For him. I think that is funny that is all anyone asked about. To talk about in the questions. Ton don riddell. Thank you so much. The lead with jake tapper starts right now. Senator bob menendez said there is a good reason he had nearly half a Million Dollars in cash stuffed in envelopes in jackets at his home. The lead starts right now. A defiant defense, senator bob menendez denying federal charges against him. How he justified all of that money stuffed in envelopes in jackets and close ties to the egyptian officials. But how about those gold bars and a mercedesbenz. Plus less than a week until the Government Shutdown. What Kevin Mccarthy just told cnn about his cut with democrats and those threatening to oust him if he does. And donald trump playing to his maga base at a gun store in south carolina. Welcome to the lead, im era hill in for jake tapper. We begin with our law and justice league. A defiant senator bob menendez pushing back on calls for him to resign. For those that Rush To Judgment you have done so based on a limited set of facts framed by the prosecution to be a salacious as possible. Instead of waiting for all of the fakes to be presented, others have rushed to judgment because they see a political opportunity for themselves or those around them. The new jersey democrat speaking publicly for the First Time Since he, his wife and three others were indicted last friday on bribery charges. Menendez accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars and Home Mortgage payments and a mercedes in exchange for his influence as a u. S. Senator. He used the power to benefit himself and others an the egyptian government. It is the second time in ten years the senator has been charged with corruption related offenses. Today the senate tried to explain why he had so much cash, more than 480,000 stuffed into jackets and envelopes and also spoke about his connections to officials in egypt. Cnns lauren fox starts our coverage with more on what Senator Menendez is calling his biggest fight yet. A defiant bob menendez vowing night to resign as he faced down federal corruption charges. I firmly believe that i will be exonerated and still the new jersey senior senator. Reporter Menendez Facing Pressure to step aside. Fellow democratic senator John Fetterman tweeting, quote, hes entitled to the Presumption Of Innocence but he cannot continue to wield influence over national policy. The situation is quite unfortunate. But i do believe it is in the best interest for Senator Menendez to resign in this moment. They are called that menendez said are premature as he offers new explanations rebutting the allegations. Any new jersey voters watching right now who may have concerns that again your facing scrutiny over corruption, what is your response to them . The response to that is simply that, number one, this inquiry will end up, i believe, in absolutely nothing. Reporter in an Indictment Foreman Prosecutors allege he received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in the form of cash and gold and a Luxury Vehicle in exchange for the senators influence. Prosecutors say some of that evidence included dna. And fingerprints of one of the business Contacts Menendez allegedly accepted bribes from. For 30 years, i have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal saving account which i have kept for emergencies and because of the history of my family Facing Confiscation in cuba. Now this may seem oldfashioned. But these were monies drawn from my personal savings account based on the income that i have lawfully derived over those 30 years. Reporter menendez now faces a democratic Primary Challenge from representative andy kim. One of six members of the new jersey congressional delegation calling on him to resign. There are a lot of concerns about his integrity and i think it is important that we do everything that we can to restore faith in the American People in their government and sos why im stepping up to run against him. Dick durbin stopped short of calling for resignation. This is a very serious charge. There is no question about it. In terms of resignation, that is a decision that will be made by Senator Menendez and the people of new jersey. Reporter Senator Menendez is due there court on wednesday. When he returns to capitol hill, however, hell no longer wield the gavel of the Senate Foreign relations committee. Hes going to be temporarily stepping aside under senate rules. The committee will now be run by the top democrat ben carden who will fill in while menendez moves forward with these court proceedings. Erica. Lauren fox, appreciate it. Thank you. Lets discuss now. So as we look at what has been laid out in this indictment, what we heard today, there is a lot of evidence in there. The cash and the luxury car and allegations not limited to the senate ors actions but he addressed only the cash today. If you were his attorney, how are you feeling about the comments today in terms of what was and what was not addressed . Well, frankly, if i was representing him, i would prefer him say nothing at all. One of the challenges of representing someone in his circumstances is that hes going to feel the need to be out there defending himself but every word he says ultimately boxes him in, locks him into a defense. Ultimately he cant take the stand and Say Something different or else hes going to be impeached with the statements he just made. Realistically, this is a challenging set of facts for the senator to explain away. I mean, you also mentioned you didnt talk about the gold bars. He didnt talk about the google searches that he made about what to do with the gold bars. But i think the bigger fault line is a trial is really him trying to distance himself from official actions taken on behalf of the egyptian government. I actually think, i mean, the money and the gold bars are kind of priced in. In other words the jury will take that and not like it and hell have to have some explanation but try to convince the jury that he doesnt he wasnt trying to help the egyptian government. I think it will be hard. I think it is an uphill battle and i think he should be considering a guilty plea. Well, when asked about menendez today, White House Press secretary Karine Jeanpierre called This A Serious Matter and didnt comment further. How does this complicate things for the white house and also for the president in terms of his reelection bid . Im not sure that it complicates things for his reelection bid youre seeing the stark difference between the way republicans have responded to a criminal charges against donald trump, and the way youre seeing democrats respond here which is to say, you know, some to call on his resignation, some to say that the process should play out and the senator iss entitled to full treatment from the Justice System. This is putting on display the difference between republicans who are quick to cry weaponization of the Justice System and to deny that anything donald trump has done is anything but perfect. And democrats who when faced with serious allegations like this, take it seriously and say so. So i dont think there is a complication for the president s reelect here. Remember Senator Menendez is not a national name. He holds an important position in the senate. But hes not a House Hold Name across country. This is not the kind of thing that will be all consuming from a narrative and Communications Perspective. Scott, when we look at this, this idea that many republicans have and sounding this weaponization of the justice department. Do the new charges undermine, undercut that argument . Great question. I dont know. I mean, i guess. Maybe. I also think kate is putting as happy a face as possible on whether this complicates things for democrats. I mean joe biden and Chuck Schumer and dick durbin, not a single one have called for menendez to step down and theyve been handed out and while theyre out banging on donald trump for his legal entanglements, they are worried about being too critical of menendez. You have a couple calling him to resign and that is about it and what hes hearing from his Party Leadership in my opinion is support. Menendez has lived experiences, you could get accused of a corruption and get a hung jury and live in a post Shame Society and so i dont expect them to do Anything Else except plow it straight ahead and see if he could beat it again. The idea that we would sk compare the crimes from donald trump over the last two or three years which weve seen on full display to these allegations which are serious and democrats have said their serious. The idea as we would compare those two things in terms of public evidence weve seen to date. That is that didnt quite pass the smell test. But i think youre seeing the difference between the way republicans react, which is in a very protect the team way and willing to go to bat for any transgression that trump has committed versus the way democrats are reacting to say let the Justice System do their job. In the state of new jersey, that is not what youre hearing. From the governor and across multiple important positions of leadership and and lawmakers that were seeing there. Theyre saying that menendez should resign. Do you agree . Should he be considering that at this moment . That is a decision for him. I think if you take a step back and look at the politics, do i think he should consider resignation . I do. Does he want to spend the next year plus talking about nothing about this within his own race in the state of new jersey. Im not sure if i would advise him that is something that he could do. And now Sherrod Brown now call for thatm. And again, these are allegations but these pictures what we see in the indictment, do you foresee more damning details when it comes to discovery . I do. I mean, i dont think the prosecutors were pulling any punches. But that said, there is a lot here. And it sure really looks very difficult for Senator Menendez to overcome. I do appreciate what hes saying. That you are only hearing in the governments perspective and it is possible to defeat the government, he discovered that the first time. Ive done it in private practice as well but i dont see lightning striking twice here for Senator Menendez. Thank you. Taking a look now at the other side of capitol hill and the very latest comments from speaker Kevin Mccarthy. What he just said about threats from his own gop colleagues to force him out of office if he cuts a deal with democrats. A deal they dont like. Plus how donald trump explains his decision to go to michigan one day before he planned to go. Back now with our Politics Lead and our other big story on capitol hill. The looming Government Shutdown. With fewer than six days for lawmakers to fund the government, there is no clear plan. Hardline republicans are unwilling to work with democrats to pass a shortterm Spending Bill as they dangle a mutiny over mccarthys head. And manu raju is at the capitol. Even matt gaetz seems to be dead on arrival in the senate. So where do we stand. Reporter Speaker Mccarthy is caught between trying to keep the government open and his job and it is unclear on how it will play out. He trying to pass a republican bill to keep the government open. But he doesnt have the votes. A number of hardliners said they will not be there and he could only afford to lose four votes at most if he decides to go along party lines in there. And then there is the warning that if he does cut a deal with democrats, that could be enough to push him out of the speakership. A number of republicans on the far right have made that very clear to me and have made that clear publicly. They will not accept that. So i had a chance to ask Speaker Mccarthy this question just moments ago, whether or not he is not cutting a deal with democrats, because hes worried if he did that, it would push him out of the speakership . How much is the fact that if you do cut a deal with democrats, there could be a vote to push you out, how much of that would drive your Decision Making right now. Nothing drives my decision. If that is driving many i decision, would that have driven my Decision Making 15 times before. But you could have cut a deal with democrats and that could be the end of it. Did i cut a deal then . When if. When i wasnt 15 rounds. No im talking about right now. But let me explain something to you. Im no different than i was then or before. My whole focus, what is in my mind, what drives me, is the American People. Im not worried if someone makes a motion or somebody votes no. As the House Republicans are struggling to move forward, Senate Leaders are in talks to try to move their own plan. But even if a bill passed by bipartisan support in the senate, there is no guarantee if will get the votes in the house to move ahead. Mccarthy will not commit to that. So just major questions looming over washington this week. Also looming over washington, the former president who is weighing in. He has a pitch. Are lawmakers listening . Hes saying to shut to down. He said that in his social media post. Unless you get everything, shut it down. He said that on social media. Something that has just not helpful for Kevin Mccarthy at this point. And mccarthy said if you shut it down, it will backfire on republicans politically. But those members that listen to donald trump, especially many of them in that faction, that refuses to bend in these spending talks, are going to listen to trump and not mccarthy which is only going to complicate his calculation as mccarthy tries to round up the gop votes but at the moment doesnt have them. Erica. Manu raju at the capitol. Thank you. Joining me now, colorado republican congressman ken buck. So good to have you with us this afternoon. Picking up where manu left off, how much weight does the former president holdover your colleagues at this moment . I dont think he holds any sway. I think keb mccarthy has a problem because he made one promise when he was getting elected speaker that he would hold spending to a 1. 47 trillion number and then he went during a debt ceiling and negotiated with the president a 1. 65 trillion number. And now he is talking to republicans about a 1. 52 trillion number. Which democrats have said they wont accept because it is less than the debt ceiling deal. So, you now have three numbers that are floating around the capitol and it is up to Kevin Mccarthy to figure out how hes going to get 218 votes to pass something. But the people who are upset and want the lower number are the people who voted for him ultimately after the 15th ballot or during the 15th ballot for his speakers race and that is number that a lot of us are expecting that well see for a continuing resolution and the upcoming budget. So you said to my colleague abby phillip just before the weekend that you didnt believe the government would shut down. But also pointed out to her that you were staying in washington over the weekend to work. You say this is on Speaker Mccarthy to get it figured out. But you were trying to work on it as well. So was there any movement over the weekend . I think there were a lot of good discussions. I think we have four Appropriations Bills that will come to the floor. I will vote for the rule. And i did the last time on the on the department of defense Appropriations Bill. So i think that pass passing four Appropriations Bills early this week would be a very good step towards finding some Common Ground on a continuing resolution. I could tell you that no republican and no democrat wants to see Government Shutdown. We have to work harder and make sure we get the number right and pass it. So you say you will vote yes on this Appropriations Bill and youre confident there are enough colleagues that will follow that . I will vote yes on the procedural rule that puts the four Appropriations Bills on the floor. Im not sure i will vote yes on all four. I havent seen all four yet. But i will certainly vote yes on some of those Appropriations Bills. When we look at what could happen here, historically letting the Government Shutdown is not seen as a winning strategy. It doesnt help to win elections and just to refresh folks memory for people at home and who it could mean, active Military Members could go without pay and tsa workers and air traffic and Border Patrol agents and Government Workers will be furloughed. I know you said you dont think it will happen. But if we look at the time line, it is not on your side right now. Will it be worth it ultimately . Well, it is never worth it and it is always terrible. But when you talk about active duty military, essential government employees, those who are guarding our prisons, guarding this country, those who are actively working criminal cases. Those folks are essential and they will not be furloughed. So it is a really a fraction of the of the federal government that may be furloughed during the shutdown. But it is not worth it. Im not trying to excuse the behavior. I think that we should have been passing Appropriations Bills t toer for months now. We shouldnt need a Stopgap Measure to pass the 12 bills by now. And there are concerns for people who may not get paid in the moment. If were talking about back pay, how concerning is that for many people . I think most americans could understand what it is like if All Of A Sudden you learn you still have to go to work and not getting that check this week . Well a lot of people who dont go to work will get a check ultimately because they will get back pay. It is not an ideal situation. We should do everything that we can to avoid that situation. I dont disagree with that at all. But this is something that we knew September 30th was coming all year. For thousands of years it has come after september 29th. It has not changed. But now we know that we dont have 12 Appropriations Bills passed. So weve got to do something and it is a Stopgap Measure. But it cant be more spending. Were spending well have 2 trillion of debt by the time President Biden gets out of his first term. Well have 36 trillion in debt. You really cant blame the seven people who want to slow down spending for where we are right now. Were going to watch for more of these developments in these coming days. These five days ab change that are left. You laid out last week as a member of the House Freedom caucus where youre opposed to this Impeachment Inquiry into President Biden. Noting that the republican narratives about his wrongdoing are based on myth. Do any of your colleagues in the freedom caucus, do they agree with you in private . You know, i havent really talked to a lot of folks about impeachment. I think were still focused right now on the shutdown that is not something that i have had discussions with it. I know many of my freedom colleagues have in favor of a Impeachment Inquiry. Ive had other members from the republican conference come up to me and talk to me about how they support my position that the current investigations, judiciary, ways an means and oversight are sufficient at this point. It is not as if ive said we shouldnt look into hunter biden to see if there is a nexus with joe biden and because the other investigations are sufficient. Before i let you go, do you think Speaker Mccarthy will weather this . I do. And i mentioned before, i dont think anybody want this is job. It is a horrible, herding cats is a very difficult process and when you have cats with big egos in this building, it is very difficult to do. Republican congressman ken buck. Appreciate your time this afternoon. Thank you. Thank you. So just who takes the bigger political hit from a Government Shutdown happens . Republicans or democrats . And plus the Ripping Effect A Shutdown could have for you, the american taxpayer. That is next. In our Politics Lead, former President Trump is out campaigning in south carolina. Before his rally he stopped by a gun store. Were back now with our panel. So scott, initially,s his campaign had said he bought a gun and they had to clarify, the former president did not buy a gun. What is the benefit to him here as a candidate. Is it about Drawing Up Support among the base . Is it pandering or a smart move . Put it in context. Well first of all, im glad he didnt buy it because it is illegal for someone under Felony Indictment to do so. That is one of the questions we had. Well look, hes still in a republican primary and Second Amendment voters make up a huge pillar of the republican primary base. So hes catering to those republicans. So, look, ill just tell you, the inside of that gun store, it looks like the inside of a lot of gun stores ive been inside of in kentucky. And there is a lot of conservatives that would appreciate seeing a republican candidate for Office Go Into there. Now whether this is part of his pivot to the general election, like he has on other issues, i dont know about that. But for republicans, this is a absolutely something that they would like to see. As were seeing that stop, right. For donald trump, this comes on the heels of President Biden creating the First Ever Office for gun violence prevention. Is that an issue that biden could run and win on in 2024 . I think no question. And i think if this is Donald Trumps beginning to pivot to guns and this is a weird choice because hes underscoring the fact that his Supreme Court that his Supreme Court relaxed gun restrictions in 2022. It is incredibly unpopular across country. It is unpopular with independent voters with suburban voters and suburban women in particular and it is also, as scott said, it is a reminder hes under Felony Indictment. But in all seriousness, it is an opportunity for democrats to drive a really hard contrast on this issue that is very motivating to to people all across country who are worried about the safety of thieir kids when they go to school and worried about the safety of their family when their out on the street. So what donald trump is doing is reminding voters that hes all about unrestricted access to guns which is a huge difference from where joe biden is and is frankly going to prove to be a losing issue for republicans as they move into the general election next year. Were going to go rapid fire. So lets talk strike, lets talk union workers. President biden headed to michigan tomorrow to join the uaw workers there on the strike line. How vulnerable is that voting block, scott, for joe biden . I think it is very vulnerable. Because i think one of the reasons theyre on strike is they feel like their paychecks dont go as far as they used to in joe bidens america. The top issue is kpi and inflation. They hold joe biden accountable for this and theyre out there saying we dont make enough money to live in this world while joe biden is the president. So i know hes going to supposedly show solidarity with the workers but i suspect more than a handful of them will have some questions for him about why is it that on your Watch Inflation has gone up to the point where i feel like my paycheck just isnt enough any more. Im going to come to that. But i want to pick up where scott left off because matt egan has reporting today, there is a new bank of America Survey that finds two in three workers said their wages are not keeping up with the cost of inflation. The numbers may be good, but people dont feel it. Why is this president having such a hard time connecting that . Well, it is a challenge. It is the biggest problem, i left this white house in march and im very well familiar with what theyre trying to achieve here. I think for joe biden, hell go to michigan and it will give him an opportunity to talk about everything that hes doing to push to to make peoples paychecks go farther. I think part of what hes trying to do from a Communications Perspective is show that he gets it. That he understands. His aim is not to dismiss or gloss over how people are feeling. Obviously as president , he believes that one of biggest honors that hes given is to try to ensure that people are that peoples lives are better day in and day out and constantly trying to show that he knows that. So, i think he will have the opportunity to do that obviously when he goes to the line and donald trump is also going on wednesday which will drive a huge contrast between somebody in donald trump who said things like well youre union jobs should go overseas and then you could have a better deal and negotiate a better deal here in the united states. Hes not somebody who has historically shown that he understands what working people are going through. And but i think this fault line is going to be a powerful one. This is going to be one where the contrast, i think, at the end of day is good for joe biden but there is no question this is a big piece of where the economic debate is in this campaign. He has been talking about former President Trump has been talking about his trip on wednesday. Here is a quick bit about what he said. So i announce that im going to michigan and then he announced. Im going to michigan. That is where the people that run the country told him he had to go. Because hes not calling the shots. Hes not calling shots in my ways because as president of the united states, he cant, right. And scott, ill bring you in in one second but to button this up from from your perspective, kate, is he going far enough to explain why he doesnt call the shots. Hes not doing enough and there is very little a president could do to end the strike. Is that also a Messaging Fail that were seeing at it point . Youre accepting Donald Trumps definition. No, im asking you if joe biden is doing enough to explain what his role is and can be when it comes to. I could assure you in that white house, joe biden is calling the shots, i could promise you. So, yes, i think this is the communications challenge that they will face over the course of the campaign. So find ways to go out and break through in a time when people arent spending aig whole lot of their time reading the news, absorbing information. You have a very limited amount of time to connect with people. And so he has to continue to go out and do things like what hes doing and in going to michigan and showing that he gets it and talking about the ways in which his economic agenda has made things better and driving the contrast with trump. At the end of the day elections are about choices and so driving that contrast about trump and talking about when trump was in office his signature accomplishment was tax cuts for the very wealthiest which exploded the deficit. And for him to have the opportunity to draw that contrast, that is the most Important Communications imperative for him. And scott, and donald trump, we talked about this with manu raju, shut it all down. That is not a winning issue. Were hearing it from republican lawmakers who were concerned about it. How concerned are you about the blowback from a potential Government Shutdown on republicans . And spaecifically on donald trump . We have a three day shutdown, no one will care that much. If we have a three month shut down and things start to breek down, i good he is it could be more of a blight on the republican party. What im more concerned about is the party and a handful of people in it dont seem to understand that the Biden White House is in the middle of a high speed come apart. You look at polling and concerns about his age and inflation and economy and the border. Biden is in real trouble and now were shifting the attention back to Interparty Warfare in which there is no end game, to leverage to be had and no recognition that were in divided government. I wish the republicans would let the democrats continue to do what theyre doing without blowing themselves up internally. Good to see you both. Thank you. Thank you. So as the testimony of can a Cassidy Hutchinson that changes the trajectory of the january 6 committee. What is being said about her comments just ahead of her appearance right here on the lead tomorrow. Our Politics Lead, after explosive testimony before the House Committee investigating the january 6 insurrection, former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson is now speaking out. This is ahead of the release of her book enough. And shes defending her own credibility. But what would i have to gain by coming forward . It would have been easier for me to continue being complicit. And to stay in the comfortable zone of i had some sense of security, asemblance of security. I knew people that i could easily reach out to for jobs. Cnns shara murray is with me now. And Cassidy Hutchinson is sitting down on the lead tomorrow with jake. But we are getting a sense of how that testimony itself changed her life. What more is she saying. She describes an isolated existence after that about not going out very much and be have concerned about potential threats to her security and to her safety. She even said she didnt go back to her apartment in d. C. And even relocated to atlantic for a few months. So there were clearly some concerns about potential threats and about her whereabouts. Of course now she has the book coming out so were starting to see her more publicly doing this tv interview and about to speak to jake tapper. Sort of sharing more about what this experience was like for her, erica. And in her interview, she stands by the testimony that she made before congress about this altercation between former trump and his Secret Service detail. What more is she saying about this. This is a Blockbuster Allegation from her testimony describing something that she heard secondhand about how badly t donald trump wants to go to the capitol on january 6 and this altercation with a then Secret Service agent. Take a listen to what she said during her testimony at the time. President reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. Mr. Engle grabbed his arm and said, sir you need to take your hand off the steering wheel. Were going back to the west wing. Were not going to the capitol. Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge toward bobby angle. He said he doesnt recall that instance. Another white house staffer who was the person who told her this story said they dont recall that. In this cbs interview, Cassidy Hutchinson said she knows what she recalls. She said, i stand by what i testified to. Erica. Sara murray, appreciate it, thank you. As you could imagine, there is a lot in Cassidy Hutchinsons new book. Jake again is going to sit down with here tomorrow on the lead. Be sure to tune in at 4 00 eastern. Up next, right here, a mustsee story of resilience. An air force veteran badly burned in afghanistan. Now his moment of praise as he uses his situation to inspire others. In our national lead, the remarkable inspiring story of one air force veterans sacrifice and resilience. In 2005, israel del toros humvee suffered third degree burns on 80 of his body, was in a coma for three months. Doctors said if he did survive, hed need a respirator to breathe, hed never walk ago. He recently sat down to speak about his most recent accomplishments, a patriots promise, protecting my brothers, fighting for my life and keeping my word. Here it is. I have a copy right here. Thank you so much. Its a great read. When your humvee ran over the ied in afghanistan, you write that your life flashed before your eyes. You also say, quote, they werent memories recalled, they were moments yet to come. Explain what you saw. I saw three distinct images. Me and my wife finally getting married by the church. We tried so many times. Every time we tried, it got canceled. Us honeymooning in greece. Thats where my wife has always gone i still owe her that. The last was teaching my boy how to play baseball. I was a ball player. That was always my dream, to teach my son how to play ball. Those are the things that popped in my head. At the heart of your memoir is a promise you made to your dying father when you were 12 to take care of your familiarly. Keeping that promise required a lot of sacrifice, such as getting a full scholarship to college. How else did that promise change you . That promise guided me on a path to where any time i felt like, i cant do this, i would recall that promise and it would get me back on path by speaking and telling people we all have sparks and we can overcome them, either on our own or we need help, sometimes hearing a story like mine. In the book you write about military families which is a topic you talk about, you say see us at our worst, have the hard conversations and make the most important decisions along with doctors, to amputate or not, fight infection or fight death. You say your wife is your hero. Tell us about that. My wife, 100 pounds from mexico, doesnt speak a word of english with a 3yearold son. Her having to come to the states, take my son to daycare, be by my side every day, at night pick up my son from day care, put him to sleep. For her to release when hes asleep, to go in the bathroom and cry because all that pressure was on her. Man, she was like a 200pound warrior. A lot of moving sections, but one in particular, you remember seeing your reflection by accident in a Hospital Mirror and it scared you you were scared about how your son would react. How has your service and that accident, the ied attack, how has that impacted your relationship with your son . I was terrified when i first saw myself. It wasnt a vanity thing. At the time i thought, im a 30yearold man and i think i look like a monster. Whats my 3yearold son going to think . When my son does see me, hes like, dad . Im like, yeah. He comes up and hugs me. Probably one of the most amazing moments besides seeing him being born. Our bond strengthened. We were always together. One of the most Amazing Things is because people may not know this or understand it. You wanted to reenlist in the air force. I did. When i got hurt, they said my Military Career was over. I didnt want it to be over. I remember people kept asking me, why do you want to stay in. You can become a Public Speaker, make a lot of money as a Public Speaker civilian, get your retirement. I love my country. I love combg in the air force. When i was able to show that february 2010, thats when i first became 100 disabled to reenlist. You write, quote, my disability doesnt define me. How i choose to live my life is what designs me. Looking back on your accomplishments, what are you most proud of and what is next for you . I think the most proud of that i got to retire when i wanted to in the military, do 22 years after all that grim diagnosis i got and to watch my son grow up and be there with my wife. People always ask, what are you going to be remembered as . I want to be remembered as a good friend, a great teammate, but even a better dad. It is a remarkable book. Retired Master Sergeant israel del toro, thank you for being here. We love having you on. Thanks, brother. Just ahead, the specialized u. S. Military equipment now in the hands of ukrainian fighters. Loving this pay bump on our allowance. Wonder where mom and dad got the extra money . Maybe they won the lottery . Maybe they inherited a fortune . Maybe buried treasure . Maybe it fell off a truck . Or maybe they switched to Xfinity Mobile the fastest mobile service. Save hundreds a year over tmobile, at t and verizon. Now i can buy that electric scooter. Im starting a Private Equity Fund that specializes in midcap. You do you. Switch to Xfinity Mobile today. Is it possible my network could take my business to the next level . It is with comcast business. Powering all your devices with gigspeed wifi. And you get fast downloads and uploads. Pick it up pick it up oh we got this because its powered by The Next Generation 10g network. More speed for your business . Its not just possible. Its happening. Get started for 59. 99 a month for 12 months. Plus, ask how to get an 800 prepaid card with a qualifying internet bundle. Comcast business, powering possibilities. In our money lead, if only Drew Barrymore and bill maher would have waited a few more days before announcing the comebacks. The strike ending. After four months they agreed to a tentative contract. The strike cost an estimated 5 billion. Union leaders call the threeyear proposal exceptional saying the deal addresses concerns from an crock its ranks from movies to tv to artificial intelligence. Critics warn it may be too early to celebrate. Higher costs for streamers could ultimately make their way down to consumers. If you ever miss an episode of the lead, you can watch wherever you get your podcast. Our coverage