Welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, canada and all around the world. Im kim brunhuber. Ahead on cnn newsroom, millions of americans are bracing for a Tropical Storm this hour. A lock at what to expect from the cnn weather center. And cash and gold in exchange for police call favor, the allegations against a u. S. Senator. Whats next for the lawmaker in the u. S. Plus after a Whirlwind Visit by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to washington this week, well delve into the discan connect between lawmakers and voters on the issue of funding and more aid for the war. Tropical storm is just off the coast of North Carolina, and according to the latest advisory that came out minutes ago, is expected to make landfall any time now. Ophelia is at Hurricane Strength and is bringing storm surge, Flash Flooding and damaging winds to North Carolina and virginia. More than 40,000 customers are without power. Severe weather is also forecast in maryland and delaware. The game between the braves and nationals has already been postponed and rain from the storm is already reaching into new jersey and pennsylvania. Meteorologist chad myers has more on what to expect. Ophelia lash ing the coast o North Carolina with punishing waves, Beach Erosion, some of the waves getting over the top of the Barrier Islands here along the outer banks. Very heavy rainfall coming into polices like new jersey, delaware, even towards the nations capitol. Let me push this ahead to the 9 00 hour or so. Well on land by then, but still notice how large the area of rainfall. That Rainfall Shield is going to be all the way up in from new england all the way back down even when the storm is just crossing over into virginia. So an awful lot of rainfall with this. A lot of surge possible. Those pounding waves really creating significant Beach Erosion along the east coast. Even though this wasnt a category 3 or 4, it did have its moments all the way up and down the east coast with 3 to 4 inches of rainfall. Because it is moving so fast, we probably wont see that 10 to 15 inches worth of rain, but theres still the possibility of flooding with Flood Watches and a few warnings already in effect. So yes, its going to be a storm to reckon with with heavy rainfall in virginia and for tomorrow, farther up to the northeast. 60 to 0 Miles Per Hour along the coast. Much less inland, but there could still be 40 to 50 mile per hour winds that could can bring power lines down, trees down, same story to the north. And finally by sunday, things begin to settle down. The winds are only going to be 15 to 20, but they will be there off the ocean as the winds continue. Because the storm would have been on land for 36 hours, those winds are certainly going to be calming down. So will the winds and the waves. That shore and Beach Erosion, surge could be 4 to 6 feet with this in some places. And thats when you get the big waves on top of that. That could really mean a problem for anyone living along the water as this water is going to eventually move up to the rivers of the eastern part of the midatlantic coast. Democratic senator Robert Menendez is ang Ly Rily Rejectig calls to resign. It follows his indictment Friday On Federal Corruption charges for the second time in less than a decade. His wife is and three others all denied any wrong doing and are due in week. He stepped down as chairman of the powerful Foreign Relations committee. Paula reid has the latest from washington. Reporter senator Robert Menendez facing Corruption Charges for the second time in just ten years. Im announcing that my office has obtained a threecount indictment menendez, his wife and three businessmen. Reporter prosecutors allege he and his wife accepted bribes including cash, gold bars, and a mercedes to wield his influence for allies in the u. S. And earth jupt. Senator maine innocent dez provided u. S. Government information to egyptian officials in otherwise took steps to secretly aid the government of egypt. Reporter the senator travelled to egypt just last mo month. The powerful senator, who chaired the Foreign Relations committee until he stepped down, also allegedly attempted to influence criminal investigations of two new jersey businessmen, one of whom was a longtime fundraiseer for the lawmaker. And allegedly pressured the Department Of Agriculture to help an associate maintain a monopoly on the importation of wheat to the United States. Feds searched the home finding over 480,000 in cash, much of it stuffed in envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets and a safe. Some envelopes were found inside jackets baring his name and hanging in his closet, as seen in this photo from the indictment. The senators previous Corruption Case ended in a mistrial in 2017. Then, a partial acquittal a year after that before all charges were dropped. Menendez subsequently won reelection. Im so proud that new jerseyans rejected the politics of personal destruction and the false negative salacious ads. Reporter the white house declined to comment, but new jersey governor phil murphy, a fellow democrat, along with Congressman Dean Phillips among those Call Ing On Menendez to resign. I dont care your politics. A member of congress who appears to have broken the law is someone who i believe should resign. I think George Santos should have resigned already. Reporter but the senator refusing to back down saying, quote, i have been falsely accused before because i refused to back down to the Powers That Be and the people of new jersey are able to see through the smoke and mirrors and recognize i was innocent. The senator and his wife, along with their codefendants, are expected to appear in Federal Court next wednesday. U. S. Attorneys said this investigation is very much ongoing. Paula reid, cnn, washington. Uaw strike is in its second week. If you need car repairs, you could soon be out of luck. The strike has been expanded to include 38 parts and Distribution Centers in 20 states belonging to General Motors and stellantis. It will hit dealerships hard. It wont expand the strike at Ford Facilities noting significant improvements in the negotiations. President biden, who has been criticized for not showing enough support, said he will go to michigan on tuesday and join picket lines. Chuck schumer tells cnn his cham can better may try to push through a bill to fund the government as chaos rules in the republicanled house. Now if the u. S. A little over a week away from a Government Shutdown, schumer says hes trying to cut a Spending Deal with Mitch Mcconnell. In the house, Kevin Mccarthy says he will try to pass a series of yearlong Funding Bills next week, but he sent representatives home for the weekend on thursday, still issuing a warning to hard hadliners. Here he is. I just believe if youre not funding the troops and the border, its difficult to think youre going to win in a shutdown. I have been through those a couple times. The president took a swing at the houses early dismissal writing, the last time there was a Government Shutdown, 800,000 americans were furloughed or worked without pay, but enjoy your weekend. A Government Shutdown would affect millions of americans. Brian todd has a look at the realworld impact. Reporter the soulcrushing Flight Delays that might have hampered travel this summer, get ready for more of them. Your food and water might be vulnerable to safety lapses. Those are among the potential disruptions to our lives that could occur if the congress cant agree to extend the funding of the government, and we face a shutdown by midnight on september 30th. Dont think for a minute it dont affect your community. That it dont affect your city. It affects all of america. Reporter first to feel the pinch, almost all of the countrys 35 million federal workers going without pay, including active duty military and much of federal law enforcement. Some Essential Workers will have to work any way without pay, like air Traffic Controllers at airports. If they are working, why could there still be Flight Delays . You dont have money to put gas in the car to come to work, when you dont have money for public transit, that could cause delays at the airport because they are going to call in if they cant get to work. Reporter a shutdown would delay the training for badly needed newly hired air Traffic Controllers. A shutdown lasting a few weeks could set us back by months or more because of how complex that train ing is. Reporter how would the rest of us feel it . National parks likely closed. Food stamps in jeopardy, as well as Passport Processing and disaster funding for places like hawaii and florida. Even thousands of preschool kids could be shut out. Head start is losing funding. That means preschools could be shutting down and families will be affected. Reporter our daily sustenance will be affect because fda inspectors wouldnt be working during a Government Shutdown. Youll see fewer food safety inspections. Youll see a pause in inspections of Drinking Water facilities. Reporter Social Security and medicare payments wont be stopped, but service . Apply for a new claim, that wont happen. A person have an issue with their benefits, they have no one to call, no one to talk to. Reporter the broader economy would take a hit because things like permitting for Construction Projects and Loan Approvals for farms and Small Businesses could be paused. A Government Shutdown is just yet another drag on the economy because it ends up disrupting the lots of Supply Chains and the lots of services that people rely on the other parts of the economy. Reporter what should the average american do to prepafr pair . Analysts advise check to see what benefits youre receiving from the federal government, whether its food stamps or or your childs preschool. Find out if those benefits will be disrupted, and she says, contact your representative in congress and urge them to work as hard as possible to reach a funding deal. Brian todd, cnn, washington. Cnn sits down for an interview of the general in charge of ukraines counteroffensive and he says the slowmovinguation praigs will pick up as soon as one town changes hands. Thats ahead. Ukraine strikes at the heart of russias power and moscow is down playing the number of casualties. And u. S. Support for the war effort seems to be caught up in the ongoing dysfunction in congress. That story and more, after the break. Stay witith us. That targets vital cell turnover, evens skskin tone, and smooths fine lines. With visible results in just one week. Neutrogena® retinol oh what a good time we will have you can make it happen yeah oh now, try new Dietary Supplements from voltaren for healthy joints. Yes, i need a trim. I just want to be able to cut the damage. We tried dove instead. So, still need that trim . Oh my gosh i am actually shocked i dont need a haircut. Dont trim daily damage. Stop it with dove. Shingles. The rash can feel like an intense Burning Sensation and last for weeks. It can make your workday feel impossible. The virus that causes shingles is likely already inside of you. 50 years or older . Ask your doctor about shingles. The Morgan StanleyClient Experience . Listening more than talking, and a personalized plan to guide you through a changing world. Ukraine says the toll from the strike of the naval headquarters in crimea is far higher than moscow is ready to admit. Russia said only one soldier is missing after the Missile Attack on the command of the Black Sea Fleet. The special Operations Forces say dozens of people were kin kilned or wounded including senior flight leaders. They didnt provide any eviden for the clinton campaign. Kyiv says russian drones pummelled cain overnight. The attacks killed one person and wounded three others. The strikes on crimea maybe fa behind front lines, but a general in charge of the counteroffensive is say they make a big difference for his forces on the ground. He gave an interview to fred pleitgen. Reporter Smoke Pbillowing from the Black Sea Fleet headquarters, moscow blame ing ukrainian launched cruise missiles. I sat down with the commanding general for ukraines counteroffensive in the south, and he tells me strikes like these are invaluable for his st troops. Sfwlts a destroyed commander means a destroyed link. If theres no command, there are no coordinated actions hitting infrastructure like warehouses, containing weapons is a factor for victory. Reporter in the past weeks alone, ukrainians sate they chef v hit a submarine, base in crimea. Still they face skepticism from republican lawmakers and the public about the u. S. s continued support for ukraine. He is asking for patience. Translator we have one goal. Elect liberation of our territory. I want to thank even the skeptics, their criticism also influences our tasks success. Reporter its been a slow grind for the ukrainians on the southern front. Progress so far, incremental. There would be a big push. Translator i believe so. I think this point will be relying on the depth of the Offensive Line there. I worry less about the line and more about the Cross Roads Tree Lines and the mine fields between the tree lines. Reporter but the u. S. Has cautioned time might be running out as fall progresses make ing the earth here soggy and movement difficult. How much do you think you can achieve before the winter sets in . How far do you think your forces can can get . Translator the weather can be a serious obstacle, but considering how we move forward mostly without using vehicles, i dont think the weather will heavily influence the counteroffensive. Reporter he remains optimistic that the counteroffensive will be a success, especially if ukraine continues its campaign targeting Russian Forces in the rear like chrisrimea. Fred pleitgen, cnn, ukraine. We have been following developments in ukraine. Se selma, lets start with the attack on the Black Sea Fleet. It could be a significant development, but confirmed details are scarce. What more are we learning . We got a statement from ukraines Special Forces making further claims on this attack. It really is the in heart of crimea. The headquarters of its Black Sea Fleet. Special forces said in this statement that there were dozens of troops killed and wounded in this attack. They said that the timing of the attack was significant. Apparently taking place during a highlevel meeting at noon yesterday. The statement went on to say that Statement Led to Senior Leadership of the Black Sea Fleet being among those killed or wounded. Now ukraine has provided no evidence to back these claims. Russia disputes them, as you mentioned, the latest statement we have from russian officials is that one soldier is missing. Nothing further than that. They do admit they do concede that that headquarters was struck, as you have seen in those dramatic videos there. Regardless of the exact consequences, the exact nature and outcome of this attack, ukraine has been making it clear in recent weeks that any russian target inside the region is within reach. As you heard there from matthew chance, several strikes on several areas from ships to command centers to the headquarters in russianoccupied regions gives that sense that the kremlin is ever more vulnerable, far from those weapons. In the meantime, russian attacks are continuing. St whats the latest . Yes, so heavy russian bombardment to the south region, local officials reporting in a 24hour period, in the past 24 hours, some 600 shells were fired towards that region. Several people, one person has been kill