arlette saenz is covering the president, who is in portland, oregon, right now. arlette, biden is skipping some key democratic states, but he instead is focusing on some other places out west. what's the strategy? >> reporter: well, fred, president biden has spent the past four days traveling to democratic strongholds, essentially going to places where he thinks he and his policies will be helpful to democratic candidates. he is wrapping up that four-day western swing here in portland, oregon, where he is campaigning in part for the democratic gubernatorial nominee tina kotek. if you look at where the president has traveled over the course of the past week, he's gone to colorado, where senator michael bennet, it is a closely contested race. he also went out west to california, los angeles, and the irvine area before coming up to portland. notably, two of the states that he skipped on this western string are nevada and arizona, where two of this year's most contested senate races are under way with senator mark kelly and also senator catherine cortez masto. the wh

thank you, arlette, he very much. let's dig deeper into all of this.ief political analyst gloria borger, cnn national correspondent athena jones and cnn political director david chalian. david, how telling is it that the president is making his economic pitch to voters in a blue state, new york state, not necessarily traditionally a battleground state? >> yeah, it's telling that the blue turf is becoming the battleground turf. that does not bode well for the democrats. as arlette mentioned, you've got this closer than anticipated gubernatorial race between incumbent democrat kathy hochul and republican congressman lee zeldin. crime, the economy, inflation all central to that. but it's also noteworthy. he he went to this district, wolf, today, the president did in syracuse. it currently is held by the republicans. john catkatko, moderate republi retiring. and in the redistricting version of this district it's a district that joe biden beat donald trump p in by like 7 1/2 percentage points. and yet that is where the president goes because his numbers are

arlette saenz is covering the president who is in portland right now.peak very soon, right? >> reporter: yeah, he is, fred. president biden will be taking the stage any minute now here in portland, oregon, as the president has been traveling to these democratic strongholds the past four days, going to places where he believes he and his policies will be helpful to democratic candidates. it started in colorado, then went on to colorado, and now is here in portland, oregon, where he is campaigning in part for the democratic gubernatorial candidate. this is a much tighter than expected race. she is competing against the republican christine drazen. and betsy johnson. democrats are concerned johnson might siphon off votes. the election is just three days away. this is a state president biden won by 16 points. he is hoping his presence will energy and motivate voters with that october 18th registration deadline quickly approaching. while the president has been out west, he skipped two states in 1 nevada and arizona. the president's approval rating since at a

and arlette saenz is live. the president laid out this warning last night.hould people be expecting another walk back from the white house then today? >> reporter: well, kate, so far no official walk-back from the white house. but u.s. officials have said that they have not seen any evidence that russian president vladimir putin has decided to move forward with using a nuclear weapon. but still, the president's comments that he made in that democratic fundraiser last night are very clearly he spoke in stark terms about the potential of the nuclear armageddon. he told democratic donors in new york city, we have not face the prospect of armageddon since kennedy and the cuban missile crisis. i don't think is away to use a tac tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with armageddon. this caught some officials by surprise simply because there has not been any new intelligence suggesting that putin has decided to move forward with this. but one u.s. official this morning said that the president was speaking frankly and simply put that this really comes as there is

ar arlette saenz, can you walk us thus what the extension of the emergency declaratdeclaration. >> reporter: poppy, that allows for more federal resources to go to the state in the wake of hurricane ian. it's making funding available for debris removal and other emergency protected measures for a total of 60 days. the recovery is expected to take quite some time in the state of florida. the president traveled to puerto rico on monday, and now today he and the first lady will be -- you can hear marine one landing now. he's expected to left in the next few minutes. they will get a tour of some of the storm ravaged area as they fly to fisherman's wharf. there the president will be receiving a recovery and rescue briefing from local officials. that is where it is expected that president biden will be briefed by florida governor ron desantis on the recovery efforts post-hurricane ian. the two men have many political differences, but the white house has insisted they will put politics aside in this moment. >> arlette saenz, thank you very much. >>> many floridians are still without power. one of

arlette signs has a preview of that trip. >> reporter: president biden will see the damage wrought by a pair of hurricanes when he travels to puerto rico and florida this week. they'll first travel to puerto rico on monday where they'll see the devastation by hurricane fiona two weeks ago, the president is expected to deliver remarks there and meet with local officials on the ground. then on wednesday the president will travel to florida to see the devastation after the impact of hurricane ian, one question is whether president biden will meet with florida governor ron desantis with whom president biden has many political differences. but he has said he's willing to meet desantis and in this moment they need to put the political difference aside to focus on recovery efforts. president biden has said that the federal government will be there throughout the process of the recovery in both puerto rico and florida calling hurricane ian's impact not just a florida crisis but an american crisis. on sunday, the fema administrator offered advice to homeowners saying they should offer flood in

. >>> there was a conversation today, so let's go to the white house, and cnn's arlette saenz, what are you learning? >> president biden is spending the weekend at his home, where he spoke with the german chancellor over the phone. the two men talked about it as well, as recent developments, according to the white house, but that call comes as the president's recent comments about the prospects of nuclear arm embedding remain in the spotlight form john kirby this morning said there's no imminent threat right now of russia uses nuclear weapons, but the president's comments simply speak to the gravity with which they're viewing the situation. >> it was not based on new intelligence or new indications that mr. putin has made a decision to use nuclear weapons. quite frankly we don't have any -- the president was reflecting that the stakes are high right now, geffen what's going on on the battlefield in ukraine and geffen the very irresponsible and reckless conducts made by vladimir putin 2349 last few days. he also said we're not going to be intimidated by this. we're going to continue to p

let's go to arlette saenz at the white house. some of these detainees were arrested more than four years ago. efforts have been under way all that time to release them. what more are you learning is this. >> reporter: the white house says tonight that this is the culmination of months of tough negotiations that ended in the release of those seven americans who had been detained in venezuela. that includes five of those individuals are part of the so-called sitcitgo six, the oil executives that had been held. and one other member had been released in march. the other two individuals include a marine veteran who had been held since 2020 and another american who had been detained in venezuela for several months. now, senior administration officials say that president biden spoke with each of the families before this announcement was made this afternoon. and that the men are in stable health and will continue to receive medical evaluations in the coming days. but venezuela agreed to release these seven americans for two high profile

arlette were sainz, thank you for the update.tering a new ana dangerous phase as they annex four parts of ukraine. what could they be planning next? and the latest on the ground in southwest florida still recovering from hurricane ian. we'll be right back. when you take it again the next day. so betty can be the rcode beat conductor. ♪ rcode go betty!ctor. let's be more than o allergies! zyrtec striving to reach the ultimate goal of zero poverty takes more than everyone's hopes and dreams. at citi, it takes a financial commitment to companies who empower people to lift themselves up. it takes funding and building on our know-how to help communities grow. that's how citi is helping create a better future by committing one trillion dollars in sustainable finance by 2030. because it takes everything to reach zero poverty. ♪ ♪ ♪ here goes nothing. hey greg. uhh...hello? it's me, your heart! really? yes! recording an ekg in 30 seconds. tada! wow, that was fast. you know it! kardia offers the only personal ekgs that detect six of the m

cnn's arlette saenz has more from washington. >> reporter: the white house continues to face questionsbout president biden's recent comments on the prospect of nuclear armageddon. in a fund-raiser earlier last week, the president said that the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons is at its highest point since the cuban missile crisis 60 years ago. national security council spokesperson john kirby was asked once again about the president's comments on sunday morning, and he said while there is no imminent threat, no new intelligence that suggests russian president vladimir putin has decided to use nuclear weapons, the president's comments, he argued, simply speak to the reality and the gravity with which they're viewing the situation. >> his comments were not based on new or fresh intelligence or new indications that mr. putin has made a decision to use nuclear weapons, and quite frankly, we don't have any indication that he has made that kind of decision. the president was reflecting that the sticks are high right now, given what's going on on the battlefield in ukraine, and given

arlette saenz, thanks so much. >>> the cost of mailing a letter or package could get even more expensivewith inflation. costs would cost three cents more and four cents more for postcards. also fees for p.o. box rentals, money orders and insurance for mailing an item will also go up. the proposal still needs approval from the postal regulatory commission. if green lit, the changes go into effect january 22. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ great value starng at six dollars. only from ihop. downloadhe app and earn free food with every orr. ♪ what will you do? will you make something better? create something new? our dell technologies advisors can provide you with the tools and expertise you need to bring out the innovator in you. it's time... to score a deal. because wayfair's five days of deals are here! deck those halls with seasonal decor from $9. up to half off fireplaces and heating, kitchen must-haves up to 65% off... and dining deals you don't want to miss. plus, free shipping. on everything at wayfair. now that's a deal you can feel good about. shop five days of deals now through october

arlette saenz has more.want to see. >> and the white house is out there quickly criticizing, slamming this decision, calling it a short-sighted decision. i asked president biden about these anticipated cuts before he left for florida earlier today. he told me he was concerned and found them to be unnecessary, but jake sullivan and the director of the national commission council brian deese released a statement in which they say, quote, the president is disappointed by the short-sighted decision to cut production quotas, while they're dealing with the impact of the -- they say, at a time when maintaining a global supply of energy is of paramount importance, this decision will have the most negative impact that are already reeling from elevated energy prices. the biden administration really had launched a full-court press from officials to really try to dissuade middle eastern allies from making such a significant cut. their concerns going forward is what it could mean for gas prices around the world and here

cnn's arlette saenz is at the white house. what are you learning? >> reporter: president biden is spending the week at his home in wilmington, delaware. from there he spoke with german chancellor olaf scholz, a key ally for the u.s. when it comes to this russian war in ukraine. the white house said the two men reiterated condemnation of vladimir putin's attempt to annex certain areas of ukraine and talked about ways to hold russia accountable as well as offering assistance to ukraine. they also discussed developments in the global energy market as well as trying to find ways to have secure energy and stable energy prices as well. but this call with olaf scholz comes just a few days after president biden made some of the starkest comments yet about the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons saying that the risk of armageddon is at its highest point since the cuban missile crisis 60 years ago. now the white house earlier today was facing questions about these comments from the president. john kirby said there is no imminent threat at this moment bu

arlette saenz, cnn, the white house. >> let's bring you the breaking news out of ukraine.pdate where president zelenskyy says russia is trying to ani lite the country with a wave of attacks in city after city. this powerful blast destroyed a roadway in kyiv. attacks are being reported from lviv in the west to kharkiv in the northeast and zaporizhzhia in the south as well. one of the explosions in kyiv appears to have destroyed a children's playground, according to a ukrainian official who posted this picture showing a large crater at the site. official says at least five civilians are dead and 12 injured in the capital. the city says train traffic on all subway lines has been suspended as underground stations are being used as shelters. anti-government protests continue in iran, meanwhile, despite a rising death toll. we'll have the latest on the fight for women's rights there. >>> and just ahead, former president donald trump takes to the campaign trail, showing support for some of his favorite candidates in the midterm elections in arizona. the interest was costing me...

arlette saenz, thank you very much. let's get a check on some of the key battle ground states right now. cnn's omar himen ezhas our mid-term count down. >> reporter: mid-term tensions on the rise in arizona, police making an arrest after a break n at the campaign headquarters for katie hobbs, the secretary of state and democratic candidate for governor. hobbs' campaign officials said earlier they believe the man seen here is responsible and placed blame in a statement on her republican opponent kari lake and her allies for inciting threats against anyone they see fit. lake refuting the allegation and suggested the hobbs campaign was lying about the break in. >> are you really buying that because this sounds like a jussie smollett part 2. >> reporter: lake referencing the actor who made fake allegations to police. all amid more scandal. >> herschel walker says he's against women having abortions, but he pressured me to have one. >> reporter: after another allegation that he paid for an unnamed woman to get an abortion in

. >>> let's bring in arlette signs.ow is the white house reacting this morning to all of these russian attacks across ukraine? >> reporter: alex, president biden is waking up at his home in wilmington, delaware to this news and we're still awaiting comment from the white house about the strikes across ukraine. just yesterday a top white house national security spokesperson said the u.s. believes russia is intent on doubling down on this war. something that's plaid out as the wave of strikes played out this morning. and president biden has recently spoken starkly about the prospect of nuclear weapon use by vladimir putin,en as u.s. officials say they have not seen any new intelligence deciding putin has decided to go down that route. now the u.s. said they'll continue to provide support to ukraine, yesterday president biden held a call with the german chancellor where the two men spoke about that matter. we'll see whether this new wave of attacks might prompt a more immediate response from the u.s. and allies going forwa

legi let's go to our colleague arlette saenz live from the white house. much in terms of these rights that the biden administration can do. what will they lay out? >> reporter: well, poppy, president biden is set to announce two you actions as' convenes a task force on reproduction access. vice president kamala harris will be on hand for that meeting the second such meeting of that group. and the white house is set to unveil two separate actions announced today. the first relates to the department of education. they will be reissuing guide ins, reinter ating that title 9 requires universities and institutions to protect students from discrimination, based on the basis of pregnancy. and that includes those who seek abortions. additionally, there will be more than $6 million of grants issued from the department of health and human services that will protect access to reproductive health care. this all comes as the administration, over the course of the summer, had ruled out a limited set of executive actions. but they want to show that they're trying to do

arlette saenz is at the white house. good to have you.e're hearing that biden may announce also new infrastructure aid as part of this. is that right? >> reporter: yeah, poppy and jim. president biden is set to announce $60 million in infrastructure funding for puerto rico, all part of his pledge that the federal government will be there every step of the way as the recovery efforts continue. this money will be coming from that bipartisan infrastructure law that was signed earlier this year and it will include funding to help shore up levees, also strengthen flood walls and create a new flood warning system to help puerto rico prepare for future storms. now, this will be president biden's first trip to puerto rico as president and he and the first lady will touchdown in ponce, puerto rico, around 2:00. the president will receive a briefing on hurricane fiona as so much of the island is still focused on recovery efforts with 86% of the island now having power restored. the president will then deliver remarks and he and the first lady will

cnn's arlette saenz joins me from the white house. what are you hearing from the biden administration officials in terms of a response to what we've seen not only over the weekend, but obviously this morning in kyiv? >> reporter: bianna, white house officials in recent days have really said that it appears russia is intent on doubling down on its war of ukraine. something that certainly played out today with that wave of strikes across the country earlier today. now, so far the white house has yet to comment on these latest developments. president biden remains in wilmington, delaware, and will be traveling to the white house a bit later this afternoon, but as salma mentioned, the german chancellor olaf scholz -- his office said there will be an emergency meeting of the g7 tomorrow. the u.s. part of that g7 group. one thing that the u.s. has continually said throughout this war and in recent weeks is that the u.s. remains committed to providing security assistance to ukraine. biden actually spoke by phone yesterday with chancellor sch

arlette saenz is joining us more to explain. so what are we expecting to hear?e so-called junk fees that affect so many consumers. they say that this is actions that would, quote, provide breathing room to americans at a time when the economy and inflation remain top concerns for american voters. earlier today consumer financial protection bureau announced new guidance relating to those bank overdraft and also depositor fees saying that elements of it could violate the consumer protection act. and the president has made tackling hidden fees a key focus of his white house competition council. they held a meeting last month and it included new travel rule announcements to address hidden fees when it comes to travel bookings. but if you take a step back, what it is really about for the white house is trying to show americans that they are trying to abtct as economic concerns remain top of mind heading into the election. president biden has really been ramping up his economic messaging specifically heading into the election trying to show that democrats are prepare

arl arl arlette is traveling with the president in oregon. oregon is usually locked up by now. what's the president doing there? >> reporter: well, jim, president biden is wrapping up his four-day western swing that really took him to states that were democratic strongholds. he traveled to places like here in oregon which he won by 16 points back in 2020, believing that these are areas where he and his policies will help the democratic candidates. the president campaigning in part here in portland on behalf of the democratic candidate for governor who is facing a much tighter than expected race as she is facing not just a republican, but also an independent who's a former democrat in betsy johnson. but the president, while he has been on this four-day swing, especially over the past two days, has really been honing in on ways to ill mprove the price for americans and the issue of inflation remains of top concern. one thing he's been talking about is enhanced social security benefits and also trying to explain some of the elements of the inflation reduction act. especially when

let's bring in arlette saenz at the white house with more. >> reporter: president biden and first ladyden will see firsthand the devastation that was brought by those two hurricanes, first hurricane fiona, they will be traveling there tomorrow, where they're expected to see firsthand the damage that's been caused and meet with local officials and those affected as well as the president delivering some remarks down there. then on wednesday, the president will travel to florida to see the devastation by hurricane ian. one big question going forward in florida is whether he might meet with governor ron desantis who he has spoken to several times. he has some political divisions with him. but the president has said they need to put politics aside and focus on the storm and he said he would be willing to meet with desantis. he pledged the federal government would be there throughout the recovery efforts and process both in puerto rico and florida. but today deanne criswell offered some advice to homeowners saying if they own a home, any type of water nearby, they should consider getting flo

cnn's arlette saenz is live with a look at this. and the president is also expected to be making an announcement while down there. what are you hearing about? >> reporter: well president biden is set to announce that they will be sending $60 million of infrastructure funding to puerto rico in the wake of hurricane fiona. the funding will be coming from the bipartisan infrastructure law and it is aiming to try to shore up levees, strengthen flood walls and create a new flood warning system to help puerto rico in the event of future storms. before president biden left the white house, he told reporters that more needs to be done to help puerto rico. which is reeling after the impact of hurricane fiona two weeks ago and still recovering from hurricane maria back in 2017. >> i'm heading to puerto rico because they haven't been taken very good care of and it is time to catch up from the last hurricane and i want to see the state of affairs today and make sure we fix anything we can. >> reporter: the president and first lady are set to la

. >> arlette saenz at the white house. thank you. >>> growing concern over the rhetoric coming out of moscow here in recent days. specifically references to the possibility of russia using nuclear weapons in its war on ukraine. that has some experts considering exactly how russia might use its nuclear arsenal and what the response from the u.s. and nato might be. my next guest wrote an op-ed for the "washington post" titled "putin says his nuclear threat is no bluff. we should take him at his word." joining me now, former president of plowshares fund and author of the book "nuclear nightmares" which, joe, it's appropriate. we're going to walk through this. you talk about four different ways that russia could use nuclear weapons and how the u.s. and nato would respond. i want to walk through those. the first one you mention is what's called the demonstration shock. one option for russia to fire a nuclear weapon over an uninhabited area. tell us about this. >> right. these military doctrine in russian writings about this. po

arlette saenz, cnn, the white house. >>> cnn sources say top biden administration officials met face-to-face with the members of the tall been. the white house has called the delicate relationship a work in progress. it was the first sit-down meeting for both sides since this man, ayman al zawahiri was killed by a drone strike earlier this year. the biden administration said he had been sheltering at a safe house in kabul and blamed the taliban for hosting the al qaeda leader. it's been more than a year since the u.s. withdrew the last of its troops from afghanistan resulting in the taliban regaining control of the country. >>> north korea has fired off so many ballistic missiles in such a short period of time that south korea, japan and the united states are scrambling to figure out why. south korea said the north tested two more short-range missiles on sunday, calling it a serious provocation and prompting an emergency meeting of the national security council. no fewer than seven missile tests have been detect in the past two weeks. since the start of the year there have been at least 25 i

arlette saenz joining me now. what do we expect to hear today?ministration to gain traction when it comes to covid. >> reporter: president biden will be rolling up his sleeves to receive that updated booster shot and try to use this as a moment to encourage americans to do the same. according to data released last week about 20 million americans had received this updated shot but that's about 10% of the eligible population and the white house insists that more need to get these shots, especially as the winter and holiday season is approaching. so today the president will talk about some of the government campaigns to try to encourage these booster shots as well as bring together some leaders of major pharmacies like cvs and walgreens to talk about their efforts as well. now, earlier today dr. ashish jha who leads the covid-19 response here at the white house said that the white house is very concerned about that convergence of covid-19, flu and rsv and argued that getting this booster shot will help lesson the strain on the hospital system. >> we