Cassidy Hutchinson, a trusted longtime aide of former White House Chief of staff Mark Meadows, gave a first hand account of Donald Trump’s actions leading up and on Jan. 6 to the House Select committee investigating the events of that day. Hutchinson detailed Trump’s fury when his Secret Service detail told him he could not go to the Capitol as his supporters, many of them armed, descended on it; that he knew of the threat of violence by his supporters but was unconcerned by it, since they were not targeting him; and that he sympathized those chanting for the execution of Vice President Mike Pence, who had refused his entreaties to overturn the election. Additionally, Hutchinson testified that senior aides had tried in vain to persuade Trump to call off the mob, but he resisted for hours and the actions of Meadows throughout this period. The Wall Street Journal
A lawyer for Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, told the Jan. 6 select committee that he saw no reason for her to testify before the panel. The letter from her lawyer came after the committee made a fresh request to secure an appearance from Thomas, who had exchanged text messages with the White House chief of staff at the time, Mark Meadows, in which she urged on efforts to challenge Joe Biden victory and email exchanges with John Eastman, a conservative lawyer who promoted the notion that Vice President Mike Pence could block or delay the Electoral College certification on Jan. 6, 2021. The New York Times
Democrats in the State Senate and Assembly agreed to a $50.6 billion budget on June 27, just days before the state deadline. The deal includes the $2 billion ANCHOR property tax relief program proposed by Gov. Phil Murphy as a replacement to the Homestead Benefit Program; a recently announced back-to-school sales-tax holiday; fee waivers for marriage licenses and state parks among others; a $6.3 billion in surplus to help the state weather a slowdown in the economy; $1.7 billion in federal American Rescue Plan aid for capital projects around the state; and $12.7 billion in direct aid for schools. State Senate Budget Chair Paul Sarlo (D-36) prebutted criticism that the budget would have line items that could be used better or given back to taxpayers. “They will be called a bunch of slang terms, but they are investments. Their investments in our communities, our counties, our state, there to protect our most vulnerable citizens…We have a comprehensive bill that will invest in the future of New Jersey and provide the largest tax cut in the history of New Jersey for property taxpayers.” North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy and lawmakers are set to face a new process for approving the use of federal American Rescue Plan funds under the $50.6 billion budget bill. Language in the budget as passed by legislative committees would give the governor a $300 million pot of federal money he can use without approval from the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, a panel of lawmakers that will retain approval powers over most other American Rescue Plan expenditures. Of that $300 million, Murphy can make one allocation of up to $60 million without seeking legislative approval but is limited to allocations of $20 million or less for the remaining funds. All spending of the funds must be related to the pandemic. New Jersey Monitor
New Jersey’s lawmakers made 368 specific changes to the budget Gov. Phil Murphy proposed that increased it by $1.7 billion. Of that list, 312 are asking for increased spending and 33 seek to cut programs. The 23 others have no spending estimate, according to the budget documents and some will require money to be spent but we can’t yet say how much. NJ Spotlight News
The state’s proposed $50.6 billion budget agreement includes millions of dollars for Hudson County projects, including Jersey City’s pursuit of the Port Liberte ferry terminal, the Hudson County jail and Hoboken’s Rebuild By Design flood resiliency project. Rebuild By Design, the ongoing project intended to increase the city’s resiliency against chronic flooding with the installation of new sea walls and parks and the redesign of its sewer system would see the most cash from the state, would received a $100 million appropriation on top of the $230 million it has already received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Jersey Journal
New Jerseyans will be paying more in state taxes next year because of the state’s “tax bracket creep” which GOP lawmakers estimate to be $543 million in FY 2023. “I’ve been pushing Democrats and the Murphy administration to work with us to index New Jersey’s income tax brackets for inflation, just like the federal government and dozens of other states,” said State Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-25). “We now know that failure to act will cost New Jersey families more than half-a-billion dollars in income tax increases next year. On top of record-high gas prices and rising costs for groceries, it’s yet another expense that people can’t afford.” North-JerseyNews.com
State Sen. Brian Stack (D-33) said he’ll introduce future legislation protecting Caven Point, a nature reserve that environmental groups fear has been left open to development. “Caven Point is a unique public space and deserving of special consideration,” Stack said in a statement. “While S2807/A4264 reiterates that Liberty State Park is under [Department of Environmental Protection] control, I will be introducing additional legislation to make clear that Caven Point shall remain as it does today—a nature habitat and public space.” Stack’s bill to create the Liberty State Park Design Task Force to develop a master plan for the park and appropriates $50 million, down from the initial $250 million, towards the park’s refurbishment will be voted on June 29. New Jersey Globe
Clinics nationwide will begin offering vaccinations against monkeypox to anyone who may have been exposed to the virus. States will receive doses of a safer and newer monkeypox vaccine called Jynneos from the federal stockpile, based on the number of cases and the proportion of the state’s population at risk for severe disease. State health authorities may also request supplies of an older vaccine developed for smallpox, which is believed to protect against monkeypox, as well. The New York Times
New Jersey reported four more probable cases of monkeypox June 28. The New Jersey Department of Health did not disclose where the person with the new case is located due to privacy concerns. The first case was reported last week in Jersey City. California and New York currently have the highest numbers of patients diagnosed with monkeypox, with 66 and 63 respectively, New Jersey Herald
A nearly $28 million widening project was approved by New Jersey Turnpike Authority commissioners on June 28. The project approved would widen and improve 23 ramps to and from nine service areas on the Garden State Parkway. The nine service areas getting the wider shoulders, repaved lanes and upgraded lighting are Ocean View, Celia Cruz, Judy Blume, Bon Jovi, Colonia South and North, Brookdale South, Larry Dobbs and Montvale service areas. NJ.com
State lawmakers this week could vote to increase the minimum amount of auto insurance coverage that drivers must have, probably adding $120 or more to the yearly premiums of 1.1 million drivers. The required minimum for liability coverage—$15,000 for a crash in which one person is injured and $30,000 for injuries of two or more people—hasn’t been raised since 1972 and doesn’t cover the costs resulting from the average accident in which an insurance claim is filed. The bill requires the current $15,000/$30,000 worth of liability coverage to increase to $25,000/$50,000 starting in January 2023. A second step to a $35,000/$70,000 minimum would take effect in 2026. Also, the coverage for property damage would increase to a minimum of $25,000. NJ1015.com
A 2018 traffic stop for a tinted rear window, which led Trenton detectives to file gun charges against the driver, was unconstitutional, New Jersey’s Supreme Court ruled June 28. State motor vehicle law is clear that tinting, or “non-transparent material,” is not allowed on the front windshield and front-side windows of vehicles, but it does not cover rear windows, the state Supreme Court ruled. As a result, police did not have enough suspicion for the stop that led to the gun charge. New Jersey Monitor
A Hopatcong woman admitted June 28 she sent money and gave advice to terrorist organizations in Syria fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad’s regime. Maria Bell, 54, a former U.S. Army soldier in the 1980s, pleaded guilty in federal court to knowingly concealing the provision of material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Bell admitted that between February 2018 and November 2018, she was aware she was communicating with and providing funds and support to unnamed fighters in Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Syrian terrorist organization that split five years ago from the militant Islamic organization al-Qaeda, which was founded by Osama bin Laden. New Jersey Herald
Efforts to revive the Iranian 2015 nuclear agreement resumed in Qatar’s capital, with U.S. and Iranian officials playing down expectations of a quick breakthrough that would open the way to a restored deal. The talks, which are being mediated by European Union diplomats since Iran refuses to meet directly with the U.S., are the first since negotiations broke down in March. The aim is to agree to steps Washington and Tehran would need to take to return into compliance with the nuclear deal, which lifted most international sanctions on Iran in exchange for tight but temporary restrictions on Iran’s nuclear work. The Wall Street Journal
Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis will not reappoint Business Administrator Melissa Mathews to the position she has held since 2020 when she became the first woman to hold the position in the city. Prior to taking on the role, The letter states that Mathews, a Clerk I with the Division of Planning and Zoning, can return to that position as of July 1 as she took a leave of absence from her position as a Clerk to become BA. Mathews, who supported former City Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski’s mayoral bid, has a gender discrimination lawsuit alleging Bayonne City Hall was a “boy’s club” with “toxic culture” against Davis among others. Hudson Reporter
Two bills that change some vote-by-mail and early voting procedures could compromise the privacy of some voters, a bipartisan coalition of eighteen county clerks said on June 28. The county clerks argued a requirement to report VBM and early voting election results by district makes it to easy to see how a single ballot was cast in a low turnout election, especially since state law requires the public disclosure of early voters by noon of the following day. Among the clerks in the coalition were Ann Grossi (R-Morris); John Hogan (D-Bergen); Holly Mackey (R-Warren); Junior Maldonado (D-Hudson); and Jeffrey Parrott (R-Sussex). New Jersey Globe
The Teaneck Township Council voted, 5-0, to approve a proposed expansion of Holy Name Medical Center and vacating part of Chadwick Road as part of that expansion June 28. The council had previously approved the two ordinances in March, but voted again in response to a residents’ lawsuit challenging procedures and citing conflicts of interest during the process. Deputy Mayor Mark Schwartz and Councilwoman Karen Orgen recused themselves but Mayor James Dunleavy and Deputy Mayor Ellie Katz voted in spite of resident allegations that they had conflicts of interests. The Record
And finally…A slow-moving turtle sparked a three-car accident in New Jersey. NJ.com
