since he was indicted. we'll tell you how he explains what was found in his home and how his colleagues are responding. republicans are still fighting. the government is running out of cash in days. the biden administration is looking to leverage the dysfunction. later, salt from the gulf of mexico could threatening the drinking water in new orleans. we'll tell you how they're scrambling to deal with this. we're following these stories and many more all coming in to "cnn news central." earlier today democratic senator bob menendez offered up his first public response to a federal indictment on bribery charges. this is actually his second time facing corruption-related charges in ten years. just like the first time, he's

not backing down, even though this case includes incriminating photos of gold bars, huge chunks of cash. menendez says he's done nothing wrong and is confident he'll be vi vindicated. >> i understand how deeply concerning this may be. however, the allegations levelled against me are just that, allegations. i recognize this will be the biggest fight yet. as i've saitated throughout the whole process, i firmly believe when all the facts are presented i will be exonerated. >> we've been tracking this. cara, we know the facts ads presented by the prosecution, all the cash, the gold bars and why the prosecution says he had it. what was his defense for having all this? >> reporter: so senator menendez really focusing on the

allegations in the indictment to some extent. he's been accused of taking cash, hundreds of thousands of dollars of gold bars and a mercedes-benz convertible in exchange for helping three new jersey business men and aiding the government of egypt. the senator saying the cash the fbi found when they searched his home last year, he said that was old fashioned and he just withdrew money from his savings account and stored it like that in his home. he didn't address the gold bars and the mercedes. on the issue of egypt, he rattled off a list of accomplishments and positions he's taken as a senator saying he's been tough on jimt. he's not aided egypt and he tried to hold them accountable for human rights abuses. he spoke to these calling from democrats for his resignation saying that sometimes prosecutors getting wrong nodding to that 2015 indictment where he was facing similar

charges. he ultimately survived that politically and through the justice system. he's saying he wants people to not rush to judgment. here's more of what he said. >> a corner stone of the foundation of american democracy and our justice system is the principle that all people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. all people. i ask for nothing more and deserve nothing less. the court of public opinion is no substitute for our revered justice system. we cannot set aside the presumption of innocence for political expediency when the harm is irrevocable. >> reporter: menendez did have some of his constituents there saying he's not lost the confidence of new jersey. he refused to answer any questions. jim?

>> notable. he's in court soon? >> reporter: yeah. menendez is due in court along with his wife and the three new jersey businessmen on wednesday where they'll go before a judge to face these charges. menendez hasn't said what his plea will be. it seems clear he'll enter a plea of not guilty. this will be his second time going through the justice system on charges that are serious corruption charges. he will be having this play out over the next several months or a year. that overlaps with the big question here. is he going to run for re-election? he did after the last criminal case. the senior senator from new jersey, will he run for re-election next year? >> let's go to manu raju on the hill. manu, we've seen a lot of attacks on the justice system when republicans, including the former president, have been indicted. we've not seen attacks on the

justice system by the democrats. a number of them have called for his resignation. >> reporter: yeah, and a lot of them from new jersey saying he should step aside. he's facing a primary challenge from congressman andy kim. the criticism is not translating or not being echoed yesterday among senate democrats. only one, john fetterman of pennsylvania, calling for him to resign. democrat leaders are saying what menendez is saying. he has a presumption of innocence until proven guilty. some saying they acknowledge the charges are very serious, but menendez is due his time in court. senator dick durbin echoed what chuck schumer said friday, that menendez should be allowed to fight this out in court. >> in terms of resignation, that's a decision to be made by

senator menendez. >> i think senator menendez has to think long and hard about the cloud that's going to hangover his service in the united states senate. >> i believe that it's in the best interest for senator menendez to resign in this moment. as a latina, there are absolutely ways in which there is systemic bias. i think what is in the indictment is quite clear. >> reporter: you're seeing a split with house democrats and senate democrats. alexandria ocasio-cortez responded to him saying because he's a latino he's being targeted. alexandria ocasio-cortez pushing back on that criticism from menendez. we'll see when democratic senators return to washington tomorrow and we'll ask many of them about these charges. how many more of them will say he should fight this in court? how many others will say it's time for him to resign?

>> do you have a sense of the majority leaders calculus here? there are political implications of course. we're going into an important election cycle. >> reporter: this is a hugely important decision for menendez himself about whether or not to run for re-election. he didn't say so himself in those remarks he gave to the press. he wouldn't answer questions from the press. chuck schumer is aware that if bob menendez were to run, it could make his efforts to keep the senate that much harder if this seat is a vulnerable seat, something that could switch to the republican side. there's a huge map they have to battle here. chuck schumer has dealt with this the same way as when bob menendez was indicted. he didn't call for him to resign. he said he should step aside as chairman of the senate foreign relations committee. these time he's also stepping

aside. we'll see what happens when he's pressed on questions on whether he'll back bob menendez for re-election. a brief statement from schumer on friday praising menendez' time in office and saying he supports his decision to step aside as chairman. >> manu raju, thank you. breonna? congress has just one work week left to avoid a government shutdown. infighting among house republicans has stymied progress. the white house is blaming a small group of what they called extremist republicans. agriculture secretary detailed the ground level impacts of a shutdown at the white house briefing. he's joining us now to talk about that. mr. secretary, thank you so much for being with us. i want to cover just the real effects of what will happen if there's a shutdown. one thing interrupted -- you talked about this -- is nutrition and health assistance

to women, infants and children, the w. i c program. what happens if those funds run out? >> they won't be able to get the nutritional items they need. nearly 7 million women, post-partum, pregnant women, young children, babies, nearly 50% of american's young population is in wic. we're talking about a significant impact that shouldn't have to be. a deal is a deal. a majority of house republicans voted for the debt ceiling deal and it seems to me this is an unnecessary consequence of not

recognizing that a deal is a deal. >> how long until meals on wheels is affected? >> well, those programs get impacted at various times. for example, the s.n.a.p. program, our largest nutrition program, 41 million americans rely on it, we probably have resources to be able to get through the month of october. if a shutdown were to last longer than that, we would see those families negatively impacted by the shutdown. it's not just nutrition assi assistance. it's farm loans, farmers who need help to pay their bills. they won't be able to get it because the farm service loan office will be shut down. it won't have anybody there. a young couple wishing to purchase a home in rural america won't be able to do so because the office can't be staffed. there are real consequences to real people as a result of the

shut shutdown. this is what people in washington don't understand. they like to play the game, but the game has serious consequences to real property. >> you mentioned how marketing loans would stop. the crop report is due in october, october 12th. that would be interrupted at a critical point for soy beans and corn. are there risks to the food supply? >> there's not a risk to the food supply, but there's a risk to the ability to make a profit as a farer. many small producers have a difficult time as it is. without the marketing information and the loans, it will be very difficult for them. that adds a considerable amount of stress to families working hard to make sure we have adequate food supplies. it's a n unfortunate con

consequences. it's also the federal parks. they'll be shut down. there's no reason for this when there was a deal struck and parties voted for it. >> should democrats throw kevin mccarthy a life line and vote for a c.r. to keep the country open? >> i think the speaker has to do his job. he worked hard to get it. now he has to do it. it's in his hands. it's his members and the extreme element of his caucus that's holding everything up. some way, somehow he needs to deal with those folks that gets a budget that's consistent with the deal that was struck by a majority of house republicans, a majority of house democrats, a majority of the united states senate and signed by the president. that is the answer here.

we went to great lengths to strike this deal which cuts spending. my department will see a cut. we're willing to accept that cut, but we're not willing to accept a cut that will cripple the usda from being able to do its work for so many people in rural america. >> i want to ask you about india. canada and india are in a row right now because the canadian prime minister justin trudeau called out india for alleged involvement of an assassination of an activist on canadian soil. the u.s. ambassador to canada confirmed there was a partnership to support what trudeau was saying to india. the u.s. government has major interests in maintaining a positive relationship with india. a couple weeks ago you welcomed india reducing tariffs on certain american al cugricultur

products. how do you send india a message it's not okay to send someone to assassinate someone on canadian soil? >> the u.s./canadian relationship in trading is extremely important. we have quite a number of issues when it comes to india with trade. my focus is on what i can control which is the trade relationship between the united states and india. we need to work to break down barriers. we welcome the tariff relief, but there's more india needs to do. >> mr. secretary, thank you for being with us. jim? cnn obtained a new survey by bank of america that 2 out of 3 employees feel prices are rising

faster than their paychecks. why this could be a problem for president biden. both biden and trump are headed to michigan this week to battle for that swing state. how support for the unions could play into this. later, the writers union reaches a tentative deal with the studios. details on how soon shows could start and where actors stand in their strike. you're watching "cnn news central." we'll be right back.

paycheck isn't keeping up with inflation, you're not alone. according to a new bank of america study more than 2 out of 3 wage earners don't think their wages are growing fast enough. that's up from february 2022. >> this despite that inflation has dropped dramatically from the peak 9.1% in june of 2022. matt egan is the man who obtained the look at this data. matt, what are your takeaways from the survey? >> it's a sobering report and a

reminder that a lot of americans are stressing out about money. some of these numbers are moving in the wrong direction. 67% of employees surveyed say that prices are going up faster than their paychecks. that's up from 58% early last year. this is understandably unnerving a lot of people. if you look at how many people say they're financially well right now, it's just 42%. that is the lowest percentage since bank of america started tracking this in 2010. this is lower than just after the great recession, lower than end even during the covid recession. it's surprising because the rate of inflation has cooled off significantly. prices are going up at less than half the pace they were at the peak last year. here's the problem, prices are still going up, just not as much as they were and inflation is

cumulative. there's this snow balling effect. everything from eggs, car rentals to a night out at a restaurant is a lot more expensive than it was before covid. even though government data shows that paychecks are starting to catch up, a lot of americans feel like they can't keep up with the prices. >> what about for women? >> the numbers are particularly stark for women. bank of america found that 38% of women say they feel financially well. that's down pretty dramatically from 55% early last year. women are also more likely to say that financial stress is keeping them up at night, that they feel like they won't be able to make ends meet due to inflation. look at this. 39% of women say they have to look for additional employment just to try to keep up with rising costs. 39% of women say that, just 17% for men. it's evidence of the pay gap

where women make on average less than men. also, big picture here, this is just another reminder of why americans are giving president biden's economic performance such low numbers. they feel like they can't keep up right now. >> there is a political element to this. that's why we have eva mcken with us. there's a lag effect to this. folks will feel things as the numbers change and inflation is cumulative. a lot of that effect is still there. it might explain these really bad economic approval numbers that biden has. >> reporter: yes, jim, and the data seems to be getting worse for the president. this is a persistent issue, not just for president biden, but democrats broadly. when you speak to voters, they give republicans a bit more credit when it comes to economic issues even though the policies that democrats champion like extending the child tax credit are popular with most americans.

that's why what we're likely to see and what we saw in the midterms is democrats make other arguments in concert with the economic one. they can't run on the economy alone. we'll hear about reproductive fre freedom, preserving american democracy. that may make up for not being able to convince voters on the economic issues. >> eva, stay with us. we're following the campaign. president biden and former president trump, how they're responding to labor strikes. biden set to join the picket line tomorrow in michigan. trump also planning to visit union members in that state. they're making those trips.

nathaniel myerson has more on that. the impression of unions had gone down for decades, now it's reversed. >> reporter: we've seen support for unions grow since the financial crash in 2008. right now 66% of the public approves of unions according to gallop. we're seeing strong support for the uaw members. 75% of the public sides with workers over the auto companies. this support is bipartisan. 85% of democrats, 77% of independents, 66% of republicans are siding with uaw workers. >> how about participate rates? they were way down for a long time. some evidence it was picking up again. where do they stand now? >> reporter: jim, the strong public support for unions is not

translating into strong union pr t participation. we've seen the numbers decline. in 2022 10% of the public belongs to the union. in 1979 uaw membership peaked at 1.5 million members. now it's down to under 400,000. >> that's remarkable. less than a third. >> eva back with us on this. it's interesting we're going to be seeing trump and biden this week talking to these union workers. it's not just about the auto workers. they set the pace for the middle class. this is a bit of a battle for the middle class. they'll be doing it in different ways. >> they are. president biden has more at stake. he's the president and so he is taking a very clear side here.

you know, it could come back to bite him. we know these are very delicate negotiations. ultimately he wants to be seen as on the side of the american workers and he wants to remind folks that it's democrats that support policies that support union workers. meanwhile, the former president will go down there and blame democrats for this push for green policies and say that's the real reason for the auto industry's woes. >> eva and nathaniel, thank you so much. the pentagon confirms that ukraine has gotten its first delivery of u.s.-made abram tanks. what it could mean for the counteroffensive against russia. we'll have that next.

the first batch of these 31 u.s.-made abram tanks have arrived in the ukraine. president zelenskyy said the tanks are preparing to reinforce ukrainian brigades. the commander of russia's black sea fleet was killed in an attack. sources say he died and more than 100 troops were wounded when the headquarters was hit. in a case of possible retaliation, a russian drone attack on odesa has left at least two people dead. you can see an abandoned hotel which was hit in that strike.

joining me now retired general mark kimid. ukraine in the midst of a major counteroffensive in the east. a relatively small number of abram tanks coming. consequential in your view? >> it's about the size of a half of a u.s. army battalion. it's not a large force, but it is the best tank in the world. we have to be modest that these are not wonder weapons and they could not get on the battlefield before the winter sets in. >> we saw that with the german tanks. they have been important, but no one ingredient changes the entire mix. i want to talk about the black sea strike. this is not the first time ukrainians have shown their ability to strike commanders, they sunk the black sea fleet in

early stages of the war. they've struck other ships and other port facilities. i was told that the black sea fleet is frozen because of the these attacks and can't operate so much there. is that true and is it becoming more true with these attacks? >> i think it is. i think even more important than that, jim, is we keep focusing on the counteroffensive up north. there's a lot of action going on down in crimea. it could be that the ukrainians are having better affidavit against the russians in crimea than up north. we have to keep watching this because i don't think this is the last attack the ukrainians will do down there. >> bigger picture for a moment -- i understand you just returned from turkey, a crucial vote coming on sweden's admittance into the alliance. it seemed like eturkey's

president ascended to the vote. >> well, it's important to remember in 2022 it was not the president of turkey, but the grand assembly that prevented the americans from using turkey to get into iraq. the real sticking point will be in their parliament, their grand assembly, in terms of what they expect from sweden. >> i was in turkey when the parliament said no to allowing u.s. forces to go through turkey into iraq. before we go, you mentioned how ukrainians are having success in the black sea and that might be telling. what's your position right now on the status of the counteroffensive as a whole? >> i think that we will probably go into the winter this year the way we did this year, very fearful that the russians will use the winter time to email bolster those defenses they have along the border between the

ukrainian forces and the russian forces. i think it's going to be a tough winter. i don't think we'll see any decisive battles until next spring. >> general kimmitt, thank you so much as always. >> thank you. >> breonna? hollywood writers are preparing to put down their protest signs after a tentative deal was reached with the studios. are the actors next? we'll have a live report from los angeles. plus, the army corp. of engineers is scrambling to protect new orleans' drinking water. we'll explain why next.

president biden is applauding the tentative deal between hollywood writers and the major studio. it's expected to end the second longest strike in the history of the writers guild. wga leaders call the deal meaningful gains for all

writers. the guild has told writers to stop picketing and join the ag ag actors still striking. the strike has cost the industry $5 billion at this point. camilla, it's possible the writers could get the green light to return to work tomorrow. how likely is that? >> reporter: it's uncertain at this point, but it's likely they'll get the green light this week according to the statement from the wga. every writer told me they want to go back to work. one said, i want to go back to making magic and tell stories. the union says you have to wait until we give you the green light because we're still on strike. they're working on the fine print, that legal contract. they're saying -- they're dotting every "i." that's taking longer.

after that do that, we'll see a vote by the leadership. that's expected tomorrow. after that vote happens, the contract will be made public for us and the writers. they'll be able to ask questions and see whether they like this deal or not. a lot of the writers said they trust the negotiators and they believe they got them what they wanted in regards to wages, streaming and artificial intelligence. sources saying, yes, artificial intelligence was the last sticking point. it hasn't been easy for the writers. we're getting to the end of the process and there's so much hope, breonna, in the horizon for the writers and everyone in the industry. >> what about the s.a.g.-aftra strike, what's next there? >> reporter: that's the problem. even if the writers go back to work, we need the actors as well. a lot of people in the industry believe, yes, this will likely motivate them to get back to the

table, but they have their own demands. it's going to be difficult. i want to read part of the statement that s.a.g.-aftra released after the deal was made. they said since the day the wga strike begun, s.a.g.-aftra stood beside them on the picket line. we encourage the amtpt to return to the table and make the fair deal we deserve and demand. they're asking to go back to the table, which is good news. the question is how long will it take? already time is running out for the rest of the year in terms of tv shows and movies next summer. there's still a lot of waiting around to see production go back to normal. again, everybody wanting to go back to work. >> camilla, thank you for the report. jim. now to the other hinds.

cuba said its emabassy was attacked over the weekend. according to officials two molotov cocktails was thrown at the embassy. there were no injuries and no significant damage. also, oscar-winning actress so sofia loren underwent surgery after falling in her home. she suffered several fractures to her hip and thigh bone. her agent said the surgery went, quote, very well. the women's national soccer team sent out megan rapinoe with a win in her final match. they defeated south africa 2-0 in a friendly in chicago on sunday. the 38-year-old won two world cup titles and one gold medal in

the olympics. she'll be missed. >> what a ride. widespread drought has made water levels along the mississippi river so low that salt water from the gulf of mexico is creeping upstream and that is putting new orleans on the brink of a drinking water disaster. the mayor said the situation is critical. we have bill weir tracking the story. how did things get this bad and what is new orleans doing to fix it? >> you have to start in the '80s when congress told the army corp. of engineers to dig bigger channels and salt water intrusion got worse. the corp. of engineers said they have to build speed bumps to stop that salt water from coming in. they thought they might have had to do it every five years. they had to do it every other year because the mississippi is so low right now.

right now it's affecting a couple thousand people in the south there, but it doesn't just affect drinking water. it affects barge traffic again. last summer the price of shipping a bushel of soy beans went up 300%. now they have to move millions of gallons of fresh water to keep diluting the saline. they have maybe bottled water ready. a lot of people taking that step. rushing to the shelves, empties stores. new orleans officials saying don't do that yet. the folks down south, they need that bottled water. a lot to think about for the next month. >> people always prepare once they worry something may be headed their way, even if they don't need to. bill weir, thank you so much. it's very alarming.

jim? years after the start of the pandemic some people are still struggling with long covid. scientists could be closer to figuring out why. that's next.

a tragic milestone in the number first responders who died with 9/11-related illness wes two more fdny members dieing this month. the head of the union that represents new york firefighters marked this passing in a news conference a short time ago. in the coming days we'll bury the 343rd member of the fdny that passed after september

11, 2001, but sadly, he will not be the last. there are thousands of new york city firefighters and other people related to the cleanup that have been diagnosed with cancer and the number will continue to climb for us without an end in sight. >> fdny officials are seeking more funding. according to those officials, thousands of firefighters, as you heard there still struggling with cancer and other illnesses related to 9/11. the department, they say, averages three to four deaths each and every month. jim? >> that number is just startling all these years after 9/11. well, was there a glimmer of hope for people suffering from long covid. the often-deiltating symptoms linger long after the virus has passed and that hope comes in two long, but detailed studies that offer a biomarker for that chronic condition. the biomarker could lead to better tests and therefore treatments for people who are

often treated as medical mysteries. cnn medical correspondent meg terrell joins us now. this has been one of the medical mysteries and they're feeling it and the numbers support that. the question is what to do about it so i wonder what we've learned here and what kind of hope it offers. >> yeah, jim. even years into this pandemic, this is still the very early days of the science of understanding long covid and it affects just a huge number of people. it's a small percentage of the adult population, about 6% according to cdc estimates from june of 2023 and that's actually going down over the years which is good, but that's 15 million american adults who were estimated to have symptoms of long covid right now and these symptoms could be varied and they include things like fatigue and brain fog, memory issues or confusion, shortness of breath and the sort of umbrella of different symptoms that affect all different parts of the body that scientists are trying to better understand so we can

develop better tests or tests at all or better treatments for long covid and they're lending to our better understanding here. >> so take us some more into the data here as to what it's telling folks. we just learned from an announcement from the biden administration related to this that it's going to have more free tests for the public? could this -- could this have a benefit here? >> well, certainly knowing if you have covid has a definite benefit and that's what those free tests aim to do and people can start ordering those today. in terms of these two studies on long covid, one of them found that people who have symptoms of long covid have elevated and they have lower levels of the hormone cortisol in their blood and that could be one potential thing if they understand it further to help you develop tests for long covid and they found evidence of irregulation and they found people hospitalized for covid several months later on mri had evidence

of organ damage and so we're starting to understand what differentiates people with this horrible long-term condition from other folks and that could really help the science in terms of tests and treatments. >> no question. we look forward to hearing those answers. breeanna? >> kevin mccarthy caught between a rock and some hard liners. the speaker's delicate dance to avoid a shutdown and fend off threats to his leadership.

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candidates, two very similar campaign stops. president biden and former president trump both heading to michigan and ground zero for the high-stakes autoworkers union fight. plus, what a possible government shutdown just days away. house speaker kevin mccarthy is facing a defining moment. does he risk a shutdown or does he cross hardliners by working with democrats. bob menendez rejectioning calls to resign in his first public statement since being indicted on bribery charges. we are following these major developing stories all coming in right here to "cnn news central." ♪ ♪ these are live pictures that we are watching here out of somerville, south carolina where former president donald trump is delivering remarks at a campaign event. he will not be at the second republican debate on wednesday, but this week it's still gearing up to be his busiest 2024

campaign stretch yet. he's in michigan on wednesday to talk to union workers and california on friday and iowa on sunday. >> trump's visit to michigan will come one day after president biden will be there. the president plans to walk the picket line alongside uaw workers. joining us now is cnn national correspondent kristen holmes in south carolina and kayla tausche and jeff zeleny. kristen, first to you. we know trump's skipping a republican debate and spending his time instead in four important primary states and he doesn't think there is much competition for the gop nomination. >> well, jim, part of what we're seeing this week is early voting. the next couple of weeks, as well and these are gearing up this campaign is not just for the general election which is what we've been talk a lot about with this trip to michigan, in south carolina, iowa and new hampshire these are trip's