The Jan. 6 House Select committee hearing on June 21 focused on the pressure Donald Trump and allies associated with him put on local officials. Rusty Bowers, the Republican speaker of Arizona’s House of Representatives, told the panel that he had refused two entreaties from Trump and several more from his legal advisers, who said repeatedly that they had evidence of fraud sufficient to reverse the election outcome, but never produced any. “You are asking me to do something against my oath, and I will not break my oath,” Bowers testified. Later, Shaye Moss, a Black election worker in Georgia, described how her life and career were disrupted after she and her mother were signalied by Rudy Giuliani in his claims of voter fraud. The Wall Street Journal
Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker both hit back at Sen. Rand Paul’s opposition to the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2021 and contention that they have not worked at a compromise, with Menendez highlighting other justices who could have been protected by the act. This is not the first time that Paul has blocked the measure and both New Jersey senators were notably angered during debate by the actions and statements made by Paul. Menendez noted that when Judge Salas had attempted to discuss the bill with the junior Senator from Kentucky, she was rebuffed and was told he would only meet with the judge if he scheduled a meeting. “As a matter of fact, Judge Salas is here and tried to see you…to make her case and you would not give her the time of day,” said Menendez. North-JerseyNews.com
President Joe Biden is expected to ask Washington lawmakers to lift the federal taxes — about 18 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24 cents per gallon of diesel — through the end of September in a speech June 22. Additionally, the President will also ask states to suspend their own gas taxes. The Congress must approve the tax holiday, a move Democrats have been pushing for but Republicans have not signaled if they will support the measure to lower the price at the pump. The New York Times
The head of the Texas State Police offered a pointed and emphatic rebuke of the police response to a shooting last month in Uvalde, calling it “an abject failure” that ran counter to decades of training. In his comments before a special State Senate committee, the director of the Department of Public Safety said that just minutes after a gunman began shooting children inside a pair of connected classrooms on May 24, the police at the scene had enough firepower and protective equipment to storm the classroom. But, the director said, the on-scene commander “decided to put the lives of officers ahead of the lives of children” and forcefully, stated the same commander had delayed confronting the gunman because he “waited for a key that was never needed.” The New York Times
The Senate began debate June 21 on bipartisan legislation intended to curb gun violence, in what would represent the first major federal change to gun laws in decades. The bill would set up a $750 million fund to help states put in place and enforce extreme protection orders, known as red-flag laws, that allow firearms to be removed if a person is deemed dangerous to themselves or others; crackdown on illegal sales of guns; require an investigative period to review juvenile and mental-health records for 18- to 21-year-old gun purchasers; close the boyfriend loophole, expanding current law to prohibit dating partners or recent dating partners convicted of domestic violence from purchasing a firearm; and set up a grant program for states to expand mental-health services and for schools to increase safety measures, appropriating $1 billion for schools to expand mental-health support and $300 million for school security and violence prevention programs. The Wall Street Journal
The Assembly Judiciary Committee will vote on nine gun bills June 22, including four from Gov. Phil Murphy’s renewed push for control. Bills offered by Murphy to be voted on include raising the age limit for purchasing and possessing firearms from to 21; requiring those moving from out-of-state to obtain a firearm purchaser identification card (FPIC); new regulations on ammunition sales; and allowing the attorney general to take legal action against firearm manufacturers and retailers. Of the other five, they would prohibit most .50 caliber weapons; require retailers to sell microstamped firearms once they are approved; mandating firearm training for FPIC applicants, upgrading several firearm-related offenses to second degree crimes; and limiting who can possess body armor. New Jersey Globe
According to state leaders, hate and bias crimes are happening more frequently to specific populations in New Jersey. In 2021, more than 1,800 bias incidents were reported in the state, 29% more than the previous year. Anti-Asian hate crimes were up 87% and anti-LGBTQ crimes rose 65%. Racially motivated crimes against Black and Jewish residents were also up. One reason to which the increases are attributed is that more people are coming forward to report incidents, thanks to new systems making it easier to do so. Officials say hateful rhetoric, especially from people in positions of power or on social media, are contributing to the rise. NJ Spotlight News
Lawmakers in Trenton are backing legislation to ensure the mental health needs of Garden State students are being addressed. The State Senate Education Committee recently unanimously released legislation sponsored by State Sen. Joseph Lagana (D-38) that requires all schools, private or public, to offer in-person school psychologist services to students in grades kindergarten through 12 to allow students to attend counseling sessions through both in-person and virtual or remote means. Separately, the full Assembly passed a proposed law that would provide critical support for students by establishing the “College Mental Health Services Grant Program” to help increase access to mental health services on college campuses. North-JerseyNews.com
Rutgers University has approved a budget that calls for a tuition and fee increase of at least 2.5% at its three main campuses. In-state, full-time arts and sciences undergraduates at Rutgers-New Brunswick face a sticker price of $16,263 before any financial aid is applied, according to the university. At Rutgers-Newark, tuition and fees for a typical full-time arts and sciences undergraduate would be $15,648, and a typical arts and sciences graduate at Rutgers-Camden would put out $16,112 before financial aid. NJ1015.com
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the biggest issue with canceled flights in Newark is there are more flights scheduled than capacity at the airport, which is adding air traffic, as well as air control being understaffed. “We really want at Newark Airport in particular is to enforce the rules that limit the amount of flights to the number of operations that the airport can theoretically handle…But the other thing we need is to get the air traffic control towers back to full staffing,” said Kirby. In the U.S., there were 360 flights canceled on Monday, and in total, over 3,000 flights canceled over the course of the weekend. News12 New Jersey
Port Liberte commuters will get a $1.30 discount per trip when the NY Waterway resumes ferry service at the development Aug. 1. The per-trip price, $11.70 for Port Liberte residents and $13 for everyone else. The companies announced the reopening less than a week after the Jersey City City Council introduced an ordinance to take over the ferry terminal from the developer Ironstate for $1. The ferry service at Port Liberte, which runs to Wall Street and the Manhattan financial district, has been suspended since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. The Jersey Journal
New Jersey on June 21 reported 10 new COVID-19 deaths and 1,862 new confirmed cases. There were 745 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases in the 70 of 71 state hospitals that reported. Of those hospitalized, 85 were in intensive care and 25 were on ventilators. New Jersey’s statewide transmission rate was 0.82 with the positivity rate at 9.0% for tests conducted on June 16. North-JerseyNews.com
The Hudson County Vaccine Task Force have announced that they are ready to begin distributing COVID-19 vaccines to children ages six months and up beginning June 22. The move follows the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on June 18 to expand vaccine eligibility to children 5 years and younger. Parents in Hudson County can begin registering for an appointment today, June 21, and county officials urge them to make sure that all eligible members of their families get vaccinated as soon as possible. Hudson Reporter
With President Joe Biden scheduled for meetings with Sadian Arabian officials next month, Rep. Tom Malinowski is part of a cohort of House Democrats looking to set expectations. Malinowski noted that the recent White House’s agreement with Saudi Arabia to increase oil output is a first step to lowering prices at the pump for Americans. “We hope that OPEC’s slight announced increase in oil production is not the end, but the start of Saudi Arabia’s break with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” they wrote. “We will judge Saudi Arabia’s interest in a genuine partnership based on its actions, including increases in production beyond the announced targets.” North-JerseyNews.com
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments next Fall in the dispute between New Jersey and New York about the Garden State’s planned unilateral exit from the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. The court, in granting the states’ joint motion on Tuesday, set an Aug. 22 deadline for New Jersey to file an answer to New York’s complaint and a motion for judgment. New York’s opposition and cross-motion for judgment is due on or before Oct. 21. Both states then have until November to file replies. The Record
Gov. Phil Murphy is appearing in three advertisements paid for by Stronger Fairer Forward, a nonprofit advocacy group run by allies that is not required to release its donors. The campaign, which will run through the end of July, with ads on TV, digital platforms, and billboards, features Murphy discussing his middle-class upbringing and vows to enact policies to help New Jerseyans realize the same “American Dream” he has. NJ.com
Passaic Councilman Salim Patel had vacated his council seat after missing too many meetings. City Council President Gary Schaer noted that Patel had missed the majority of meetings, all of which were virtual, since the first of the year and a state statute mandates a seat being vacated if a lawmaker misses meetings for eight weeks straight. “The city deserves a representative that can fully meet the needs and its requirements of office,” said Patel. “I unfortunately have not been able to due to my work schedule.” The Record
Former Passaic County Surrogate Bernice Toledo, who was criminally charged with misconduct last year, was accepted into the state’s Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) program June 21. Superior Court Judge Carol Novey Catuogno admitted Toledo into the twelve-month program; if the former surrogate remains free of violations for one year, the charges against her will be dismissed. Catuogno also signed an Order of Forfeiture of public employment, which includes a lifetime ban on public employment. New Jersey Globe
And finally…Broadway will drop their mask mandate beginning July 1. The New York Times
