OPINION: Hutchinson Showed What Putting Country over Party Truly Looks Like. The testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson to the Jan. 6 committee this week should be a reminder to all that the politics of Americans still resides in the center. The New Jersey native showed what putting country over party truly looks like. As we approach a weekend celebrating our country’s 246th birthday, America seems more divided than ever. What the current leaders of our institutions fail to understand is that the vocal extremists minority is not the will of the American people. We have become a country that too often talks past each other in politics or decides it just is not worth it; because of this, we are losing moderates in both parties that are the true dealmakers in our statehouses. That was not the attitudes and actions of the Founding Fathers when they met in Philadelphia all those years ago and it should not be ours today. Despite all its troubles, America is still the land of opportunity for so many and should be celebrated this July 4th. More now than ever, we need to make sure our fellow citizens share and those we elect promote our common values to move us forward. North-JerseyNews.com
Donald J. Trump’s political organization and his allies have paid for or promised to finance the legal fees of more than a dozen witnesses called in the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack. The arrangement drew new scrutiny this week after Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide in his White House, fired a lawyer who had been recommended to her by two of Trump’s former aides and paid for by his political action committee, and hired new counsel. Under the representation of the new lawyer, Jody Hunt, Hutchinson sat for a fourth interview with the committee in which she divulged more revelations and agreed to come forward publicly to testify to them. The New York Times
President Joe Biden endorsed making an exception to filibuster rules to pass legislation codifying Roe v. Wade into law, an effort that would face obstacles because of key Democrats’ opposition to the move. “The most important thing to be clear about is we have to codify Roe v. Wade into law and the way to do that is to make sure Congress votes to do that,” President Biden told reporters during a press conference in Spain. “And if the filibuster gets in the way, it’s like voting rights, it should be provided an exception for this…to the filibuster.” The Wall Street Journal
Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a record $50.6 billion budget for New Jersey on June 30 that is being viewed in two ways by state lawmakers. The budget for Fiscal Year 2023 is seen as being one that uses unprecedented levels to invest in New Jersey’s future that is the “single greatest in history” according to State Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-22) or a missed opportunity to give taxpayers an immediate break to make the Garden State more affordable to live in. “The properties of this budget is the priority of our families and at the top of this is affordability,” said Murphy. “We are restoring New Jersey’s long-term fiscal health. We are returning responsibility and responsiveness to our fiscal house and we are governing on how we said we would.” North-JerseyNews.com
The U.S. Supreme Court limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate carbon emissions from power plants in a ruling June 30. The question in the case, Chief Justice Roberts wrote, turned on the scope of the language of the Clean Air Act. Under it, he wrote, Congress had not clearly given the agency sweeping authority to regulate the energy industry. “Capping carbon dioxide emissions at a level that will force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity may be a sensible ‘solution to the crisis of the day’,” he wrote, quoting an earlier decision. But, he added, “a decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body.” The New York Times
Gov. Phil Murphy criticized the U.S. Supreme Court decision, calling it a “tragic” ruling that limits how America’s main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Murphy warned that the decision “threatens to exacerbate climate change while severely impacting the health of Americans across the country” and that the conservative-leaning court “has made it abundantly clear…governments can control women’s bodies, but not the guns that endanger our communities or the polluters who imperil the future of our planet.” NJ Spotlight News
The U.S. should stop exporting oil until the supply of gasoline goes up and prices go down, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6) said on June 30. Pallone urged President Joe Biden to declare a national emergency and end exports for now. A 2015 law enacted by a Republican-controlled Congress allowed the U.S. to export oil for the first time. “Stopping crude oil exports would increase the domestic supply of oil available to U.S. refiners and would consequently help reduce prices at the pump here at home,” Pallone said in a letter to Biden. “Taking action to restrict exports could provide real relief to Americans.” NJ.com
Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law the Liberty State Park Conservation, Recreation, and Community Inclusion Act June 30. The law set aside $50 million (down from the originally asked for $250 million) from federal coronavirus relief money for the Department of Environmental Protection to fund a two-year long Design Task Force, which will be in charge of advising the department on short-term actions and a long-term master plan for the state park. The short-term actions include items “designed to improve public use and enjoyment” of conservation and recreation areas within the park, while the long term master plan includes the improvement of park facilities, programs, and amenities, the creation of new transportation services, and the preservation of the park’s natural resources and wildlife and protection against climate change. Hudson Reporter
New Jersey lawmakers passed a bill authored by State Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-22) to raise the minimum amount of auto insurance coverage to about $120 in additional yearly premiums. The bill would hike the current $15,000 coverage to $25,000 beginning in 2023, $35,000 starting in 2026 and the coverage for property damage to $25,000. During the committee hearing, the Senate President made a fiery unscheduled appearance to argue that the bill would not immediately increase insurance premiums within the state. “This is all nonsense…insurers cannot raise rates for a minimum of three and a half years,” said Scutari. “The people of New Jersey need this Legislature to protect them from themselves because we tell them what they need to get, and that’s what they get.” North-JerseyNews.com
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Biden Administration could cancel the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” program, which required authorities either to jail asylum applicants from Central America or deny them U.S. entry until their cases are resolved. The court found the Biden administration acted within its discretion by ending the program, overturning lower-court rulings that required the Department of Homeland Security to enforce the policy, which President Joe Biden campaigned on ending. Writing for the court, Chief Justice John Roberts noted that Congress never has provided sufficient funding to detain the vast numbers of migrants seeking asylum. At the same time, the U.S. cannot unilaterally expel to Mexico the citizens of Central American countries covered by the policy. The New York Times
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 30 booted a case challenging New Jersey’s ban on large-capacity ammunition magazines back to a lower court for review in light of its decision last week declaring a constitutional right to carry handguns in public. The Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, which represents more than a million gun owners in New Jersey, had challenged the state’s ban on firearm magazines holding more than 10 rounds. Besides that 2018 case, the Supreme Court also ordered lower courts to reconsider a similar ban in California and a Maryland ban on assault-style rifles. New Jersey Monitor
Ketanji Brown Jackson has been sworn in to the Supreme Court, becoming the first Black woman on the nation’s highest court. The 51-year-old Jackson is the court’s 116th justice and she took the place of Justice Stephen Breyer, whose retirement took effect June 30. News12 New Jersey
Douglas M. Fasciale, a veteran state appellate court judge from Westfield, has reportedly emerged as a leading candidate for one of the three vacant seats on the New Jersey Supreme Court under an agreement being worked out between Gov. Phil Murphy and Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-22). A Republican, Fasciale would replace Faustino Fernandez-Vina, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 in February and keep the partisan balance of the court intact. The potential deal still hinges upon Scutari’s ability to get State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-39) to sign off on Murphy’s nomination for Rachel Wainer Apter to replace retired Justice Jaynee LaVecchia. New Jersey Globe
The outgoing Jersey City school district business administrator is suing the district, claiming discrimination and retaliation by an administration that wants to get rid of Black employees. Regina Robinson, who filed the lawsuit in Hudson County Superior Court June 30, claims she is paid less than her predecessor, Luigi Campana, because of her race and sex and that after filing a complaint about the pay inequity last Summer, the administration, spearheaded by Interim Superintendent Norma Fernandez, and Director of Human Resources Edwin Rivera supported by the board members “engaged in a continuous course of retaliation against (Robinson).” The Jersey Journal
Bayonne Business Administrator Melissa Mathews, recently notified by Mayor James Davis that she will not be rehired, has chosen to resign before her term expired. Mathews rejected her demotion to Clerk I that would see a salary change from $130,000 to roughly $30,000, and tendered her resignation “under duress” as BA before her appointment expired at 4 p.m. June 30. “This letter mischaracterizes a demotion to Clerk I as being a return from a ‘leave of absence’ to such a position,” Mathews wrote. “This is not only incorrect but downright offensive, and it is taken as one final retaliatory transgression in a long line of unlawful misconduct toward me by you and the law department.” Hudson Reporter
Former Paterson Police Chief Troy Oswald will run for Passaic County Commissioner, replacing Bill Marsala on the Republican ticket. Marsala, a former deputy mayor of Ringwood, cited family obligations as his reason to withdraw from the race. Oswald had initially been a candidate for sheriff, but he was tossed from the ballot under a state law that set a three-year residency requirement for just that post. New Jersey Globe
Only 13% members of the New Jersey Army National Guard were unvaccinated for COVID by a June 30 deadline. Eighty eight members are considered to have refused vaccination, spokeswoman Major Agneta Murnan said, adding that any “involuntary separations” have not begun ahead of the deadline. NJ.com
New Jersey on June 30 reported 13 new COVID-19 deaths and 3,100 new confirmed cases. There were 813 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases in the 69 of 71 state hospitals that reported. Of those hospitalized, 89 were in intensive care and 33 were on ventilators. New Jersey’s statewide transmission rate was 0.99 with the positivity rate at 15.1% for tests conducted on June 25. North-JerseyNews.com
Passaic has been allocated $16 million to fund two keystone projects to help transform the downtown and eastside areas in this year’s state budget. The monies will allow the city to press on with its plans to build a $12 million garage with commercial space at Passaic and State streets and $6 million to fund the improvement of the three acres of land the city acquired when it purchased a portion of the Dundee Spur rail line to be used to connect two parks near the Passaic River. The Record
Cash tolls for the historic Dingmans Ferry Bridge will double to $2 each way for passenger vehicles and motorcycles starting July 1. Dingmans Choice and Delaware Bridge Company, which owns and operates the last privately owned toll bridge on the Delaware River, said “after delaying as long as possible, we have found it necessary to increase tolls,” in a message on its website. The last time there was a toll increase was 14 years ago. The bridge connects Pennsylvania Route 739 with Sussex County Route 560 in Sandyston and crosses the river within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. New Jersey Herald
Teaneck residents have until July 25 to file petitions to run for one of five seats on the Board of Education in November’s election. The board typically rotates three of its nine seats each year. The seats of President Sebastian Rodriguez, and trustees Linda Burns and Denise Sanders, are up for new terms and the other two openings were created by the resignations this year Harold Clark and Damen Cooper, replaced by Sharon Vatsky and Clara Williams, respectively. The Record
And finally…Have a great long July 4th weekend, with a forecast that will have showers on Saturday but great weather Sunday and Monday. NJ1015.com
