my antidepressant. Vraylar helped give it a lift. Adding vraylar to an antidepressant. Is clinically proven to help reeve erall depression symptoms. Better than an antidepressant alone. And in vraylar clinical studies, most saw no substantial impact on weight. Elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. Report unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. Antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. Report fever, stiff muscles, or confusion, as these may be lifethreatening, or uncontrolled muscle movements, which may be permanent. High blood sugar, which can lead to coma or death, weight gain, and high cholesterol may occur. Movement dysfunction and restlessness are common side effects. Stomach and sleep issues, dizziness, increased appetite, and fatigue are also common. Side effects may not appear for several weeks. I didnt have to change my treatment. I just gave it a lift. Ask about vraylar and learn how abbvie could help you save. Hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours not coughing . Hashtag still not coughing . mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief from Chest Congestion and any type of cough, day or night. Mucinex dm. Its comeback season. Kayaking is my thing. Running is awesome. E eczema kayaking is my thing. Would make her skin so uncomfortable. Now im staying ahead of it. Dupixent helps heal your skin from within. So, they can have clearer skin and less itch. Serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. Dont change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. Ask your doctor about dupixent. So its decided, well park even deeper into Parking Spaces so people think theyre open. Surprise. [ laughs ] [ horn honks, Muffled Talking ] cant hear you, jerry. Sorry. Uh, yeah, can we get a system where when someones bike is in the shop, then we could borrow someone elses . No no or you can get a quote with americas numberone Motorcycle Insurer and maybe save some money while youre at it. All in favor of that. [ horn honking ] theres a lot of buttons and knobs in here. We have new Exclusive Cnn polling from New Hampshire, a key swing state and the site of the first in the nation primary showing a sliver of good news for President Biden and a potential headtohead contest between President Biden and former president trump. Lets bring in our political experts to discuss David Chalian our political director share these numbers for us, what were seeing in New Hampshire right now about a potential 2024 rematch. Remember, Hillary Clinton edged out a narrow victory over donald trump in 16 in New Hampshire, joe biden won it more substantially three years ago. Take a look at this brand new cnn poll in conjunction with the university of New Hampshire, and you see, well this is splitting by party, but overall joe biden is at 52 , and donald trump is at 40 . Take a look here when you look by party, wolf, 94 of democrats are basically universally aligned with biden in this, and that helps him overwhelm a slight 6 percentage lead that trump has over biden and independents, 45 to 39, but note here donald trump is lower, 79 than biden with democrats. We see joe biden in each one of the general election matchups with republicans, wolf, winning this state outside the margin of error. It could be a Battleground State thats tilting a little blue if it stays this way the full year. But it is welcome news to the white house, even though what weve been talking about with joe biden in the past, we do see in our Poll Concerns about his age, his health, among democrats, they remain. But theyre just not enough to swamp what is this substantial lead he has over donald trump in the state. Thats a pretty strong lead, 52 to 40 , at least right now. Karen finney is here with us, were hearing directly from the former trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson who testified before the january 6th select committee as we all remember. I want you to listen to what she said she feared at that moment. Listen to this. In the days after my testimony, you know, theres the immediate Security Protocols and security concerns, so my life changed in the way the way that i was living my life for a while. You could not go back to your apartment. I could not go back to my apartment. I ended up moving down to atlanta for several months. They didnt think it was safe for you to stay in d. C. . No, no. What do you make of that, karen . Its terrible, but unfortunately it follows a pattern that we have seen time and time again sometimes brought on by rhetoric from the former president or folks like Rudy Giuliani in the case, for example, of the two poll workers from georgia where sometimes the supporters of the former president act in ways that jeopardize peoples security, and its terrible to think that a young woman who was simply trying to do her patriotic duty and tell the truth in front of the congress of the United States of america would have to be concerned for her safety. And i suspect its one of the issues that voters are going to be thinking about when we make the argument that 2024 in part will be about preserving democracy because you should not be afraid to tell the truth. She had a lot of guts in doing what she did. She sure did. Scott jennings, her testimony was very brave as we all note and this cliff note shows how much it wound up turning her life upside down. What do you think . I agree with karen, actually, i think when you think about people who have engaged in Public Service, whether its Cassidy Hutchinson or the poll workers in georgia, i mean, these are not Public People to start with, theyre not household names, theyre not famous, theyre not used to this and they didnt sign up for this. They try to do the right thing and they wind up in this maelstrom that puts them at personal risk. It it ultimately has a Chilling Effect on other people who might want to go into Public Service, whether at the government level or volunteer level, volunteering for the next election. I think thats one of the unfortunate outcomes of all this is how many people out there say i might want to work in politics but it seems too messy, tooicky, or too dangerous. To me its very sad. It will reduce the number of people who want to engage in Public Service in this country at a time when we need more, not less. Youre absolutely right. David, were going to be hearing a lot more from Cassidy Hutchinson in the coming days and she releases her brand new book in which she discusses all of the things that happened tomer. What kind of impact could this have on the campaign, the Trump Campaign Going Forward . We saw what kind of impact it has on the january 6th hearings, significant impact, it really was her testimony that shifted the entire mission of that january 6th committee, and its pursuit of what occurred, and the truth behind all this, she was hugely unfluntial voice. As karen pointed out, the democrats are going to put abortion rights front and center in this campaign, the Battle For Democracy Front and center in this campaign, that will be a piece we hear in this upcoming speech from President Biden, something he told donors about last week, getting more aggressive in this space going after trump directly, holding back, not wanting to weigh in on his specific indictments and trials and trying to stay out of the department of justices way, but the argument about democracy is one that youre not going to see President Biden shy away from, youre going to start seeing him lean more into. In that sense Cassidy Hutchinson is a player in that overall story. Do i think her book is going to impact Donald Trumps poll numbers, no, but i do think this larger piece about democracy, we saw it as an argument in the 2022 midterms, and the electorate cared about it enough, and i dont think thats gone away, and i think the biden campaigns planning to make it a key part of their campaign. Well follow this very, very closely. Guys, thank you very, very much. Important note to our viewers, cnns jake tapper will sit down with Cassidy Hutchinson this coming tuesday on the lead thats at 4 00 p. M. Eastern. Up next, the Criminal Ooimt indictment of a powerful u. S. Senator is rocking washington, and now the states governor is calling for Senator Menendez to resign, ill discuss that and more with a key house democrat. Stay with us. vo trade in anyny iphone in any condition for a new iphone 15 pro on us. Only on verizon. bridget with Thyroid Eye Disease i hid from the camera. And i wanted to hide from the world. For years, i thought my t. E. D. Was beyond help. But then i asked my doctor abt tepezza. vo tepezza is the only medicine that treats t. E. D. At the source not just the symptoms. In a Clinical Study more than 8 out of 10 patients taking tepezza had less eye bulging. Tepezza is an infusion. Patients taking tepezza may have infusion reactions. Tell your doctor right away if you experience high blood pressure, fast heartbeat, shortness of breath or muscle pain. Before getting tepezza, tell your doctor if you have diabetes, ibd, or are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant. Tepezza may raise blood sugar even if you dont have diabetes and may worsen ibd such as Crohns Disease or ulcerative colitis. Now, im ready to be seen again. Visit mytepezza. Com to find a ted Eye Specialist and to see bridgets before and after photos. I wouldnt have my business if it wasnt for my website. Once i decided to go with godaddy, the process was seamless. I was able to create my website on my own. To have it be exactly what i want it to be. Be able to integrate my appointment app. Godaddy was able to provide everything that i needed. The whole image of who i am and what empire is is presented through my godaddy website. She runs and plays like a puppy again. His 2s are perfect hes a brand new dog, all in less than a year. When people switch their dogs food from kibble to the farmers dog, they often say that it feels like magic. But theres no magic involved. dog bark its simply fresh meat and vegetables, with all the nutrients dogs need instead of dried pellets. Just food made for the health of dogs. Delivered in packs portioned for your dog. Its amazing what real food can do. It could be a sign that your digestive system isnt at its best. Metamucil gummies make it easy to get the fiber you need. Promoting your Digestive Health for a better you. Metamucil gummies. The easy way to get your daily fiber. Before and bath fitter. Before and bath fitter. If you have a before bath, nows the time to call bath fitter to get a beautiful after. With our unique tub over tub process, theres no mess or stress. Spend smart on a beautiful new bath done right backed by a lifetime warranty. Join over 2 million happy customers who know it just fits. Bath fitter. Visit bathfitter. Com to book your free consultation. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a threeyear, 482 million aid package for ukraine has president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting canada. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Forces hit russianoccupied crimea with missile and cyberattacks today. Cnns paula newton is covering all this for us, shes joining us live from ottawa right now, paula, give us the latest. Reporter you know, wolf, i lost count of how many Standing Ovations Volodymyr Zelenskyy got in parliament, and wolf, that was the easy part. Right, in terms of this visit he was here in north america trying to shore up military support. Certainly, as you mentioned he got more military support, nearly 500 million additional from canada. Whats interesting here, wolf, is that while that will be part of a multiyear program, certainly canada continuing to say that we are here for the long haul in terms of supporting ukraine on this. I also will note, though, when you look at the real bold audacious attack that ukraine made on that black sea headquarters earlier, the hours earlier, it really put zelenskyy here on the front foot, what Ukrainian Canadians tell me here is they know that zelenskyy wants to be seen as a winner, that if he is seen to be winning this battle, no matter whats been said so far about the counteroffensive that he knows hes able to get more military aid more quickly if he can show their strength on the battlefield. Wolf. How different was this visit to canada from president zelenskyys reception here in washington . Reporter yeah, much different, wolf, i mean, look, there was no nuance to the support he got here, it was absolutely unequivocal, and that includes from Opposition Parties here in canada. I will say that when you look at the Counteroffensive Strategy there are not people here in canada questioning what are you doing, how youre doing it or how quickly is this going . And to that end it was also significant that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that canada would begin to try a Working Group to try and actually seize russian assets around the globe in hundreds of billions of dollars, and that includes assets from the strat central bank of russia. I have to tell you, wolf, whether you talk to the State Department in the United States or the treasury, theyre very skeptical that this could work or that its even legal. Zelenskyy was definitely, again, Leaning On Canada to try and have some influence with other allies, including in the United States, and obviously this continues to be a tough sell with republicans on capitol hill. It will take much more than one strike on the black sea headquarters to do it, but he believes that if countries like canada continue to plead his cause, that perhaps he can elicit more support even from republicans in the u. S. Wolf . All right, Paula Newton Reporting for us from ottawa, canada, thank you very much. For more on this story and other Important News im joined by representative Abigail Span Burger of virginia, a key member in the house intelligence committee. Congresswoman, thanks for joining us, i first want to get your thoughts on ukraines strikes on russias Naval Fleet Headquarters in occupied crimea right now. Does that help your does that help ukraines counteroffensive . Is it the right strategy for kyiv in your view . Well, strategically, certainly, anytime they are able to successfully strike at the russians, that is helpful to their longterm goal of not only defeating the russians, and expelling them from ukraine, but demonstrating to the world, the United States, canada, and our other allies, the world over, that they are committed to winning, this they are committed to the fight for their own democracy and for their own freedom. As you just heard canada is now committing to three years of additional aid to ukraine. Can ukraine count on the u. S. In the long term given your gop colleagues hesitations right now over a lot more funding . Reporter they have to. Their freedom and democracy as a concept, as a reality on the ground in ukraine, and American Values depend on it. And certainly there is bipartisan support for continued support of ukraine, we have seen significant wavering, and there are extraneous voices within the Republican Party doing the bidding for vladimir putin, but there are still more committed folks on both sides of the aisle who are loudly, confidently, and concretely committed to the support of ukraine and their efforts to win this war. I also want to get your thoughts on the Breaking News today, the democratic Senator Menendez has now been charged with bribery using his position as the chairman of the senate Foreign Relations committee to trade very sensitive u. S. Intelligence and military aid to egypt for money. The governor of the state is now calling for him to resign immediately. Do you echo that call . Absolutely, absolutely, this is an issue of ensuring that our voters, the American People, those who send us to do the work for the American People on capitol hill believe in us, its also incredibly important that on the global stage that International Leaders do not think or do not even have a hint of an expectation that they can buy any sort of influence with american members of congress. So, certainly, he is innocent until proven guilty, but this indictment is damning and he should resign. Very damning indeed, what damage does it do to u. S. National security for a u. S. Senator to allegedly Trade American intelligence and military aid for his own financial gain . Wolf, im a former intelligence officer, a former cia officer, and as you just outlined it, as it is outlined in the indictment, it is absolutely devastating. It is it is shameful. It is devastating. It is abhorrent that there would be any elected member of congress, the house, or the senate, so that there would be any position, Persona Position of authority within the United States government who would in any way jeopardize the public trust and the trust put in them by the voters, but also our own national security, and to do so for their own personal gain. Its just its abhorrent. Does it does it to you as a former cia officer, does it sound like espionage from your perspective . So, from a from an indictment standpoint, from legalese standpoint ill defer to the Justice Department and the fbi on that. But certainly as a former Intel Officer we collected information, and we paid people for that information, so in the simplest of terms, yes, from a legal standpoint ill defer to the doj on that. Representative abigail spanberger, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me. Efforts to avert a Government Shutdown on hold right now in the House Of Representatives as frustrated speaker Kevin Mccarthy sends his divided members home with a deadline fast approaoaching. S se birthday boy is not your bestst plan swswitch to verizon and trade n any iphone and get ththe new iphone 15 pron them. sean what . jason yup, and on an amazing network. sean and i dont have to ruin anymore Birthday Parties jason yeah, that ship has sailed. Lets go get you the iphone. Here we go, come on hon. vo trade in any iphone in any condition for a new iphone 15 pro on us. Only on verizon. Wherever you go. Wherever you stay. All you need is one key. Earn and use rewards across expedia, hotels. Com, and vrbo. [car traversing over uneven ground. ] [silence in the vehicle. ] [car traversing over rocky ground, Babbling Creek in the background. ] [minimalist piano enters, plays throughout. ] dad we got our Subaru Forester wilderness [heavy sound of water coming from waterfall. ] [heavy sound of water stops abruptly. ] to discover all of the places that make us feel something more. [heavy sound of water from waterfall reenters. ] vo subaru is the National Park foundations largest corporate donor, helping expand access for all. I have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Thanks to skyrizi im playing with clearer skin. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90 clearer skin at 4 months. And skyrizi is just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses. Serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. With skyrizi, nothing on my skin means everything nothing is everything ask your dermatologist about skyrizi. Learn how abbvie could help you save. A potentially crippling federal Government Shutdown is only eight days away and theres no deal in sight to end the House Republican infighting thats pushing congress right now to the brink. Lets go to cnn capitol Hill Reporter melanie zanona. Im standing in a fairly empty capitol, lawmakers have left washington without a clear plan to avoid a Government Shutdown after conservative hardliners once again scuttled Kevin Mccarthys plans, initially they were planning to vote on a stopgap bill to fund the government tomorrow including a number of conservative priorities but mccarthy has to reverse course once it became clear he did not have the votes. I left a meeting with top allies and they outlined what their new strategy is going to be Going Forward, the plan of as of kriegt now is theyre going to pass as many longterm individual spending bills, and the hope is that they could get the conservative hardliners in line with the shortterm plan. All of those bills, the shortterm and longterm bills are dead on arrival in the senate. It doesnt do much to solve the Shutdown Problem and Kevin Mccarthy is clearly frustrated. Take a listen to what he had to say earlier this morning. I just believe if youre not funding the kroop troops and youre not funding the border its pretty difficult to think youre going to win in a shutdown. Ive been through those a couple times. If members think by moving you into a shutdown we continue to talk. I thought we had a really Good Conference the night before. I thought we moved two people but we moved two people the other way too, its a yin and a yang. Majority leader Chuck Schumer has taken steps to advance his own shortterm spending bill, including disaster aid and ukraine funding, the latter of which conservative hardliners are opposed. That could tee up a major showdown with the house. Take a listen to what schumer said about working with mcconnell. Leader mcconnell and i are talking, we have a great deal of agreement on many parts of this. Its never easy to get a big bill, a c. R. Bill done, but i am very, very optimistic that mcconnell and i can find a way and get a large number of votes, both democratic and republican in the senate. Reporter so, Kevin Mccarthy is really going to have to make a decision here, if that senate bill comes over to the house he can either ignore it and risk a Government Shutdown or he could put that on the floor but risk his own speakership. And so far Kevin Mccarthy is not saying how he would act but past a big critical week coming up here in washington next week. Melanie zanona, thank you. For more on the Shutdown Threat watch inside politics sunday with Manu Raju Premiering This Sunday at 11 00 a. M. Eastern only here on cnn. Right now a new surge of migrants is arriving at the u. S. Mexican border. New cnn video Shows Migrants wading through the banks of the rio grande in eagle pass, texas, many of them looking for a narrow opening to crawl under the dense rows of razor sharp wire. Lets go to cnns Ed Lavandera In Eagle Pass right now, what are you seeing and what are you hearing, ed . Reporter wolf, today dramatically different from where weve what weve seen thousands of people crossing here in eagle pass, texas. This is the area where you have seen the majority of those migrants cross, making their way from the mexican side of the river over there, winding there, and then eventually confronting all of this razor wire. That was what weve seen dramatic scenes play out where youve had hundreds of people standing in the water for hours on end, refusing to go back to the other side. And then eventually trying figuring out a way to lift up the razor wire and safely get through. Thats what we saw yesterday unfold here as state Law Enforcement and Border Patrol agents simply just watched on. All of those people turn themselves in, they were then processed by Border Patrol agents, some of them we were told were arrested on Trespassing Charges here in texas, but all of this continuing to unfold, but the question is, how long is this latest surge of migrants going to last . And across the u. S. Southern border local authorities are bracing for the longterm impact of all of this, the mayor of eagle pass, wolf, tells us that hes been told by federal authorities that already about 50 to 60,000 migrants in southern mexico, the train lines that have been moving many of these migrants north, theyve literally been hopping on trains to make the journey north have been shut down temporarily, and the mayor also says that they believe that many of those migrants are deeper in mexico, waiting for those trains to fire up again, that could be one of the explanations why weve seen so few people trying to cross today, but despite this they believe that this migrant surge is going to continue, and theyre bracing for much more impact of migrants arriving here in these communities where many of the local Officials Say that the Shelter System and the capacity to care for them has been strained to the maximum right now. Wolf . Ed, thank you, ed lavandera on the u. S. Mexico border. Coming up, an iranian woman took to the streets to protest against the government and lost an eye. Now telling her story to cnn. Well have an exclusive report. Businesses need 5g solutions today. Thats why they choose tmobile for business. Mlb partners with tmobile to not onlynhance the fan experience, but to aance how the game is played. Aaa relies on tmobiles network to stay connected nationwide, so they can help get their members back on the road. And were helping pano ai innovate, to stop the spread of wildfires. Nows the time to see what americas largest 5g network can do for your business. Bold. Daring. Expressive. Contra Costa College allows me to be whoever and whatever i want to be, providing the stage, the canvas, the tools to use my voice and write my story. Find your passion and create your future at contra Costa College. Start today at contracosta. Edu new federal data is now revealing a very disturbing new trend in the recent increase in covid19 cases here in the United States. Hospitalizations are rising faster than average among children. Cnn medical correspondent meg tyrell is joining us right now. How bad is it. Reporter the numbers are striking, when you look at them, they are up among adults, three times higher than they were three months ago but among kids theyve risen five times since that trough three months ago, its important really to put this into context, this rise is off the lowest level that weve seen for hospitalizations with covid since they started measuring this at the beginning of the pandemic, but it is rising to levels that doctors are starting to become concerned about this, really overall. And if you look at where geographically hospitalizations are highest, its really concentrated in areas in the south, particularly see the yellow there thats showing higher levels and the orange higher than that, concentrated in states like florida. One concerning trend among the kids data were seeing from the American Academy of pediatrics is that really were seeing pronounced rises in kids under the age of 4, were seeing that they are a quarter of kids in the country, but more than half of covid hospitalizations, and their Vaccination Rates for covid are particularly low, only 13 of kids under the age of 4 have had any dose of covid vaccine, compared with about twothirds of kids between the ages of 12 to 17. So, the American Academy of pediatrics really urging parents to talk with their pediatricians how to protect their kids from covid. How has the white house been handling this new wave of covid cases . You know, wolf, we are starting to hear that theyre going to step up messaging, a white house official telling cnn that theyre going to start pushing more the message, not just for covid vaccinations, but also for flu and for rsv, we also, of course, heard this week that the administrations going to restart its Home Test Program where folks can order free home tests, four per household, starting early next week. So all of that coming together, but as we are seeing these cases and hospitalizations rise, you are hearing some frustration from some doctors that the messaging hasnt been stronger yet. All right, meg tirrell reporting this Important News, thank you very much. Its been a little more than a year since the death of an iranian woman who wasnt wearing her head scarf properly, allegedly the hands of tehrans socalled morality police. Cnn spoke exclusively with one protester who lost her eye after taking part in the nationwide unrest. We want to warn our viewers some of the images youre about to see are upsetting. Reporter the chance of death to the dictator, a Protester Translator a young girl was murdered because of the compulsory hijab. We couldnt take it anymore. It was like a fire hidden under the ashes. Reporter and like a wildfire the protests spread to every corner of iran. Their rage was met with violent repression. In the small town of isfarrian, the fear, the chaos captured in this shaky cell phone video, also captured this. Security forces opening fire at protesters. The scene so hard to watch as the crowd rushed to help a woman screaming in pain after she was shot in the eye. Translator that moment when i got shot was the bitterest moment of my life. Reporter that woman is 32yearold ilahe tobokalianian. She was at the protest with her twins. Translator my children were just shouting, they killed our mom. Help. When this person started shooting, we saw him. He was 30 or 40 meters away. I saw him aiming at us. I turned sideways to shield my children, and i was shot. I could see only blood. I covered my eye with my hand. I felt like if i take my hand off it might fall out of its socket. Reporter elahe is not alone. Activists say Iranian Security forces were using Metal Pellets and Rubber Bullets deliberately and systematically shooting the eyes and blinding more than 500 protesters according to rights groups. Many have shared their photos online. But the regime calls them liars spreading propaganda. Elahe lay in hospital in this agonizing pain for hours. Doctors reluctant to help her as Security Forces were hunting down the injured and those who aided them. After a surgery to treat her wound elahe stayed at home in a dark room for more than three weeks. Translator i could hear them from my room chanting slogans. Something was pulling me outside, to speak, to shout, to demand my rights. I felt like my fight wasnt over yet. Reporter but she also wanted to save her eye. With the help of an Italian Journalist elahe made it to italy, where shes undergone more surgeries. It was too late. Doctors discovered that the pellet still lodged behind her eye had moved and were forced to remove the eye. She was fitted with a prosthetic, but life has never been harder for elahe. She still lives with the physical pain, the trauma, alone in a foreign country, now relying on donations and friends to survive. And hardest of all, not knowing if she will ever see her children again. Translator i never regretted this, and i never will. If i return to iran, i will do it again. So many say this revolution is over. But it is not over. All across the country women are now going out without hijab because they are no longer afraid of them. This is our method of civil resistance. Reporter the regime may have crushed the protests but the resilience of eliahe like so many others remains unshakeable. Translator no matter how many times they cut the flowers, they cannot stop the spring from coming. They shot my eye, and they shot others. But the struggle is going on. No matter how many they kill, they cannot stop the spring from coming. They cannot keep freedom from returning to us. Reporter jomana karadsheh, cnn, milan, italy. And thanks so much for jomana karadshehs report for us. We really appreciate it. Very powerful. Coming up, well have more on the Breaking News were following right now. New calls for Senator Menendez to resign immediately over shocking Bribery Charges coming from inside his own party. Were going to dig deeper into the grave accusations against him that could put him in prison for up to 20 years, which include accepting cash, gold bars, and a mercedes and a lot more. Vicks vapostick provides soothing, nonmedicated vicks vapors. [eales] easy to apply for the whole fami. Vicks vastick and Try Vaposhower for stea vicks vapors. Somedays, i cover up because of my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Now i feel free to bare my skin, thanks to skyrizi. uplifting music nothing is everything im celebrating my clearer skin. My way. With skyrizi, 3 out of 4 people achieved 90 clearer skin at 4 months. In another study, most people had 90 clearer skin, even at 5 years. And skyrizi is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. Serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. Thanks to clearer skin with skyrizi this is my moment. Theres nothing on my skin and that means everything nothing is everything nows the time. Ask your doctor about skyrizi, the 1 dermatologistprescribed biologic in psoriasis. Learn how abbvie could help you save. Group Singing for Kids Birthday toooo youuuuu sean i wish for the amazing new iphone 15 pro jason sean do you mean this one the one with titanium . sean no way i can trade this busted up thing for one. jason maybe stealing wishes from the birthday boy is not your best plan switch to verizon and trade in any iphone and get the new iphone 15 pro on them. sean what . jason yup, and on an amazing network. sean and i dont have to ruin anymore Birthday Parties jason yeah, that ship has sailed. Lets go get you the iphone. Here we go, come on hon. vo trade in any iphone in any condition for a new iphone 15 pro on us. Only on verizon. They slept on me for 15 years. Things i collected, pollen, dust, dander. All that time they could have protected me with an allerease mattress protector. It wouldve been soft and blocked 99. 9 of dust, dirt, and allergens. Allerease for a clean, healthy nights sleep. My brain. So i choose new neuriva ultra. Unlike some others, it supports 7 brain health indicators, including Mental Alertness from one serving. To help keep me sharp. Try new neuriva ultra. Think bigger. Hi, im sharon, and i lost 52 pounds on golo. On other diets, i could barely lose 1015 pounds. Thanks to golo, ive lost 27 of my body weight, and it was easy. soft music happening now, Breaking News. Growing pressure on senator bob menendez to resign after a new federal Criminal Indictment. His home State Government saying menendez should go as the democrat stands accused of trading his clout for a Treasure Trove of bribes, allegedly including cash, lining his pockets, gold bars and a luxury car. Also tonight, the star witness in the January 6th Congressional Hearings is now speaking out revealing the danger she felt after testifying and issuing a new warning about donald trump. And ukraine unleashes missile and Cyber Attacks on russianoccupied crimea, including a strike on the headquarters of the kremlins black sea fleet. Cnn is in ukraine amid the very ambitious attack by kyivs forces on russian targets. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer. Youre in the situation room. Announcer this is cnn Breaking News. Were following Breaking News on the Bribery Charges and the political fallout for senator bob menendez aftis