President Joe Biden assured the American people that “freedom would always triumph over tyranny” during the first State of the Union address of his presidency March 1. The President praised the efforts of the Ukrainian people in defending their country and said “we, the United States of America, stand with the Ukrainian people.” The latter half of the speech centered on domestic issues, including the economy and moving to the next stage of COVID. “We reached a new moment in the fight against COVID-19,” said Biden. “I say we will never just live with COVID-19, we will combat the virus.” North-JerseyNews.com
President Joe Biden authorized the release of 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, part of an international boost to the global oil supply that has been disrupted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. contribution will make up half of the reserve oil that the International Energy Alliance, a collection of 31 mostly European countries, agreed to collectively release. The release is meant to counteract Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “weaponization of oil and gas,” according to a Biden Administration official. New Jersey Monitor
Russia’s push to seize key Ukrainian cities accelerated on March 2, with the Russian military claiming that its forces were fully in control of Kherson, a port city with a strategically important location near the Black Se. Kherson would be the first major Ukrainian city captured by Russia since President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion last Thursday. Russian forces were also bearing down on several other cities, including Kyiv, the capital, where blasts were reported overnight and Russian forces appeared to be moving closer toward encircling the city. The New York Times
State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-36) authored bipartisan legislation that passed the State Senate Budget Committee Feb. 28 unanimously to prohibit public investments with Russia. The bill, S-1889, would prohibit the state and local government in New Jersey from doing business with the Russian government or any business or financial institution with Russian interests. “We need to target Russia’s economic pressure points to make them pay a price for launching a war of aggression against a free people and the democratically-elected government of Ukraine,” said Sarlo, the committee’s chair. “The Russian playbook is to shift investments around to try to hide them from accountability.” North-JerseyNews.com
In the official Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Speech tonight, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds lumped New Jersey in with New York and California as the holy trinity of “Democrat-controlled states” that were got the COVID-19 response wrong. “(Democrats) won’t tell you that spending trillions more and bankrupting their children is the answer to their problems. They won’t tell you that we should be paying people not to work. And they certainly won’t tell you that we should give billions in tax giveaways to millionaires and billionaires in Democrat-controlled states like California, New York, and New Jersey,” said Reynolds. InsiderNJ
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rebuked a policy agenda crafted by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), saying it would raise taxes on lower-income Americans. Sen. Scott’s 11-point “Rescue America” plan includes proposals to name the border wall after former Republican President Donald Trump, prohibit the government from asking people to disclose their race on any federal form, sunset all federal legislation after five years including Social Security and Medicare and all Americans should pay some income tax. “We will not have as part of our agenda a bill that raises taxes on half the American people and sunsets Social Security and Medicare within five years,” said McConnell. “That will not be part of the Republican Senate majority agenda.” The Wall Street Journal
Gov. Phil Murphy is urging residents to wait until the school mask mandate ends March 7 when the state lifts the requirement for students and school personnel to stop wearing masks on buses. Murphy Administration officials reasoned it did not want to confuse school districts who had just received the state’s new health department guidelines two days prior to the CDC recommendations. But that explanation was not good enough for State Sen. Joe Pennacchio. “The CDC is no longer recommending that masks be worn anywhere in New Jersey under new guidance that takes into account local community data,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “If Governor Murphy were truly basing his COVID-19 policies on science, he would follow the CDC’s recommendation and lift the mask mandate today for New Jersey schools and everywhere else.” North-JerseyNews.com
A new study has revealed that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine may not be as effective in younger kids. The New York Department of Health found the vaccine’s effectiveness in children ages 5 to 11 dropped from 68% to 12% over a two week period in December. News12 New Jersey
Health insurance enrollments in New Jersey during the Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment period jumped 20% in 2022 when compared to 2021, according to Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Marlene Caride. Total enrollments during the 2022 Open Enrollment Period reached 324,266 New Jersey residents, compared to 269,560 last year. “New Jersey has taken steps to maximize financial support so residents can find more assistance than ever before through the state’s health insurance marketplace, Get Covered New Jersey. This new Special Enrollment Period is a major step forward in our effort to promote health equity and continue to expand health care affordability and access for our residents,” Caride said. North-JerseyNews.com
State legislators have endorsed a number of bills that attempt to make New Jersey more welcoming for veterans and military spouses, including expanded tax credits for companies that employ them. The tax credit bills were approved by a State Senate committee Feb. 28. While those aren’t listed for votes in the full Senate at its March 3 session, the Senate is due to vote on a different bill that would make it easier for nonresident military spouses to transfer their teaching and nursing licenses to New Jersey. NJ1015.com
A policy revision that went into effect at the end of last year limiting police car chases to serious crimes garnered criticism from Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R-25), who claimed the policy change is liable to increase crime. “Criminals are stealing cars to hide their identity as they commit other offenses, and now cops can’t pursue a possible stolen vehicle,” Bergen said in a statement. “It’s ridiculous and irresponsible. I support our police and demand that the administration start treating them like the professionals they are and stop handcuffing them at every turn.” New Jersey Globe
Sen. Cory Booker renewed his efforts to make lynching a federal crime, introducing legislation as the U.S. House approved the same measure. The bill, named for Emmett Till who was lynched in 1955 at the age of 14, would classify lynching as a crime under existing federal hate crime statues. The House version passed overwhelmingly, 422-3. “Used by white supremacists to oppress and subjugate Black communities, lynching is a form of racialized violence that has permeated much of our nation’s past and must now be reckoned with,” Booker said. “Although this bill will not undo the terror and fear of the past, it’s a necessary step that our nation must take to move forward.” NJ.com
Drivers passing people riding bikes, scooters, skateboards or pedestrians walking on the side of the road have a new law to obey that started March 1. The safe passing law requires drivers to move over one lane when passing, if it is safe to do so, or allow four feet of space between the car and the person being passed. If that is not safe to do, it would require a driver to slow to 25 mph and pass slowly, if it is safe to do so. In addition to people on bikes, the law covers pedestrians who have no choice except to walk in rural and suburban roads where there are no sidewalks, people riding skateboards and people with mobility issues using electric scooters. NJ.com
An $8.8 million referendum will be on the ballot for Northern Highlands Regional High School voter’s approval March 8. Highlights of the proposal are a $3.8 million field house on the site of its former tennis courts south of the Allendale school’s football field, and a $3.1 million renovation of its Lower Field in the southeast corner of the 40-acre campus. An additional $1.9 million in renovations are proposed for the school’s art room, television room, planetarium and library/media center. Four classrooms will be retrieved by moving the school’s sports exercise facilities to the new field house. The Record
The Jersey City Council is considering increasing their own salaries, raising council members’ pay by 42%, and the Council President by 38%. The council introduced the ordinance at their Feb. 24 meeting that would increase the city council members’ salaries from $60,000 to $85,000, as well as the Council President’s salary from $65,000 to $90,000. Council President Joyce Watterman said that members are looking to increase their salaries because of the population increase in the city, and that answering to residents’ needs requires them to be “on call 24 hours a day.” Hudson Reporter
And finally…The first two series of the Major League Baseball regular season have been canceled after owners and locked-out players failed to agree on a new labor contract ahead of a management-imposed deadline. The Daily Record
