OPINION: Primary the Squad Six for their Vote Against Infrastructure. Where is the outrage for the six Squad members who voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill? The push by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib for far-left policies and refusal to vote for the infrastructure bill on political grounds are not in-step with a majority of Americans and should be confronted by Democratic leaders. If the Squad members continue to be more concerned about their leftist ideology rather than enacting policies that will help the U.S. grow and prosper, party leaders are obligated to pursue all opportunities to find a primary opponent that will. North-JerseyNews.com
President Joe Biden named Mitch Landrieu to oversee $1 trillion in infrastructure spending from the bipartisan legislation that the president will sign into law on Nov. 15. As a senior adviser to President Biden with the title of infrastructure coordinator, Landrieu—a former mayor of New Orleans and a former lieutenant governor of Louisiana—will supervise funds for upgrading roads, bridges, pipes and broadband internet as the federal government distributes the money to states over the next several years. The New York Times
Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill were back home to highlight the benefits from the $1.0 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill in the days leading up to President Joe Biden signing the federal legislation into law. Both members of Congress held events Nov. 12 in their district to go over the bill that will not only make investment in roads, bridges, and mass transit—including getting the Gateway Tunnel between New York and New Jersey built—but commits resources to storm resiliency due to climate change, electric vehicle infrastructure, clean drinking water, and reliable high-speed broadband internet. North-JerseyNews.com
NJ Transit added 36 new trains to the Main-Bergen line to meet growing customer demand as residents are getting back onto their pre-pandemic commutes and feeling more comfortable with public transit. The Main-Bergen line now has 14 new weekend trains, which means hourly service all day on the weekends and holidays. During the week, 22 new trains will now operate transit wide. NJ Transit says the additional trains bring more express service on some lines, improved trip times and connections. News12 New Jersey
Former President Donald Trump called for “good and smart America First Republican patriots” to launch a primary challenge against Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th), one of 13 House GOP lawmakers to back President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill. “You will have my backing,” Trump promised in his declaration against Smith and 10 other House Republicans in a Nov. 13 statement. All of those named either supported the legislation or voted to impeach him for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Notably not mentioned despite voting for the bill was Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), who switched parties sitting next to Trump in the Oval Office in December 2019. NJ.com
Steve Bannon, a longtime ally to former President Donald Trump, was indicted Nov. 12 on two counts of contempt of Congress after he defied a congressional subpoena from the House committee investigating the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The Justice Department said Bannon was indicted on one count for refusing to appear for a deposition and the other for refusing to provide documents in response to the committee’s subpoena. The indictment comes as a second witness, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, defied a similar subpoena from the committee. The chairman of the panel, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, said he will be recommending contempt charges against Meadows this week. NJ.com
GOP gubernatorial challenger Jack Ciattarelli is eyeing 2025 after his concession to Gov. Phil Murphy. “Enough votes have been counted. There does not appear to be a path to victory or the basis for a recount,” said Ciattarelli. The Republican hopes a third time will be a charm as he said he would run for governor in 2025, expressing no interest in a Federal race. “I’ll be running for governor in four years. I want (Gov. Murphy) to be successful in addressing the problems that are facing New Jersey, but I’m fearful… we’ll be talking about these very same issues, and they’ll need fixing come four years from now.” North-JerseyNews.com
State Sen. Nick Scutari (D-22) was chosen as the next president of the New Jersey Senate, succeeding Steven Sweeney (D-3) who lost his re-election bid in a shocking upset. Scutari was picked by Senate Democrats in a 21-0 vote, with one abstention, in a closed-door meeting at the Statehouse in Trenton Nov. 12. State Sen. Nia Gill (D-34), who had announced she intended to challenge Scutari, abstained instead because she said she intends to challenge Scutari in front of the public when the New Jersey Legislature reorganizes in January. New Jersey Monitor
An examination of a poll taken before the election by Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) has zeroed in on one element that may have produced the Red Wave of 2021. The pollsters at FDU found beliefs about systemic racism are strongly linked to opposition to police reforms, and argue these views played a key role in the unexpectedly close race between Gov. Phil Murphy and his challenger Jack Ciattarelli. Voters not asked about police reform favored Murphy by nine points; those who were asked about police reforms before being asked about the governor’s race favored Murphy by just two points, almost exactly his final margin in the election. North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy announced the state will provide funding to purchase 11 miles of defunct NJ Transit track-bed in Essex and Hudson counties, paving the way for the creation of a 135-acre, rail-to-trail linear park connecting Montclair and Jersey City. At a news conference at the Bloomfield Public Library Nov. 12, Murphy said the linear park will become the “crown jewel” of the state park system. “This is our High Line moment,” he said, referring to the popular park created from a reclaimed elevated rail line on the West Side of Manhattan. Hudson Reporter
New Jerseyans have shown a limited appetite for COVID-19 booster shots so far, with fewer than one in four eligible individuals having received an additional dose since they were approved in late September—a showing state officials are working to improve. Gov. Phil Murphy has raised the possibility of expanding booster eligibility to enable anyone age 18 and older to receive a third dose, something done recently in California and Colorado, a state where COVID-19 is now surging. New Jersey currently limits boosters to vaccinated individuals age 65 and over or who are at risk for infection because of their health, home or job status. NJ Spotlight News
New Jersey on Nov. 14 reported another 1,498 COVID-19 cases and three deaths, as the number of people in the state who have received a booster coronavirus vaccine or third dose topped 900,000. The Garden State’s seven-day average for confirmed positive tests is now 1,333, up about 26% from a week ago, and there were 671 patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases. The statewide rate of transmission remained at 1 for the second consecutive day after increasing from 0.98 Friday and has now reported 28,172 total COVID-19 deaths in the more than 20 months since the start of the outbreak. NJ.com
Rowan University is encouraging flu shots for students after 100 cases were reported on campus since Nov. 1 and resulted in some students being hospitalized. Free flu shots will be available on the Glassboro campus every Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Owl’s Nest of the Chamberlain Student Center. No appointment is necessary. Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations can be administered at the same time. NJ1015.com
Utilities and consumer advocates are imploring customers with past-due balances to call and make payment arrangements by a Dec. 31 deadline, after which utilities can begin shutoffs. A Winter shutoff moratorium, which prevents electric and gas utilities from cutting service during the winter heating season, may extend the date to March 15. Officials are urging those who need financial assistance is available now and New Jersey residents should not wait. New Jersey Herald
National childcare operators such as KinderCare Education and Bright Horizons Family Solutions are buying up closed centers, reaching out to parents who lost care during the pandemic and signing contracts with employers to provide nannies and daycare for their workers. About 13,000 centers representing more than 20% of the nation’s child-care capacity, including those offering before- and after-school programs, shut down during the pandemic and haven’t reopened. Operating a daycare facility is more costly now than before the pandemic because many providers have had to reduce capacity to make room for more social distancing, a shortage of workers has led to higher wages and more competitive benefits. Large providers have more flexibility to offer medical and retirement benefits, along with wages well above the $11-an-hour national average for a child-care worker. The Wall Street Journal
The Bergen County Technical School District received a New Jersey Department of Education grant that will fund nearly $26 million of the cost to construct a new county Career and Technical Education School. The Securing Our Children’s Future grant will provide 75% of funding for construction—an expected $25.9 million—while the county will be responsible for the rest. The new school will be located in Paramus and will bridge the gap between high school and postsecondary plans to prepare students for their next steps, whether it’s in a trade apprenticeship program or college. The Record
Jersey City’s Board of Education is studying a long-range facilities plan that may reshape its 41 schools and reimagine how the district buildings are utilized over the next five years. The plan was developed to determine solutions to remove school trailers, renew and renovate older buildings, add new gymnasiums and new wings to schools to ease overcrowding. The plan looks into the reorganization of schools and presents options that include “redistricting,” or redrawing the geographic boundaries for attending a neighborhood school. The Jersey Journal
And finally…Jon Bon Jovi joined The Wallflowers on stage at the Stone Pony for Elvis Costello cover this weekend. The Record
