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Soon, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to Deliver First Remarks Since Bribery Charges; Hollywood Writers and Studios Reach Tentative Deal to End Strike; Biden Warns Against Shutdown as House Fails to Reach Deal. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired September 25, 2023 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[10:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, a deal to end Hollywood's writer's strike. So, when will your shows be back on T.V.?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And a shutdown showdown, Congress has five days to avert a government shutdown. And with his own job on the line, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is struggling to make any progress with his own caucus.

BERMAN: Indicted Senator Bob Menendez will make a statement shortly. Several Democrats in his own state have called on him to resign. We have new information on what he plans to say.

I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner. Kate Bolduan is off today. And this is CNN News Central.

SIDNER: All right. In the next hour all eyes will be on New Jersey, where Democratic Senator Bob Menendez will deliver his first public remarks since he and his wife were indicted on federal bribery charges. We're standing by to bring you those remarks live as soon as it begins.

BERMAN: So, the list of Democratic lawmakers and other politicians calling on him to resign, it is getting longer. So, when he gets before cameras in just a little bit, what will he say?

We are all over it. Let's begin with our Sara Murray for the latest. Sara?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. We are waiting to see the New Jersey senator later on this morning. It will be the first time we see him in front of cameras reacting to these charges that he is facing, as well as potentially addressing his political future.

And this, of course, comes after Senator Menendez was indicted on corruption-related charges along with his wife and a handful of New Jersey businessmen. According to the indictment, they accepted bribes that included cash, that included gold bars, even a luxury vehicle, all designed to benefit Menendez, his wife, these businessmen, as well as the government of Egypt.

And Menendez, while this investigation has been going on, has been completely defiant in the face of it. Take a listen to what he said to CNN back in April about this investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: To any New Jersey voters watching right now who may have concerns that, again, you're facing scrutiny over corruption, what is your response to them?

SEN. BOB MENENDEZ (D-NJ): The response to that is simply that, number one, this inquiry will end up, I believe, in absolutely nothing. And if anyone looks at my history on Egypt, they would know that by both denying aid to Egypt, denying arms sales to Egypt, criticizing its human rights record, I'm not in a position to be helpful to anyone as it relates to Egypt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MURRAY: Now, since this indictment was released, Menendez has continued his defiance. He said in a statement, I am not going anywhere. But under the Senate rules, he did have to give up his gavel as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. John, Sara?

SIDNER: We may have gotten a preview from his own statement as to what he might say today.

Let's go straight to Capitol Hill now, where Lauren Fox is at the moment. Lauren, are we hearing from any more Democrats that they are going to say that Menendez should resign now?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's a large and vocal number of House Democrats who have made that case, including Representative Andy Kim, who said on Friday night he was actually going to challenge Bob Menendez in a Democratic primary leading into the 2024 election.

Menendez is up for re-election next year. Obviously, that is a very big statement coming from a Democrat in the House.

[10:05:03]

You also have a number of his Senate colleagues who are saying these are very serious allegations.

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REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): I do believe that it is in the best interests for Senator Menendez to resign in this moment. As you mentioned, consistency matters. It shouldn't matter whether it's a Republican or a Democrat.

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): This is a very serious charge. There's no question about it. In terms of resignation, that's a decision to be made by Senator Menendez and the people of New Jersey. SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Well, these are serious and shocking charges. Bribery, corruption. I've never seen anything like this.

I think Senator Menendez is going to have to think long and hard about the cloud that's going to hang over his service in the United States Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: And lawmakers will return to Washington tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how Senator Menendez faces some of these colleagues who are arguing these are 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 these are such serious allegations, he does think that Senator Menendez should step aside.

BERMAN: So, we should be clear, we don't know exactly what Senator Menendez will say. But in his written statement last week, he was defiant.

So, I want to bring in Attorney Elliot Williams here. Elliot, if you were advising Senator Menendez before he walks out in front of cameras today, if you were his attorney, what would you tell him to say and not to say?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Shut your mouth. Do not step in front of the cameras. Now, look, here's why the Constitution says, in effect, and the Miranda warnings as we've all heard in television, you have the right to remain silent. Well, the next sentence in the warning is, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. And every statement a criminal defendant says publicly is potential evidence.

And let's, you know, unpack some of the things here. Imagine if he were to just-- if he's asked a question about the gold found in his house, and he says, well, that's my gold, you know, it's personal property, and it's not unlawful to have it. Fine, it's a truthful statement. But he also just admitted to something that prosecutors are attempting to prove. Anything-- anytime he contradicts a prior statement of that he's made, prosecutors can use that against him. Speaking publicly as a defendant is fraught with peril and his attorney should just advice him to keep his mouth shut.

SIDNER: Elliot Williams has some very strong advice this morning. Thank you so much, as well as Sara Murray and Lauren Fox.

Oh, we're keeping this going.

BERMAN: Yes, we can keep on talking.

SIDNER: All right. So, we're looking at some of these pictures of the gold bars. There was also something that really stood out to me and it has to do with Egypt and a no-show, as they called it, job for his wife. The accusation is that she got this car that you see there, Mercedes convertible, as a gift for something, but also for a job in which she didn't have to show up.

Can you give us some sense from Capitol Hill there what people are saying? Are you hearing from people about whether or not he can still be a politician, whether he can still do his job with all of these things hanging over his head? I'll start with Lauren Fox.

FOX: Yes. I mean, obviously he had to step aside given the Senate rules and the fact that if you are under indictment, you cannot be the chairman of a committee. And obviously he was the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

And that is why so many of his colleagues, Sara, are saying that these are such serious allegations 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. So, that is why so many members think that this is going beyond what they are comfortable with in terms of him continuing to serve in that role.

BERMAN: Elliot Williams, we do expect that this will be more of a political statement than a legal defense today, notwithstanding your advice to him, not to say anything at all. But when it does, when push does come to shove, what possible explanation could a defendant have for $500,000 in cash in a jacket that says Senator Bob Menendez, how do you try to get out of that?

WILLIAMS: Yes, okay, a few things. Well, he doesn't have to give an explanation at all and just question the evidence that the prosecutors put forward and say it's not reliable. I think his 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, this-- you are criminalizing a kind of transacting among politicians and their constituents that happens all the time.

[10:10:14]

To that and, John, you know, there's a much cleaner case against Mrs. Menendez based on the allegations and the indictment hurt. She's the one sending virtually all of the incriminating text messages.

Now, look, she's very closely linked to him, but she's the conduit between the other defendants potentially and the senator.

And so I think if you're if you're his attorneys, you, number one, separate yourself from your wife and come up with a legal strategy that focuses specifically on the fact that you're an elected official and, sadly, pin it on your wife, which is, you know, the more culpable defendant here.

SIDNER: And we should also mention, you know, he is innocent until proven guilty and he has beat a charge, not exactly like what we're seeing here, but a bribery charge. He was charged back in 2015 and he beat that charge by 2017. So, we will have to see what happens here and we are waiting to hear from him very, very soon.

Lauren Fox, thank you to you, Sara Murray and Elliot Williams, I appreciate you guys. John?

BERMAN: So, this morning it does appear that there might be an end to the Hollywood writers' strike. The writers have struck a deal with the studios. Strikes lasted 146 days so far. They announced this tentative agreement with the studio heads. More than 11,000 writers might get the green light to return to work very, very soon. It does have to be ratified, this deal, by union members.

CNN's Camila Bernal in Los Angeles with the details here. Camila?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John. It is really something that every writer I talked to has told me they're excited about. They are so relieved to see this tentative deal. And one of the writers I talked to told me, I'm ready to go back to making magic and telling stories.

But the union here is saying you have to wait. No one is allowed to go back to work right now. They're working through some of the fine print. They're saying that they're dotting every I. So, they're working through the legal part of this contract.

And after that's done, we expect a vote that will happen as early as tomorrow, and that's a leadership vote. After that leadership vote, then some of the details will be made public to us and to the writers. They'll be able to ask questions and see whether they like the deal or not. And then they will have to vote to ratify this deal.

Now, after that is ratified, if that's the case, you're going to likely start to see people beginning to work. You're likely going to start seeing some of the daytime television, the talk shows, and also the late night shows back on the air.

But the question is, what happens to the rest of the T.V. 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 so the question here is, how long is it going to take the actors to come to the table with the studios. It could be a while.

So, we may not see productions really going back to normal in Hollywood anytime soon unfortunately. It's been really difficult over the last five months or so for the entire industry and it's sort of a domino effect, so many people impacted by this strike. And there is a glimmer of hope but we still have to wait and see what happens with the actors.

BERMAN: All right. Camila Bernal, keep us posted, progress at a minimum there. Sara?

SIDNER: Ahead, the government has just five days to avoid a shutdown that would affect millions of people. We'll speak with Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens about the stalemate over a funding bill.

Plus, President Biden's approval ratings continue to struggle even among Democrats. We will break down the brand new polling.

And the mayor of New Orleans signs an emergency declaration as increased levels of salt water in the Mississippi River are threatening drinking water. How officials are working to stop a climate disaster, that's all ahead.

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ERMAN: This morning, time is running out for Congress to avert a government shutdown. In just five days, some government workers will be furloughed, others will be left to work without pay. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has just not been able to get Republicans to agree on a plan, and his job is very much on the line.

Now, President Biden is warning the consequences could be dire.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House. For now, the White House is sort of a spectator here but expected to be a vocal spectator this week, Arlette.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. We've really seen the White House take this hands-off approach when it comes to getting involved in any type of negotiations going on up on Capitol Hill. But what you do see the White House doing this week is really stepping up their warnings about the impact of a potential government shutdown and also billing this as an extreme shutdown that would be caused at the hands of House Republicans.

You've seen the White House really take this wait-and-see approach, watching the chaotic debate that has played out amongst the Republican caucus in the House of Representatives while they're painting this as an example of the extreme ideology espoused by some in Congress. Of course, the White House has argued that the House should stick to that budget agreement that they agree to in bipartisan negotiations with the White House last May.

But it all comes at a precarious time, as they are now less than a week away into that shutdown. And President Biden himself has warned of what that impact could be like. Take a listen.

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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Let's be clear if the government shuts down, that means members of Congress -- members of the U.S. military are going to have continue to work and not get paid. A government shutdown could impact everything, from food safety to cancer research, to head-start programs for children.

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Funding the government is one of those basic responsibilities of Congress. And it's time for the Republicans to start doing the job America elected them to do.

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SAENZ: Now, the president has refrained from getting involved in any type of negotiations, but what you will see coming from the White House this week is cabinet officials appearing to highlight some of the programs that will be impacted by a government shutdown.

Today, the agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, will be here to talk about the impact it could have on food programs and also loan assistance programs for farmers. But, ultimately, what the White House is hoping is that this potential shutdown, if it were to happen, that this would be placed at the feet of -- responsibility, really, will be placed in the hands of the House Republicans as they have been unable to reach any type of consensus there to even get a bill passed sent over to the Senate.

BERMAN: Arlette Saenz at the White House, Arlette, keep us posted, thank you. Sara?

Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens from Michigan is joining us now. She is also a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus. Thank you so much for being here.

I want to talk to you about where we are with this shutdown, Republicans trying to pass individual spending bills now, the Senate won't likely sign those. At this point should Americans simply expect that there is going to be a shutdown?

REP. HALEY STEVENS (D-MI): I don't want to encourage a shutdown, and I really believe that it can be avoided particularly if we adhere to a plan to pass a continuing resolution 30 days, 45 days. This is something that the speaker of the House even said that he'd be interested in doing.

And we all know that a shutdown is just economic damage, it's economic collateral. We have working families relying on daycare assistance that's going to expire, we have food security issues, we have the running of our airports and the hard men and women who make it work for so many Americans. And I don't want to see those people furloughed.

So, if we can do the continuing resolution, buy some more time, stop with the perfunctory actions of individual spending bills, I think we're going to come back to the House and see that take place, but we just know that's wasting time when we need to be delivering for the American people.

SIDNER: You mentioned House Speaker McCarthy that he might be open to extending this at least for a month or so. 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?

STEVENS: Well, I'm not making any promises right now. I want to see what such a deal would look like and see how that addresses the needs of my constituents. I'm here in Southeastern Michigan. We have a UAW strike going on right now. And I remember the last partial government shutdown and standing with federal workers, as they were not receiving paychecks, seeing gas cards being handed out, sitting with unionized workers, and it's just so disastrous.

And we know that it doesn't yield the results that the Republicans are looking for. Eleven billion dollars is what the last shutdown cost, billion with a B. And so with these high interest rates coming out of the COVID-19 shutdown era, we just can't go there.

SIDNER: Congresswoman Stevens, I just want to just push you a little bit on that, because you said you don't want to make any decisions now, which is understandable. You're hoping to get something passed through. But it does sound like a maybe that you might be open at least to keeping McCarthy and his speakership if you can come up with a deal that will keep the government funded for the American people. Am I correct in saying that?

STEVENS: Well, my party leader is Hakeem Jeffries. And so that's a conversation that I'm going to have with the Democratic Caucus and Democratic leadership. And I'm certainly going to evaluate what such a deal looks like.

Frankly, I think you see Mr. McCarthy is a very weak speaker right now. You see Republicans blocking Republican legislation from going forward if it's around spending or gas stoves. This is how this term in Congress has worked.

When the Democrats were in charge, we were passing a CHIPS Act, we were doing infrastructure, we lowered the cost of prescription drugs. Let's get our act together for the American people. Certainly, there are options at the table, but that's not a conversation I'm going to make alone.

I really respect the leadership of Hakeem Jeffries. We're going to get back to session tomorrow. And that might be on the discussion docket. We meet as a caucus. We'll see what they have to say.

SIDNER: I know that you are a Michigander and you are expecting, I think, President Biden to come and go on the picket lines with the UAW workers. But Donald Trump is also his rival in the 2024 presidential election, also says he's coming to the picket lines.

[10:25:03]

Should they both do this?

STEVENS: Well, I certainly think the actions of a twice-impeached president who's afraid to debate his Republican primary opponents are quite interesting and peculiar. Mr. Trump lost Michigan by 120,000 votes. He tried to contest the results of our elections. We're seeing those who engaged in that conspiracy going through the legal ramifications of that action that they took.

And I'm very proud of President Biden. He has been one of the most pro-union presidents. His administration has clearly had labor at the table, starting with the infrastructure bill all the way to the CHIPS Act. And he's going to be listening to the hardworking men and women of the UAW. That's what this moment is all about, elevating those voices, showcasing solidarity. We want a strong auto industry. We don't have that if workers aren't dealt in.

And so I'm going to be all ears for the president's inspiring message. I think it's certainly very historic to see a United States president come to the picket line and listen to workers. And Tuesday is going to be a big day here in Michigan.

SIDNER: It certainly has never happened before, but there are some concerns that this looks like a photo-op for the two of them. Are you concerned about what it looks like at all?

STEVENS: 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. And it was very unwelcome.

So, the UAW has invited President Biden to come to engage with workers. I don't think it's a photo-op. I think it's a chance to listen to these workers when this -- we're in the tenth day of this strike, and one of -- and I was just on the picket line myself hearing from workers, hearing their stories. A 38-year employee told me, I can't even afford the car that just pulled into the parking lot, the truck, and he's been with the UAW for 38 years.

SIDNER: That's rough. Congresswoman Haley Stevens, thank you so much for sharing your insights with us.

John?

BERMAN: All right, the next Republican debate just days away. Donald Trump not going. Polls show a four-way tie in one state for second. So, what does each candidate plan to do to try to break out of that jam?

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