Live from NPR News in New York, I'm Jack Spear.

You ask Senator Robert Manendez of New Jersey and his wife have been indicted on federal

corruption charges.

The case was unsealed today in federal court in Manhattan, more from MMPR's Ryan Lucas.

Prosecutors say Manendez took hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for

using his power as a senator to try to protect it in rich three New Jersey businessmen,

who were also charged.

According to the indictment, at the behest of one of the businessmen, Manendez, who now

chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, took actions to benefit the government of Egypt.

He also allegedly tried to influence state and federal investigations related to his

co-defendants.

Federal prosecutors say in exchange, Manendez received cash, gold bars, and a Mercedes convertible

among other items.

In a statement, Manendez calls the allegations baseless and says that prosecutors have misrepresented

the normal work of a congressional office.

Ryan Lucas and Pierre News, Washington.

With congressional lawmakers leaving Washington for the weekend with no stopgap spending

plan in place, the White House says it is preparing to direct federal agencies to prepare

for a possible government shutdown.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says the House will return to session next week to start

voting on the latest plan, but with just days to go to the end of the government's fiscal

year, there are concerns.

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