Rep. Tom Malinowski is urging the White House to immediately implement “full financial freezing sanctions” and to seize the assets of “enablers” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Corruption is both Putin’s reason for being, and his greatest political vulnerability,” Malinowski said. “After Putin’s invasion, we must at long last get serious about going after the bank accounts, yachts, private jets, luxury villas, and shell companies of those who steal from ordinary Russians and then shelter their wealth overseas.” North-JerseyNews.com
The U.S. and European Union blocked Russia’s central bank from using its emergency reserves to protect the economy from the Western pressure campaign, a salvo the bank’s governor said risked triggering a financial crisis. The coordinated action blocks the central bank from selling dollars, euros and other foreign currencies in its reserves stockpile to stabilize the ruble. Additionally, the sanctions target another major government stockpile of assets, a key sovereign-wealth fund called the Russian Direct Investment Fund, and prevent Moscow from using other government and private banks to sidestep sanctions on its financial system. The Wall Street Journal
Ukraine’s government has enacted martial law, requiring men to stay in the country and either join the fight or face the prospect of conscription as the Russian assault has intensified. A large explosion struck central Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, on March 1, directly in front of the city’s administrative building, creating a huge fireball that appeared in a video to engulf several cars driving through an area called Freedom Square. CCTV footage of the attack captured what appeared to be a rocket striking directly in front of the building. Video of the aftermath showed a large crater in the middle of the city’s cobble-stoned central square. The New York Times
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took a swipe at former President Donald Trump for calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “genius” as troops prepared to invade Ukraine. “How can anyone with any understanding of the world call Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine ‘genius’ and ‘very savvy’ as we watch him unite the rest of the world against Russia in nearly an instant?” Christie tweeted. “Putin has two choices now: an unwinnable occupation of Ukraine after leveling the country and murdering its hero President (if that is even achievable) or a humiliating retreat. Yeah, that’s ‘genius’ and ‘very savvy’ alright. No walking that back. History is watching.” NJ.com
With New Jersey set to lift its school COVID-19 mask mandate March 7, the state is calling for districts to wait until that date to have children stop wearing masks on school buses, Gov. Phil Murphy said Feb. 28. Murphy added that school districts are “welcome to” drop masks on buses if they feel “comfortable…We still recommend it for the next week.” Included in revised CDC guidance last week, the agency dropped the requirement for people “to wear masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/child care programs.” News12 New Jersey
An accounting error resulted in New Jersey’s vaccination rates being undercounted. According to a note on the state’s dashboard, a coding error caused approximately 200,000 Pfizer (adult formulation) doses not being classified as Pfizer doses. The change increased by about 3% the numbers of those fully vaccinated and who had received their booster shot, according to a North-JerseyNews.com analysis. With just under 8.5 million eligible in New Jersey to be vaccinated, 80% are now fully vaccinated as of Feb. 28. And 54% of the 5.7 million of those eligible have now received their booster. North-JerseyNews.com
February 28 marked the last day residents could apply to the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund, which launched in late October with $40 million. At the end of the day, the Department of Human Services had received more than 35,000 applications—of those, about 4,200 were approved, 300 were denied, and the remaining 30,000 are under review. About 8,000 applications were submitted in the last three days. New Jersey Monitor
Gov. Phil Murphy announced NJ Transit fares will not increase, marking the fifth year that riders will be spared from a hike. Details of how fares will be kept flat will be revealed during the budget message, scheduled to be delivered March 8, Murphy said. Additionally, the governor revealed that his proposed FY2023 budget would include funding the installation of wi-fi onboard all NJ Transit buses. The Record
PSEG says it is moving the company toward a clean and electrified economy while tackling the challenges raised by climate change. The Newark-based energy conglomerate detailed the steps it has already taken and investment of billions of dollars to power a future where people use less energy and what they use is cleaner and delivered more reliably than ever, a process it dubbed “Powering Progress.” PSEG projects to reach net-zero—in which greenhouse gasses going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal from the atmosphere—by 2030. NJ Spotlight News
New Jersey’s holdout as the sole U.S. state that still requires an attendant to pump gas could be in jeopardy. Proposed legislation would give gas station owners the option to provide self service, making it no longer unlawful for someone other than an attendant to pump their own gas and allow gas stations to offer full-service fuel, self-service fuel or a combination among other options. The bipartisan bill includes Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro (D-33) and State Senate Minority Leader Steve Oroho (R-24) as sponsors. New Jersey Herald
The fight of who would be the State Senator from North Jersey’s newly redrawn 33rd legislative district is over before it ever began. State Sen. Nicholas Sacco (D-32) broke his silence last week to announce that this would be his last term as a State Senator and would not run in 2023, avoiding a primary battle against State Sen. Brian Stack (D-33). The North Bergen Mayor said he decided not to run for re-election for the State office several months ago before the new map was adopted. “Although I had planned to announce that I will not seek re-election to the State Senate in my own time at a later date, it’s important to send a clear message now that Hudson County Democrats will remain united and to put any speculation about a divisive and unnecessary primary next year to rest,” said Sacco. North-JerseyNews.com
Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez (D-32) intends to seek another term in 2023. “I still have a year and a half to go [in this term], and I look forward to working even further as an advocate for the people and my constituents,” Jimenez said. “I will be reaching out to (State Sen. Brian Stack). I hope he will take into consideration me being a Latina, and that I’m the most senior of the Hudson County assemblymembers. I hope he will take that into consideration, as well as all the work I’ve done in my district and that I will continue doing.” New Jersey Globe
All police officers and state lawmakers in New Jersey would be required to undergo implicit bias and diversity training under a pair of bills approved by the Assembly Feb. 28. The first bill (A1719) requires implicit bias and cultural competency training for members, officers, and employees of the Legislature. The second measure (A1720) would mandate all police officers in the state undergo implicit bias and cultural diversity training during basic training. Both proposed laws still have to be passed by the State Senate. NJ.com
Lawmakers from North Jersey are applauding President Joe Biden’s nomination Feb. 25 of federal appeals court judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his pick to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. “This is a Jackie Robinson moment for our nation,” said Sen. Cory Booker. “For generations America has been blessed with extraordinary legal talent in people of all backgrounds, but for the first time in our history an extraordinarily talented Black woman will serve on the Supreme Court. I’m profoundly moved by this; my heart aches with joy.” North-JerseyNews.com
The Cedar Grove Board of Education issued an apology to parents, saying board members should have spoken up when a parent used a racial slur during the public comment portion of a meeting. The remarks came during the Essex County district’s Feb. 16 board meeting when a parent rose during the session to ask about the financial cost of weekend detention for students. The parent then cited an alleged incident in which a teacher was said to have uttered a slur typically used against Black people and repeated the word before moving on to other questions. The five-member board did not comment after she stepped down from the microphone. The Record
A state agency found probable cause that Randolph school board member Jeanne Stifelman violated the Schools Ethics Act by not reporting thousands of dollars in payments from the district. On Feb. 25, the School Ethics Commission, which operates under the New Jersey Department of Education, responded to a complaint filed by district parents in August 2019 that accused Stifelman of omitting $45,000 in payments from the Randolph Township School District from her 2019 financial disclosure forms as part of legal settlement. Per the School Ethics Commission, the matter is transferred to the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law for a hearing and further investigation. The Daily Record
And finally…President Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union Address, expected to highlight his economic plans and an update on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal
