One-third of Americans continue to believe that President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory was the result of voter fraud, according to findings of a new poll from Monmouth University. The Jersey Shore polling outfit additionally found that 17% of the public thinks there is still a path to reverse the electoral vote count and replace Biden with former President Donald Trump before the next presidential election. “The persistence of the ‘Big Lie’ continues to be a warning sign,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute. “While the number who hold this view might not sound like a lot right now, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t take an outright majority to destabilize institutions.” North-JerseyNews.com
The National Archives and Records Administration reportedly discovered classified information in documents former President Donald Trump had taken with him from the White House as he left office. Legally, Trump was required to leave the documents, letters and gifts in the custody of the federal government so the National Archives could store them. The discovery, which occurred after Trump returned 15 boxes of documents to the government last month, prompted the National Archives to reach out to the Justice Department for guidance. The department told the National Archives to have its inspector general examine the matter. The New York Times
U.S. inflation accelerated to a 7.5% annual rate in January, rising to a new four-decade high, the Labor Department said Feb. 10. Prices for autos, household furniture and appliances, as well as for other long-lasting goods, continue to drive much of the inflationary surge, fueled by pandemic-related supply-and-demand imbalances. Food inflation is also raising consumers’ grocery bills, pushed up by steady price increases for meat, eggs and citrus fruits. The Wall Street Journal
Americans are paying about twice as much for gasoline now as they were early in the COVID-19 pandemic, costing consumers away from the gas pump that is contributing to decades-high inflation on a range of goods and services. The run-up in gasoline prices was spurred by a supply-demand imbalance that developed in the oil market during the pandemic. Crude prices could reach $100 a barrel this year, a price that will result in higher prices at the pump or company’s passing along transportation costs in price hikes. The Wall Street Journal
Electric bills in New Jersey will go down just before the Summer starts, thanks to the results of the state’s annual electricity auction. The auction, run by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, sets the wholesale electricity prices that the electric utilities will pay and pass through to all New Jersey residential customers who have not chosen a third-party electric supplier. Residents will see their monthly electric bills go down on June 1—a 1.1% decrease for Jersey Central Power & Light customers, Rockland Electric customers will see a 2.4% decrease and a 2.8% drop for Public Service Electric and Gas customers. New Jersey Herald
The U.S. Department of Labor will allow states’ the ability to waive certain unemployment insurance overpayments after New Jersey urged the action on behalf of claimants who received federal benefits during the pandemic but were later found to be ineligible. In New Jersey, as many as 250,000 claimants could be affected on an average overpayment of about $4,400. “We remain hopeful that Congress will grant states the broader overpayment waiver authority we are seeking,” said New Jersey Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “Doing so would provide peace of mind to tens of thousands of New Jerseyans whose overpayments fall outside the new guidance (and) allow us to dedicate our resources to serving unemployed workers in need rather than putting claimants in precarious financial situations.” North-JerseyNews.com
The federal government will still require masks to be worn on all school buses despite Gov. Phil Murphy dropping the requirement that kids wear masks in schools as of March 7. The U.S. Department of Transportation, referring to the CDC guidance on public transportation, said the mask mandate applies to all school buses whether publicly or privately owned. News12 New Jersey
New Jersey has spent at least $9.5 million testing state workers for COVID-19 since Gov. Phil Murphy mandated weekly swabs for unvaccinated public employees returning to the office last Fall. A breakdown of vaccination rates for the state’s 77,000 employees shows most departments and agencies have fully inoculated more than 70% of their staff. The Department of Corrections and NJ Transit have the lowest rates at 41% and 61% respectively, with the Turnpike Authority (64%) and State Police (65%) ranking toward the bottom. The New Jersey Infrastructure Bank, State Ethics Commission and South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization all had 100% vaccination rates. That was rivaled by the governor’s office and its 96% coverage. Gothamist
Another 6,000 applications have been filed for the state’s excluded workers fund, two weeks after Gov. Phil Murphy announced the restoration of $40 million to the fund. That brings the number of residents seeking cash relief to 17,000. In the four months since the fund launched, 3,700 applications have been approved and another 522 were denied. The rest are currently under document review or require additional documents to be submitted. New Jersey Monitor
New Jersey hospitals are again allowing visitation of patients as COVID metrics continue to fall statewide. The New Jersey Hospital Association updated it’s guidance on patient visitation this week, moving to a “Code Yellow” status that allows patients to have one visitor at a time who must follow requirements on masking, symptom screening and other precautions; no visitors for COVID-19 patients, except for circumstances approved by the care team; and no visitors are allowed for those who are immunocompromised, except for circumstances approved by the care team. Visitors had been banned from most hospitals since December as COVID cases spiked. NJ1015.com
State Sen. Richard Codey (D-27) submitted written testimony to the commission charged with redrawing New Jersey 40 legislative districts, declaring his opposition to the change suggested by both parties. Codey argued he and his Assembly district mates are the only Democratic voices for voters in traditionally-Republican Morris County. “We have given a voice to the many voters who wish to see their values represented and added to the dialogue in a county that otherwise has one-party representation,” Codey, who lives in Roseland, said of the Morris County portion of his district. “In terms of competitiveness and partisan fairness, neither proposed map envisions a district in Morris that lends itself to Democratic representation.” PoliticoNJ
New Jersey’s Republican State Senators are signaling reservations with Gov. Phil Murphy’s nomination of Matt Platkin to serve as the state’s next Attorney General. State Senate Minority Leader Steve Oroho (R-24) and State Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-40) expressed concern about Platkin’s role with the Murphy Administration to expand the use of emergency powers during the pandemic and any involvement in the handling of Katie Brennan’s sexual assault case. “[Platkin] is obviously a very smart guy, but he shouldn’t expect a free pass to avoid the scrutiny a nominee for Attorney General deserves,” Oroho said. North-JerseyNews.com
Some of New Jersey’s most influential women Democratic leaders signed a letter endorsing the nomination of Matt Platkin as Attorney General. “Matt Platkin has a deep commitment to reproductive rights, personal and family leave, workers’ rights, social, economic and racial justice, equality for all, ethical conduct, and good government,” the group said. “We support Governor Murphy in this choice and urge the New Jersey Senate to quickly confirm this appointment.” The list of 51 women includes grassroots activists, fundraisers, union and party leaders elected officials such as former New Jersey CWA state director Hetty Rosenstein, Democratic National Committeewoman Marcia Marley, New Jersey Citizen Action executive director Dena Mottola Jaborska, and New Jersey Working Families Party executive director Sue Altman. New Jersey Globe
State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-39) will serve as rate counsel for the Park Ridge utility board after her appointment at a council meeting Feb. 9. Mayor Keith Misciagna and some members of the utility board objected to the process by which she was chosen, claiming the council handpicked Schepisi after changing an ordinance to remove the utility board’s power to select a candidate. “The council has changed the way we hire the rate counsel for the utility board. We have never done it this way in about 50 years—they have completely cut out everyone from the decision-making process,” said Misciagna, a Democrat. But fellow Democrat Councilmember Kelly Epstein said the ordinance that gave the utility board control was rescinded because it did not match state code. The Record
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office rejected New Jersey’s efforts to dissolve the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, calling the watchdog agency a key player in policing the region’s ports and in keeping out corruption and organized crime. It marked the first time New York had taken a stance in response to New Jersey’s move to unilaterally do away with the Waterfront Commission that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Hochul said the commission has been and continues to be a key investigative partner in both state and federal criminal prosecutions in both New York and New Jersey. “Despite law enforcement’s successes, there remains the threat of organized crime and corruption in the port,” she wrote. “As the federal law enforcement community has noted, the commission provides invaluable resources and expertise at the intersection of organized crime and port operations.” NJ.com
A number of Hoboken residents are launching a government watchdog group in the city, which they say will “ensure that Hoboken’s elected officials put our community first, govern out in the open and not behind closed doors, and make every decision with our best interests in mind.” The group, calling itself Hoboken Watchdog, is organizing as a non-profit and is being co-chaired by Sheila Brennan, a former City Council candidate; tenant advocate Cheryl Fallick; former Board of Education Trustee Rose Marie Markle, and former Hudson County Young Republican chairman Joshua Sotomayor-Einstein. Hudson Reporter
Randolph Township residents and community leaders plan to speak out against the school district’s decision to take away one of two Rosh Hashanah days off. Board of Education members made the change last November shortly after they sent out a survey to families that asked whether the district should get rid of the second day off; the district instead is offering the second day as an excused absence for those observing the religious holiday. The Daily Record
Trenton was awarded a $5 million grant to advance the start of the state’s first all-electric powered, micro-transit system with self-driving mini-buses. The grant will allow the city to support the startup and eventual deployment of 100 autonomous mini-buses for the on-demand transit system, estimated to serve about 90,000 residents, 70% of who don’t have access to a car. NJ.com
And finally…American Nathan Chen won an Olympic gold medal in Men’s Figure skating. The New York Times
