Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said a national abortion ban was “possible” if his party gained control in Washington. “If the leaked opinion became the final opinion, legislative bodies—not only at the state level but at the federal level—certainly could legislate in that area,” said McConnell. “If and when the court makes a final decision, I expect everybody will be more definitive. But I don’t think it’s much of a secret where Senate Republicans stand on that issue.” USA Today
More than 200 people gathered in Fair Lawn May 6 to rally against the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn federal abortion rights if it is issued next month. “This is a wakeup call the likes of which my generation has never seen—a wakeup call we were promised we’d never see,” said Cristina Cutrone, Fair Lawn’s deputy mayor, at the event that drew several Democratic political leaders, including county Commissioner Tracy Zur, who helped organize the rally, and Rep. Josh Gottheimer. “But nothing is promised. We can never take our rights, our freedoms and our liberties for granted.” The Daily Record
The headquarters of an anti-abortion group in Madison, WI, was set on fire on May 8 in an act of vandalism that included the attempted use of a Molotov cocktail and graffiti that read “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either,” according to the police. Although the Molotov cocktail that was thrown through a window failed to ignite, the vandal or vandals started another fire nearby, authorities said. The fire burned part of a wall. The New York Times
President Vladimir Putin used his Victory Day speech on May 9 to channel Russian pride in defeating Nazi Germany into support for the invasion of Ukraine. Speaking in Moscow’s Red Square on Russia’s most important secular holiday that marks the anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II, Puting restated his past claims that attacking Ukraine was “inevitable” and “the only correct decision…You are fighting for the Motherland, for its future, so that no one forgets the lessons of World War II,” he said, addressing Russian forces in Ukraine. “So that there is no place in the world for executioners, punishers and Nazis.” The New York Times
The Biden Administration announced new sanctions targeting Russian state-controlled media and banking executives, a ban on Americans providing accounting and management-consulting services and new export controls targeting the country’s industrial sector. The package will seek to clamp down on advertising dollars flowing into three Russian television stations, bar U.S. consulting firms from providing services to Russian companies seeking to evade sanctions and limit Russia’s access to industrial engines, motors and bulldozers. It also targets more than 2,600 Russian and Belarusian military, including personnel involved in alleged war crimes in Bucha. Additionally, The U.S. will sanction banking executives from Sberbank, the largest financial institution in Russia, and Gazprombank, a Russian bank that facilitates business by Russia’s Gazprom, one of the world’s largest natural-gas exporters. The Wall Street Journal
New Jersey legislative leaders said the issue of how to spend billions in federal coronavirus relief money is non-negotiable and legislative oversight must be restored before a final budget is passed. “The Legislature will have a say in the disbursement of the COVID funds or we will not have a budget,” stated including State Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-22). “I believe the governor understands that. And that’s a non-negotiable item.” State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-36), chairman of the Senate budget committee, added it’s “imperative that the state budget restores language that respects the Legislature’s authority to approve the use of federal funds.” NJ.com
If COVID-19 cases continue to rise in New Jersey, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could recommend universal masking for the Garden State as early as this week. Fourteen counties, including Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, and Sussex, have moved into the “medium” category for community transmission, according to the CDC Data Tracker. Under new guidelines, masking is not recommended for healthy individuals unless community transmission reaches “high” levels. NJ1015.com
State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-39) said certain New Jersey Board of Education members and its commissioner were being “disingenuous” after they didn’t act last week to change new state standards on health and sex education. At issue are the comments made by Acting Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan that local school boards are tasked with creating curricula based on the standards, including considering public input when doing so. Schepisi applauded the four State Board of Education members who urged Allen-McMillan to remove “some of the more controversial and graphic language” in the standards as well to convene a committee of experts, educators, parents, and others to examine the new standards for some potential adjustments. “(They) stood up for parents and requested the State and their own Board revisit this issue. Unfortunately their voices, like most parents’ voices, were not heard,” Schepisi said. North-JerseyNews.com
Hopatcong Councilman Ryan Smith apologized for referring to students in urban school districts as “crack heads” in a since-deleted Facebook post criticizing Gov. Phil Murphy and the state’s school funding formula. “Sign this petition to implore our Governor to stop raping our school system to support the urban crack heads. $8M of cuts in State Funding is NOT ‘We support education.’ It is simply forcing our Schools to raise taxes,” is what Smith wrote when sharing an online petition asking officials from the New Jersey Department of Education for a stop or adjustment to state aid cuts. New Jersey Herald
A $973 million budget for the Jersey City Public School district was approved by the Board of Education. The budget, which was initially approved back in March, is a $159 million increase from last year’s budget, primarily due to an increase in the district’s local tax levy, the local payroll tax, a decrease in state funding and increased salary and benefits costs across the district. The school district is expected to lose about $68.5 million in K-12 state aid, the most of any school district in New Jersey this year, following changes made at the state level for distributing aid back in 2018. Hudson Reporter
School 29 in Paterson will shut down at the end of this school year as part of the district’s plans to send most sixth, seventh and eighth graders from that part of the 2nd Ward to the new Joseph A. Taub school on Union Avenue. The closure will allow the district to stop spending $273,000 per year to lease the Danforth Avenue building where School 29 is currently housed from the St. Bonaventure Roman Catholic Church. The Record
State lawmakers are working on bills that will allow for an alcoholic drink in your hand to be legal this Summer. A pair of proposed laws would provide support to New Jersey’s alcohol retailers, which have been struggling since the start of the pandemic. The first bill would make permanent a provision that provided retail licensees and craft distiller licensees the ability to deliver alcoholic beverages and mixed drinks. The second bill would permit and regulate the consumption of alcoholic beverages in pedicabs. “Making to-go cocktails a permanent staple in the New Jersey food and beverage industry will assist restaurants with long-term stability while also allowing them to recover from pandemic limitations,” said State Sen. Vin Gopal. (D-11). North-JerseyNews.com
The Ridgewood council failed to reach an agreement on continuing pedestrian plazas this Summer, effectively ending a COVID-era innovation that closed downtowns road on the weekend due to it outgrowing its necessity. The village in 2020 and 2021 closed off East Ridgewood Avenue from South Broad Street to Oak Street, along with several side streets, on Saturdays and Sundays in July and August. The car-free, open-air weekends were intended to stimulate business for COVID-wary shoppers and diners. Mayor Susan Knudsen and Councilwoman Lorraine Reynolds were against another Summer of closings, contending that not all businesses approved; Deputy Mayor Mike Sedon and Councilwoman Pamela Perron argued for the plazas to continue, saying residents “overwhelmingly” supported the concept. The Record
China’s trade with the rest of the world withered in April as COVID-19 lockdowns shut factories and crippled supply chains, adding to signs of a broad slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy. China’s exports rose just 3.9% from a year earlier in April, tumbling from 14.7% growth a month earlier. That was the weakest increase in nearly two years. The Wall Street Journal
A baby formula shortage has worsened in the U.S., with the out of stock rate jumping to 31% according to retail inventory expert Datasembly. In six states more than half of baby formula supplies were completely sold out. CVS Pharmacy confirmed May 7 that it is limiting customers to three toddler and infant formulas per transaction and Target is limiting baby formula purchases to four units per customer for online sales. News12 New Jersey
The Republican race to face off against Rep. Josh Gottheimer is now down to two after Fred Schneiderman withdrew from the race May 5, stating “Due to my first priority, my family, I must hereby withdraw my 2022 candidacy. While disappointing at the moment, I’m confident I’ll again seek and serve elected office.” Schneiderman exited the race without backing either Nick DeGregorio and 2020 nominee Frank Pallotta. “I believe I am the most qualified Republican candidate to tackle inflation, immigration, energy and other major issues confronting our nation. I also believe I am the best candidate to defeat the Democratic incumbent this November,” he said. The Bergen County resident will “regroup with great determination and assess where and how I can best serve our nation going forward and which position I will seek in the 2024 election.” Speculation has centered on a challenge to Sen. Bob Menendez. North-JerseyNews.com
Jersey City paid out $106,000 to approximately 170 members of Jersey City Public Employees Union Local 245 in back pay for working during a week-long state of emergency in 2018. Local 245 sued the city in 2020, claiming its members were underpaid for work during a statewide state of emergency March 6-13, 2018. Even though the local state of emergency in Jersey City didn’t last the full week, Local 245 argued successfully that the language in its contract guarantees double pay for the duration of any state of emergency declared by the governor. The Jersey Journal
And finally…Experts expect dozens to hundreds of more towns to give the green light to marijuana operations over the next couple of years. NJ1015.com
