Transcripts For CNNW CNN 20240703

There are no Term Contracts or line activation fees. And you can bring your own device. Oh, and all on the most reliable 5g Mobile Network nationwide. Wireless that works for you. Its not just possible. Its happening. Breaking overnight, a deal to end hollywoods writers strike, and so when will your shows be back on tv . And a shutdown showdown. Congress has five days to avert a Government Shutdown, and with its own job on the line, House Speaker Kevin Mccarthy is struggling to make any progress with his own caucus. And senator bob menendez is making a statement shortly, and members of his own caucus are asking him to resign. We will see what he has to say. Im john berman with sara sidner. Kate bolduan is off today. This is cnn news central. All right, in the next hour, all eyes are going to be on new jersey where the democratic senator bob menendez is going to deliver his first public remarks since he and his wife were indicted on federal bribery charges. We are standing by to bring you the remarks live when it begins. The list of democratic lawmakers and politicians calling on him to resign is getting longer. So when he gets before the cameras, what will he say . We are all over it, and we will begin with sara murray with the latest. Sara . Yeah, john. We are waiting to see the new jersey senator later on this morning and the first time in front of cameras reacting to the charges that he is facing as well as potentially addressing political future, and this is of course coming after Senator Menendez was indicted with corruptionrelated charges and his wife and a handful of new jersey businessmen. According to the indictment, they accepted bribes including cash, gold bars and even a luxury vehicle all designed to Benefit Menendez and his wife and these businessmen as well as the government of egypt. And menendez, while this investigation has been going on, he has been completely defiant in the face of it. Take a listen to what he said to cnn back in april about this investigation. To any new jersey voters watching right now who may have concerns that you are facing scrutiny over corruption, what is your response to them . The response to them is simply that number one, this inquiry is going to end up in absolutely nothing. If anyone looks at my history on egypt they would know that both by denying aid to egypt, and denying armed sales to egypt, and criticizing the human rights record, i am not helpful to anyone as it relates to egypt. Reporter and since the indictment was released he continues the defiance, i am not going anywhere and but according to the senate rules he had to give up the gavel as chairman of the Foreign Relations committee. John and sara . Maybe we have a preview to his own statement as to what he may say today. We will go to capitol hill where lauren fox is today, and are we hearing from anymore democrats that menendez should resign now . Yes, a large and vocal number of democrats who have made that case including representative andy kim who said friday night that he would challenge bob menendez in a democratic primary leading into the 2024 election. Menendez is up for reelection next year. Obviously, that is a very big statement coming from a democrat in the house. You also have a number of the Senate Colleagues who are saying these are very serious allegations. I do believe it is in the best interests for Senator Menendez to resign in this moment, and as you said, consistency matters, and it should not matter if it is a republican or democrat. It is a serious charge. No question about it. In terms of the resignation, that is a decision to be made by Senator Menendez and the people of new jersey. These are serious and shocking charges, bribery, corruption, and i have never seen anything like this. I think that Senator Menendez is going to have to think long and hard about the cloud that is going to be hanging over his service in the United States senate. And lawmakers will return to washington tomorrow, and it is going to be interesting to see how Senator Menendez faces some of the colleagues who are arguing that it is very serious accusations coming from the justice department. Another question of course is if other Senate Colleagues will call on him to step down. Senator John Fetterman of pennsylvania said that despite the fact that everyone should be found innocent until they are found guilty, he said that these are such serious allegations, that he does think that Senator Menendez should step aside. So, we should be clear that we dont know exactly what Senator Menendez is going to say, but in the written Statement Last week, he was defiant, so i want to bring in Attorney El Jotliot Williams he and if you were advising Senator Menendez before he goes out before the cameras, if you were his attorney, what would you tell him to say or not say . Shut your mouth, and do not step in front of the cameras, and look, here is why. The constitution says in effect, and the Miranda Warnings as we have heard on television. You have the right to remain silent, and the next sentence in the warning is that anything that you say can be used against you in a court of law. And every statement a criminal defendant says publicly is potential evidence. And lets unpack some of the things here. Imagine if he were to just, and if he is asked a question about the gold found in his house, and he says, well, that is my gold, and personal property, and it is not unlawful to have it, and this is a truth statement, but he just admitted to something that the prosecutors are attempting to prove. Anything, and any time he contradicts a prior statement that he has made, prosecutors can use it against him. Speaking publicly as a defendant is fraught with peril, and his attorneys should just advice him to keep his mouth shut. Elliot williams with strong advice this morning. Thank you, sara murray and lauren fox. Okay. We are keeping it going. Okay. Looking at the pictures of the gold bars and something that stood out to me and it has to do with egypt and the noshow job for his wife. The accusation is that she got this car that you can see there, a mercedes convertible as a gift for something, but also for a job in which she did not have to show up. Can you give us a sense from capitol hill there what people are saying, and are you hearing from the people about whether or not he can still be a politician, whether he can still do his job with all of the things hanging over his head . I will start with lauren fox. Yeah, i mean, he obviously had to step aside given the senate rules and the fact that if you are under indictment, you can not be the chairman of a committee, and obviously, he was the chairman of the powerful senate Foreign Relations committee, and this is why so many of his colleagues, sara, they are saying that these are such serious allegation, because he not only was a senator with power on the floor to vote on these matters, but he was a chairman who had a lot of jurisdiction over approving arms deals, over approving the transfer of weapons to various countries, and this is why so many members think that it is going beyond what they are comfortable with in terms of him continuing to serve in that ro role. Well yelliot williams, we ex this to be more of a political statement more than anything else notwithstanding your advice, but what possible explanation could a defendant have for 500,000 in cash in jacket that says senator bob menendez, and how do you try to get out of that . Well, okay, a few things. He does not have to give an explanation at all, and just question the evidence that the prosecutors put forward and say it is not reliable. I think that best out here is by being an elected official, and saying that particularly after the Supreme Court narrowed the decision of bribery a few years ago, that you are criminalizing a kind of transaction among politicians and their constituents that happens all of time. To that end, john, there is a much cleaner case against mrs. Menendez based on the allegations in the indictment. She is the one who is second virtually all of the incriminating text messages, and she is very closely linked to him, but she is the conduit of the other defendants and the senator. So i think that if you are his attorneys, you are number one going to separate yourself from the wife and come up with a legal strategy to concentrate on that you are a elected official, and sadly, pin it on the wife who is the more culpable defendant here. And he is innocent until Proven Guilty and he has beat a charge not exactly like what we are seeing here, but a bribery charge. He was charged back in 2015 and he beat the charge by 2017, and we will see what happens here, and we are waiting to hear from him very, very soon. Lauren fox, thank you to you, and elliot williams. John . So it does appear that there is an end to the hollywood writer strike. The writers have struck a deal with the studios and the strike has lasted 146 days so far, and they have announced a tentative agreement with the studio heads. More than 11,000 writer might get the green light to return to work very, very soon. It has to be ratified by the union members. And we have Camila Bernal in los angeles with the latest. John, it is something that every writer i have talked about is excited about to see a tentative deal. One of the writer said i am ready to go back to making magic and telling stories, but the union says that you have to wait, you cannot go back to work. They are working through the fine print and dotting every i. So they are working through legal part of the contract and after that is done, we expect a vote happening as early as tomorrow, and that is a leadership vote. After the leadership vote, then some of the details will be made public to us, and the writers and they will ask questions to see whether they like the deal or not, and then they will have to vote to ratify the deal. After it is ratified, if that is the case, you will likely to see the people beginning to work, and likely to start to see the daytime television, and the talk shows and the late night shows back on the air. But the question is what happens to the rest of the tv this year and really movies next summer . Actors have to come to an agreement with the studios as well. They are also on strike, and the question here is how long will it take the actors to come to the table with the studios . It could be a while, and so maybe the production is not going back to normal in hollywood any time soon unfortunately, and it has been very difficult for the last five months for entire industry. It is a domino effect, with so many people impacted by the strike. There is a glimmer of hope, and we have to see what happens with the actors. Camila bernal, progress at a minimum, and keep us posted there. Sara . We will speak with democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens about the stalemate over a government funding bill. And there is brandnew polling that we will breakdown. And signing an Emergency Declaration in new orleans as increase of saltwater in the Mississippi River is threatening Drinking Water, and how officials are working to stop a climate disaster. That is all ahead. This morning the time is running out for congress to avert a Government Shutdown, and in five days some Government Workers will be furloughed and others have to work without pay. House speaker Kevin Mccarthy has not been able to get the republicans to work without a plan, and his job is very much on the line. President biden is warning that the consequences could be dire. Cnns Arlette Saenz is at the white house, and for now, the white house is a spectator, but expected to be a vocal spectator, arlette. Yes, we are seeing the white house taking a hands off approach when it is getting involved with the negotiations going on in capitol hill, but what you will see the white house doing is to stepping up the warnings about the impact of the potential Government Shutdown and billing it as an extreme shutdown that would be caused at the hands of the House Republicans. You have seen the white house with this wait and see approach, and watching the chaos playing out in the caucus of the House Of Representatives in the house, and this ideology espoused by some in the congress. And while some say they should stick to the Budget Agreement they agreed to in the Bipartisan Agreement Last May in the house, but it is coming at a precarious time when they are a week away to the shutdown, and the President Biden himself has warned what that impact could be. Take a listen. Lets be clear. If the government shuts down, that means that members of congress, and members of the u. S. Military will have to continue to work, and not get paid. It could impact everything from food safety to Cancer Research to head start programs for the children. And funding government is one of the basic responsibilities of congress, and it is time for the republicans to start doing the job america elected them to do. Now, the president has refrained from getting involved in the negotiations, but what you will see is the cabinet officials appearing to highlight some of the Programs Impact bade Government Shutdown. Today, the agriculture secretary tom vilsack will talk about the impact on Food Programs and loan assistance programs for farmers, but ultimately what the white house is hoping is if the potential shutdown is that if it were to happen, it could be placed, the feet is placed on the hands of the House Republicans, because they have not reached a consensus there to get a bill passed over to the senate. Thank you, arlette. Keep us posted there. All right. Democrat congresswoman Haley Stevens is joining us, and a member of the problemsolvers caucus. Thank you for being here. I wanted to talk to you about where we are with this shutdown. And the republicans are looking at Spending Bills that the senate wont sign, and so at this point, should americans simply expect that there is going to be a shutdown . I dont want to encourage a shutdown, and i believe it can be avoided particularly if we adhere to a plan to pass a continuing resolution, 30 days, 45 days, and this is something that the speaker of the house even said that hed be interested in doing. We all know that a shutdown is just economic damage. It is economic collateral. We have working families relying on day care assistance that is going to expire, and we have Food Security issues. We have the running of the airports and the hard men and women who make it work for so many americans, and i dont want to see those people furloughed, and so if we can do the continuing resolution, and buy some time, and stop with the perfunctory actions of the individual Spending Bills, and come back, but it is wasting time when we need to be delivering for the american people. You mentioned House Speaker mike mccarthy, and he might be open to extending it for a month or so, and if he comes up with a compromise that democrats can get behind, would you get behind keeping him and helping him stay as the speaker . Well, i am not making any promises right now, and i want to see what a deal would look like, and see how that addresses the needs of my constituents. I am here in Southeastern Michigan and we have a uaw strike going on right now. I remember the last partial Government Shutdown, and standing with federal workers as they were not receiving paychecks, and seeing the gas cards being handed out, and sitting with unionized workers, and it is just so disastrous. We know it does not yield the results that the republicans are looking for. And 11 billion is what the last shutdown cost, and billion with a b and with the high Interest Rates coming out of the covid19 shutdown era, we cant go there. Congresswoman stevens, i wanted to push you on that, because you said that you dont want to make any decisions now which is understanding, because you want to get something push through, but you may be open to keeping mccarthy and the speakership if you can come up with a deal that can keep the government funded for the people . Am i correct in saying that . My party leader is Hakeem Jeffries, and that is a conversation that i will have with the democratic caucus, and leadership, and evaluate what a deal looks like. I think that frankly, mr. Mccarthy is a weak speaker right now, and the republicans are blocking republican legislation from Going Forward if it is around spending or gas stoves. This is how this term in congress has worked. When democrats were in charge, we were passing a c. H. I. P. S act, and lowered the cost of prescription drugs, and get the act together for american people. And certainly, there is compromise at the table, but i will respect the leadership of Hakeem Jeffries and get back to session tomorrow. Maybe that is on the Discussion Docket as a caucus. We will see. And you a michigander, and you are expecting President Biden to come and go on the picket line with the uaw workers and so is donald trump, the rival in the 2024 president ial election, and so he is coming to the picket liness. Should they do that . I think that the actions of a twice impeached president who is afraid to debate his opponents is peculiar. He lost michigan by 120,000 votes, and he tried to contest the results of the elections and we are seeing that those who engaged that conspiracy going through the legal ramifications of that action that they took. I am very proud of President Biden. He has been one of the most pro Union President s, and his administration is clearly having labor at the table. Starting with the Infrastructure Bill all of the way to the c. H. I. P. S act, and he is going to be listening to the hard working men and women of the ua with, uaw, and this is what this woman is about, showcasing solidarity, and a sound industry, and we wont have that unless the workers are dealt in. I want to be all ears for the inspiring message, and it is historic to see a United States president come to the picket line and listen to workers, and tuesday is going be a big day here in michigan. It certainly has never happened before, but there is a concern for the photoop for the two othem, and are you concerned about how it looks at all . I think that the president waited for the head of the uaw to extend the invitation whereas the 45th President Donald Trump Just Announced he was coming. It was very unwelcome. So the uaw has invited President Biden to come to engage with the workers. I dont think it is a photoop, but it is a chance to listen to workers. We are in 10th day of to strike, and i was just on the picket line myself, and hearing from workers, and hearing the stories, and a 38year employee told me that he cannot afford the car that pulled into the parking lot and he has been with the uaw for 38 years. That is a tough conversation. Thank you for sharing your insights with us, congresswoman Haley Stevens. And now, a poll is showing a fourway tie in one state, and so what should a candidate do to try the break out of the jam . This week, Donald Trumps Campaign Schedule is on of the busiest since he launched the reelection bid. He has not been on the trail all that muchsh. He is not going to Republican Debate on thursday nig wednes night in california. Jeff zeleny, what is he seeing to make this decision . The former president has long had a one eye on the general election to where he is hoping for a rematch with President Joe Biden next year, but he is keeping an eye on the primary election, and we know that because he is in South Carolina this afternoon. Of course, South Carolina is the three spot on the road to the white house for republicans in terms of the primary schedule next year, and of course, the former South Carolina governor nikki haley has been Making Inroads there in South Carolina, and he is holding an event there today, and he has his eyes on the general going to michigan to appear with striking workers. Michigan is at the center of the region of the country where any president must win. He won it in 2016 and lost nit 2020, and then in california friday for the california state convention, and skipping debate. The reason that he is skipping the debate is found in the new nbc poll. Look at the numbers in terms of the command that the former president has over this. 59 of republicans nationally say they favor him. Of course, it is certainly going to leave an opening and opportunity for many of the rivals which they are trying to do on the Debate Stage Wednesday Night at the Reagan Library in simi valley, california, to try to jump out of the crowded field of number two, but that is clearly the challenge for them there. So, in a slew of polling over the weekend, john, we know one thing, this is going to be a very close rematch, if it is a rematch between President Biden and donald trump if he becomes the nominee, and also, the enthusiasm is lagging for the republicans, and they are concerned about the immigration, the economy and so many other matters, and so certainly a busy week in politics, but looming over it is the shutdown in washington could have a big effect on the president ial race and other things adds well. So a busy week in politics starts here today, john. Just when President Bidens polls may be at the softest, the republicans may move to shutdown the government, and that could give him a boost. Funny you should say that, because joining us is susan page, the bureau chief of usa today, and i wanted to ask her about that very thing, and you have major issues going on at the border, and things that people can come after President Biden for, and the economy as well, but here, you have the republicans who cannot get it together and avert this shutdown. Tell me how it is going to play out even though we have seen the poll numbers for jeff zeleny . Well, it is the best possible news for the white house, because it distracts from news that is less friendly. And the House Republicans are going to be taking the political blame for the repercussions of the shutdown which can be serious for federal workers and americans who want to get the passport renewed, and we saw with the trump shutdown, the longest shutdown in our history, the big political cost that he paid for that. The white house is of course warning about the reasons not to have a shutdown, and politically speaking, it could be a good thing for them. And the former President Donald Trump has weighed in here, and he is advising the republicans in congress to shut everything down. So you can see it playing in the president ial race as well. Yes, it is terrible news for Kevin Mccarthy who is trying desperately, the House Speaker trying desperately to find some way out of this mess. We have a week to go, but not a path apparent to Aide A Shutdown at this point, and big path apparent that may cost Kevin Mccarthy his speakership, and we will have to see about that. A couple of days from now, another president ial debate with the republicans, and donald trump once again, not showing up, and the poll numbers are fine for him, and he is not going. What do you see coming out of the debate, and another one where somebody comes forward and everyone is beating up on Everyone Else except for him. What all of the candidates need is for someone to emerge as the obvious number two, and for a while, ron desantis had that role, but he has frited fritte away, and lost the commanding role. Nikki haley did well in the first debate, and maybe she can emerge as a strong number two. And if the Nontrump Vote got together in New Hampshire in one piece, they could defeat donald trump, but there is no signs that any candidates except for Asa Hutchison would be ready to drop out, and clearly defining field, but man, it is going to be hard to deny donald trump. And if you are nikki haley, and you want to emerge as the clear number two, how do you do it in the debate . Do you take on donald trump or take on ron desantis . Well, you take on donald trump, and that is the guy that you are trying to beat. And on the issue of the national debt, that is the first point Out Of The Box in that debate is to criticize republicans for increasing the national debt, and that is interesting. She also offered a kind of more moderate nuanced stance on abortion, and i am going to be looking to see if candidates move on the Abortion Issue that has defined Republican Party since Ronald Reagan for the president ial nominees, and donald trump opened the door in his comments on abortion. I wonder if anybody else is going to walk through it. Susan page, thank you for the insight this morning. Following you, john. All right. The russian strikes kill at least two people, and cause significant damage in odessa overnight, as the forces are targeting the southern port, and the real big news out of russia, and ukraine this morning is that ukraine is saying that a russian admiral, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet was killed in the Ukrainian Missile attack on the Black Sea Port of sebastipol. Elliot. New this morning, the commander of the Russian Black Sea fleet was killed in the attack on sevastopol which is on the tip of the crimean tip. And the officials said that victo Victor Sokoloff was killed when the black sea was hit. I want to bring in the lieutenantcommander of the naval fleet, and what would that do for that, retired general hertling. Well, it is a big deal, and when you decide what ports you are going to strike and then strike it. It is not just the admiral killed, but it is the port inside of sevastopol, and where others were killed and probably a great many of the staff, and ukraine is estimating between 30 to 37 other naval officers, but it is going to disrupt operations there in the black sea. And also, the Ukrainian Forces hit the telecommunications headquarters, and that is going to destroy their command and control infrastructure of a major element of the russian n navy. And to be able to hit it, and know that he is there when you are hitting it to have that kind of success. General, you are a tang k guy, d so it is great pleasure i can ask you that Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that the first u. S. Abrams tanks have arrived in country, and what is the difference that these tanks can make . Well, they are in my view, john, and i say with it. A little trepidation, because i am sure that the germans would debate me on this, but it is the best tank in the world. It has the capability of high speed, and armour protection, and great firepower from the 21 millimeter gun, and range very far, and it is also going to have great group protection, and Kit Hit Targets that it aims at 3,000 meters plus which is tremendously important, but it has machine gun, and several machine guns on the vehicle that can engage Troop Targets and so it is a capable armored system, and tough to train on. The ukrainians have been doing that for the last several months as promised. Secretary of defense austin said that the Ukraine Forces are going to be getting 31 of these tanks which is the equivalent of a Ukrainian Armored battalion and contributing to the Ground Warfare especially in the ongoing offensive that ukraine is conducting. So 31 of them, and what do you do with them . I have the map up here of the counteroffensive, and you can see the small areas of yellow which the ukrainians have been able to take back, and do you throw the 31 tanks right to the front immediately or because you have relatively limited capacity, do you be careful with them . Well, i hesitate to answer that question, john, but i know what i would do with them. I would wait for the counteroffensive that is going on now in several directions to show strength and breakthrough operation, and then use the tanks as a combined team of infantry and Air Assault Engineers to use them as key break for supply lines and to go through, but it is to be used as a mass of a combined mobile arms team as part of the mobile punch. Once you find out where you want to go and the areas have been cleared of the mines which have been plaguing the Ukrainian Forces over the last several months, you throw them in, in a combined arms team, and have that kind of the armored punch needed to breakthrough and continue theassault, because they can move kw quickly and us in an assault. Thank you, retired general mark hertling. And now, in new orleans, the government is trying to avert a disaster to avert a Drinking Water disaster in that state. That is ahead. The mayor of new orleans is warning the city is on the brink oa Drinking Water disaster, and he has declared a state of emergency, and here is the problem. Extreme drought in the central u. S. Has dropped the water levels in the Mississippi River to allow the water from Gulf Of Mexico to push upward and mixings saltwater into the new orleans Drinking Water systems. Joining us is Chief Climate Expert bill weir, and this is really scary. What is happening . This the Compounding Interest of the disaster of climate change. And so this has happened before in new orleans. So they came up with this idea, the Army Corps Of Engineers, and they would build sills to stop the saltwater which is denser than fresh from coming upstream, and now for the first time ever, they have had to rebuild the sill in backtoback years and the projection to do it every five years we can manage it, but now the drought is so bad, that the Army Corps Of Engineers says that they need 10 inches of rain to beat back the saltwater. We know what happens with the saltwater, and corrosive pipes that are old, and we know what happened in flint with the Lead Poisoning issue, and that is scary, but it is not just about water, but food, too. Yes, one every five bites comes from the Mississippi River, and so, coming down with the barges and we saw the wrecks of The Civil War being exposed from the drought, and the one bushel of soybeans going up 300 , and you will see it in the grocery bill, and the army corp not just dredging to make room for the ships to make room for the commerce dredged up, but they are bringing in billions of dollars of freshwater to combat. And so, water, air and climate, and we are in real trouble. Thank you. We cant take things for granted anymore. And now, we are waiting to hear from bob menendez as fellow democrats are call for his resignation, and what does he plan to say . And now embattled senator bob menendez is set to make the first remarks after being indicted on Bribery Channels as members of his own party are calling on him to step down. And with the Clock Ticking to zero on a Government Shutdown, it may be his own job, what are House Speaker Kevin Mccarthys latest plans . Hollywood writers are reacting after reaching a tentative deal with the studio owners, and forcing some shows into hiatus and pausing some movie