news" for this wednesday. from the cbs broadcast center in from the cbs broadcast center in new york city, captioning funded by cbs it's wednesday, september 18th, 2019. this is the "cbs morning news." mission in the middle east. secretary of state mike pompeo is headed to saudi arabia in the wake of the oil refinery attacks there as iran issues a new warning. election deadlock in israel. why the political future of prime minister benjamin netanyahu is now in doubt. plus, the disturbing piher . good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs headquarters here in new york, good to

i'm anne-marie green. well, this morning secretary of state mike pompeo is headed to saudi arabia following the attacks on oil facilities there. iran is suspected of carrying out the attacks this weekend but denies responsibility. this morning iran's president said he did not want conflict in the region, and he accused the u.s. and a saudi-led military coalition of starting a war in yemen. laura podesta is here in new york. laura, what can we expect from pompeo's visit? >> reporter: good morning. we're expecting some clarification. cbs news is hearing that today iran will officially be named as the country responsible for these attacks on saudi arabia. we're also expecting to find out what saudi arabia wants to do in response to those attacks and if the u.s. will coordinate with the kingdom. sear sta mikmp on toaudirabia in wake of the attack on the kingdom's oil industry. a senior diplomatic source tells cbs news that saudi arabia plans

to directly blame iran later today. >> we're locked and loaded, and we're ready to defend our interests and our allies in the region. >> reporter: joint chief chairman general joseph dunford said president trump has not yet asked for any military options and stressed economic, political, and diplomatic responses are available, as well. >> do i want war? i don't want war with anybody. >> reporter: u.s. officials say the saudis may also want to avoid a military conflict after cruise missiles and drones bypassed its air defenses. experts have examined the wreckage and determined the weapons were made in iran. >> if we give them a pass here, they just will escalate. >> reporter: republican senator lindsey graham said the u.s. au this interrupts the world oil supply, there are many national security reasons for the president to act. >> reporter: but democrats argue president trump needs congressional approval to strike iran. >> he'll bumble into war. even if they don't wanwar, eyo

>> armed conflict against iran based on protecting saudi oil, that would be a disaster. >> reporter: saudi arabia says half of its oil production has already been restored. and saudi arabia expects to be back up to full production by the end of the month which is quicker than first expected. and that's good news for drivers. analysts now say prices at the pump will still increase, but not by as much as previously thought. anne-marie? >> lara podesta in new york. thank you so much, laura. the political future of israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is in doubt this morning. partial results and exit polls from yesterday's national s shr chief benny gantz's blue and white party was deadlocked with netanyahu's likud party. if the results stand, it means netanyahu failed to secure enough votes for a majority in parliament. this morning netanyahu said he will work to form a new zionist government that excludes arab parties.

>> if these results are near what the actual, real result are, then netanyahu is in real trouble. doesn't have 61 seats, the parliamentary majority, without lieberman. and lieberman has made clear he won't sit with netanyahu and his far right and religious allies. >> lieberman is the head of an israeli political party whose support is needed to form a coalition. netanyahu campaigned as a strong ally of the u.s. and a close friend of president trump. he's also facing possible uinches orain in eatening t parts of southeast texas and southwestern louisiana over the next few days. the national hurricane center says the houston area and other significant rainfall through thursday as the storm moves north. imelda formed yesterday and made landfall near freeport, texas, with winds of 40 miles per hour. officials in the houston area are preparing high-water vehicles and rescue boats in

case they're needed. meanwhile, hurricane humberto continues to strengthen in the atlantic. the storm with winds of up to 115 miles per hour is forecast to pass dangerously close to bermuda tonight. and now to the political storm brewing on capitol hill. the house judiciary committee held its first hearing in its impeachment investigation. it questioned former trump campaign manager corey lewandowski. he testified for five hours and was grilled for an incident in robert mueller's russia report ri potenti obstruction of justice bpreside. thwitnes answer the quesithout further delay. >> repor never workn buars he g an unusual order from the president. >> he dictated to you exactly what he wanted you to put into the mouth of attorney general jeff sessions, correct? >> i believe he asked me to deliver a message for jeff to consider delivering himself.

>> reporter: according to lewandowski's own notes, mr. trump wanted sessions to, quote, meet with the special counsel robert mueller to limit his jurisdiction because the president was, quote, being treated very unfairly. sess re landowskihould tell sessions he was fired. >> didn't you think it was strange that the president would sit down one on one and ask you to do something that you knew was against the law? >> i didn't think the president asked me to do anything illegal. >> reporter: and yet, lewandowski never followed through. >> got cold feet. you chickened out. >> i went on vacation. >> reporter: lewandowski considering a bid for the senate for new hampshire and made the most of his time in the spotlight, tweeting out a link to his website during the hearing which lasted for more than five hours. nancy cordes, cbs news, capitol hill. lyft h sexual assault lawsuit. allison turkos says that she was raped by a lyft driver who picked her up in new york city

in 2017. in a statement released by her lawyer, she says the driver kidnapped her at gunpoint, drove her across state lines, and then raped her along with two other men. she claims lyft allowed the driver to continue using its platform for years under a new name and profile. lyft says turkos initially reported the incident as an indirect route and asked for a refund. the u.s. government has filed a lawsuit against former national security agency contractor edward snowden. the justice department is trying to recover all proceeds from snowden's new memoir. snowden accused of violating nondisclosure agreements that he ubling the gt e nsa and the ci rtunity to review it first. six years ago snowden leaked intelligence about secret programs and is living in russia to avoid arrest. and pittsburgh pirate pitcher felipe vasquez is in custody on multiple felony

charges including sexually assaulting a child. the pirates star closer was arrested yesterday in pittsburgh for allegedly soliciting an arges including statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors. the charges follow an investigation in florida involving the 28-year-old pitcher, allegedly have a sexual relationship with a girl starting when she was 13 years old. he was placed on administrative leave by major league baseball. coming up on the morning news, a possible stand-your-ground case in georgia where a homeowner is accused of killing three teenagers. and health alert. michigan sees its worst outbreak of a mosquito-borne disease in more than a decade. this is the "cbs morning news." (beep) the ups and downs of frequent mood swings can plummet you to extreme lows. (crying) lift you to intense highs.

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authorities say the incident appears to be an accident. an out-of-control black mercedes slammed through the glass door entrance in new rochelle. the driver and two bystanders were hurt, but there were no injuries that were serious. why some officials in michigan are canceling outdoor activities, and an admissions war in california. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." the "los angeles times" reports president trump today is expected to revoke a decades' old california emissions rule. currently the state is all to set tougher car emissions standards than those required by the federal government. it has made california a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality. simon mu who worked for the epa during the second bush administration says the oil industry will benefit the most from the president's anticipated action. >> the ultimate winner of this action is actually the oil industry.

and that's because the oil industry will be able to sell more gas -- have more >> the epa had no official comment on the president's plan which is likely to set off years of legal battles. "usa today" reports a georgia homeowner killed three teenagers in a possible stand-your-ground case. the teens, ages 15 and 16, were fatally shot by the homeowner early monday. authorities say that the teenagers were wearing masks when they approached the yard. police say evidence indicates they attempted to rob three people. one of the intended robbery victims returned fire. a neighbor said that he heard gunshots, and as soon as it ended he heard a cry for help outside his window. >> he said, help me, i'm dying, i'm dying. to imagine seeing someone who was just shot laying on your lawn, that's what bothered me. i'm -- i'm torn up behind that. >> so far no charges have been filed in the case.

michigan is seeing its worst outbreak of a potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease in more than a decade. that's according to the "detroit news." health officials tell the paper there have been seven confirmed human cases of eastern equine encephalitis in the state, and three have died. >> author ni canceling outdoor activities for the final time being. and cbs station kkal is reporting a prominent democratic donor has been charged with running a drug den out of his apartment. ed buck was arrested after a man overdosed in his west hollywood home last week. the 65-year-old is set to be arraigned today. prosecutors say buck's actions led to the death of two men in his apartment since 2017. he's described as a violent sexual predator who preys on men facing addiction and homelessness. they recommend bail be set at $4 million. and mandy moore fans, get excited. she's out with her first single in a decade.

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it's just really nice toilet paper. here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ new york has become the first state to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. yesterday a state health panel approved the ban. it goes into effect immediately. the ban does not cover menthol or tobacco flavors. retailers have two weeks to remove the products from their shelves. nationwide at least seven deaths are linked to vaping. on the cbs "money watch" now, an update on the general motors strike, and kfc is testing a new chicken sandwich. diane king hall is at the new york stock exchange with those stories and more. good morning, diane. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. well, the federal reserve is

expected to cut interest rates today by a quarter percentage point. it would be the fed's second rate cut this year amid signs the u.s. economy iin yesterday, wall street ended higher as the impact of the weekend attacks on saudi arabian oil plants faded. the dow gained 33, the s&p 500 a added 32. the trump administration is expressing optimism that congress will pass the u.s.-mexico-canada free trade agreement. yesterday vice president mike pence said he believed congress would approve the agreement this year. pence said it is, quote, vital that congress passes this deal to replace nafta. he said it would boost the u.s. economy, create jobs, and help president trump reach a trade deal with china. the united auto workers union says progress is being made in talks to end the strike against general motors. about 49,000 workers walked off more than 50 factories and parts warehouses. talks continued into last night and will resume today.

analysts say gm is losing $50 million to $100 million a day due to lost production. a judge cleared the way for stay in business after if filed for bankruptcy sunday. at a hearing yesterday, purdue lawyers obtained permission for the multibillion-dollar drug company to maintain business as usual selling opioids. purdue is looking to settle more than 2,600 lawsuits filed over allegations it fueled the nation's opioid epidemic. and kfc and pizza hut are getting into crazy food mash-ups. kfc's adding some sweetness to the chicken sandwich war with a fried chicken and doughnut sandwich. you heard me right. it's a chicken fillet between two glazed donates that it's testing in norfolk and richmond, virginia, and pittsburgh. pizza hut announced a stuffed cheez-it pizza, a combination of pizza with cheez-it snacks. >> i have two things. clearly kfc is seeking

inspiration from college dorms across the country. >> uh-huh. >> hungover college kids, that is. and you know, i might try them. i might try both. >> i know. i have to say even though i know it's terrible for our health -- cheez-its one i'll leave alone. the doughnut chicken, it's too much. it's too much. li you saithere's inioeryw even the cartoon "boondocks" did hnut sandwich called "the luther. a heart attack without the steak. >> diane king hall at the new york stock exchange, thank you so much. >> you got it. >> by the way, we do doughnuts and fried chicken in philly. been doing it for a while. ahead, a setback for alex trebek, this is some sad news. the game show host offers an update on his battle with cancer. a lot of folks ask me why their dishwasher doesn't get everything clean. i tell them, it may be your detergent... that's why more dishwasher brands recommend 's specially-designed with the soaking, scrubbing and rinsing cascade platinum. built right in. cascade platinum's unique actionpacs dissolve quickly...

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪

"jeopardy! is facing a set back in his battle with pancreatic cancer. he revealed he is once again undergoing chemotherapy after a brief period of optimism when the treatment stopped. the 79-year-old announced in march that he had advanced pancreatic cancer, but he's not missed a day on the show. yesterday trebek said that he's not afraid of what's ahead. and tributes are pouring in for trail blazing journalist cokie roberts. she died yesterday of complitio. washington journalism for decades, first gaining prominence at a time when few women were on the air. her reporting and commentaries on both abc news and npr were e. cokie roberts was 75 years old. and coming up on "cbs this morning," actress elizabeth mcgovern, star of the now "downton abbey" movie joins us in the studio.

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our top stories this morning -- secretary of state mike pompeo arrives in saudi arabia today following the weekend attacks on saudi oil plants. the saudis are expected to show evidence directly blaming iran for the attack as the u.s. considers its response. saudi arabia's energy minister says half of the oil production cut by the attack has now been restored. and we're expecting final results from the israeli rlcas n deadlocked with the blue and white party, and that could mean that netanyahu's more than ten years as prime minister will come to an end. tens of thousands of people across the country were left >> reporter: the hometown diner in ringe, new hampshire, is closed on tuesdays. it's the day the owner pays her

23 employees. for the first time in ten days, she was able to do that. >> it was very hard because i know a lot of my employees -- i'm sorry -- are paycheck to paycheck. >> reporter: on september 5th, she was shocked to learn none of her employees had been paid because the payroll company she used, mypayrollhr, had folded. her employees and tens of thousands across the country were left without a deposit in their account. >> very emotional. we're a small business, so every penny counts. >> reporter: my payrollhr was an online service that handled payroll for small companies. when it shuttered, it was holding nearly $35 million in these images from the "daily mail" show an fbi raid monday on the upstate new york home of the company's ceo. the mysterious collapse of my payrollhr impacted some 4,000

businesses across the country. from exercise companies in chicago to animal rescue shelters in nashville, to fire departments in florida. rosengrant is desperate to find out what happened to the more than $30,000 that is missing. >> we want our money back. >> reporter: in addition to not paying her employees, rosengrant told me the company hadn't paid her quarterly taxes for the last two months either, nearly $16,000. she's paying that now out of her savings account. meg oliver, cbs news, new york. us to a quiet town in southern texas where life is changing for residents after spacex moved next door. in our "morning rounds," we'll show new technology that allows the blind to see. and actress elizabeth mcgovern, star of the new "downton abbey" movie, joins us in the studio. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day.

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