The names of hundreds of U.S. law enforcement officers, elected officials and military members appear on the leaked membership rolls of the Oath Keepers, the far-right extremist group accused of playing a key role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism identified more than 370 people it believes currently work in law enforcement agencies and more than 100 people who are currently members of the military. Additionally, it identified more than 80 people who were running for or served in public office as of early August. In New Jersey, there are a total of 588 members that includes one elected official, 12 in law enforcement, two in the military and four first responders. News12 New Jersey
Newly released surveillance video from rural Georgia shows that a number of conservative activists who tried to sow doubts about Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss paid visits during January 2021 to a county’s elections office, where technicians hired by a pro-Trump lawyer copied sensitive election system software. In addition to showing people who were previously known to have been involved in the breach, the video footage shows that the elections office was visited by a consultant who is under investigation for a similar incident in Michigan and by the conspiracy-minded head of a cybersecurity company involved in a much-criticized partisan recount in Arizona. The New York Times
Two North Jersey lawmakers want answers from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on how they will prioritize money from the Inflation Reduction Act. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., the Chairman of the Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee, recently sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig requesting details on how the agency intends to utilize the $80 billion dollars earmarked to the agency, along with the hiring of roughly 87,000 new IRS employees. Meanwhile, Sen. Bob Menendez contacted the IRS urging them in a letter to use a portion of the funds to improve their outdated processing system, along with upgrading their overall customer service and also extending the suspension of automated notices and collections. North-JerseyNews.com
Sen. Cory Booker introduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act to empower states to make their own cannabis laws while prioritizing restorative and economic justice. The bill would expunge federal cannabis convictions while encouraging states to do the same, expand access to loans and capital for entrepreneurs harmed by the War on Drugs among other initiatives. “With strong restorative justice provisions for communities impacted by the drug war, support for small cannabis businesses, and expungement of federal cannabis offenses, this bill reflects long overdue, common sense drug policy,” he continued. North-JerseyNews.com
Roughly 3,500 inmates and 3,000 correctional police officers live or work in New Jersey prison housing units without air conditioning, where temperatures at times topped 90 degrees this Summer, according to the Department of Corrections ombudsman. In a report published Sept. 6, the ombudsman said there are heat issues in the state prisons every summer. Investigators brought thermometers to site visits to the prisons this summer and detected temperatures of 88 degrees and 94 degrees in August. The report noted the Department of Corrections has deployed short-term fixes but that the ultimate solution would be for the state to prioritize fixing older prisons, which would cost tens of millions of dollars and take years. NJ1015.com
A New Jersey chapter of the international ironworkers union faces allegations of discrimination and fostering a racist work environment after a Black female ironworker filed a complaint alleging that minority workers were regularly given less-desirable, short-term assignments, while major construction projects jobs at Newark Airport and the American Dream mall went to White workers. Ironworkers Local 11 was served on Sept. 6 with the first step in a civil rights complaint from the state Division on Civil Rights, which found probable cause after investigating the worker’s complaint. In addition, a former business manager with Ironworkers Local 11 is accused of using racial slurs—including the n-word and other derogatory terms—to refer to Black union members, according to documents made public by the state Attorney General’s Office. NJ.com
A former marketing employee has sued the American Dream megamall, alleging she suffered repeated sexual harassment and racial discrimination at the hands of top executives of the retail and entertainment complex in East Rutherford. In the suit, filed in State Superior Court, the woman alleged she was propositioned during events at American Dream by Paul Ghermezian, a board member of Triple Five and that Triple Five CEO Don Ghermezian took no action about her complaints about harassment by his brother, as well as advances by another employee and a restaurant owner, according to the lawsuit. The employee was let go by the company in June, after reporting the incidents, despite earlier promises of a promotion. The Record
Juul Labs tentatively agreed to pay $438.5 million to settle an investigation by nearly three dozen states over marketing and sales practices that they contend set off the nation’s teenage vaping crisis. The company said that it did not acknowledge any wrongdoing in the settlement, but that it was trying to “resolve issues from the past” while awaiting a decision by the Food and Drug Administration over whether it would be permitted to continue to sell its products. New Jersey is one of the states that is part of the settlement. The New York Times
An unexpected Ukrainian military offensive in the east near the country’s second-largest city of Kharkiv is gaining ground, testing Russian occupation forces that are also under pressure in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian units are advancing eastward from Kharkiv, according to Ukrainian officials and Russian war bloggers, targeting a critical Russian supply route. One target of the offensive is the city of Kupyansk, a road hub for Russian supplies heading south from the border into eastern Ukraine. A continued Ukrainian advance could also threaten to isolate Russian forces in the city of Izyum, which Russia has been seeking to use as a staging point for its own offensive in eastern Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal
The CHIPS and Science Act will provide major support to New Jersey businesses while lower costs for families in the Garden State, according to Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who hosted a roundtable to highlight the benefits of the bipartisan legislation. Many business leaders at the roundtable noted the act would help to unlock semiconductor component availability. Supplies had been constrained due to port issues originally stemming from pandemic-era shutdowns. “Our specialized test and measurement equipment serves demanding needs for the defense sector, government agencies, semiconductor test environment, and the satellite communications markets and this Act will help address current sourcing risks and unlock longer-term business and educational investments for continued development and innovation serving our customers,” said Tim Whelan, CEO of Wireless Telecom Group. North-JerseyNews.com
Dr. David Adinaro stepped down from his post as deputy commissioner of Public Health Services, leaving five of the 13 posts in the current leadership structure under Commissioner Judy Persichilli without a permanent appointment. Health department officials said they are now reorganizing some of these leadership posts. “As with any public sector employer, the Department’s greatest challenge is competing with the private sector for top talent,” said Nancy Kearney, a spokeswoman for the department. NJ Spotlight News
COVID-19 boosters shots are on track to become as frequent as the annual flu shot, though high-risk people may need more than one dose per year, Biden Administration officials said Sept. 6. The move could provide clarity and possibly simplicity for people who have been trying to keep track of if and when they should get a COVID-19 booster. “For a large majority of Americans, we are moving to a point where a single annual COVID shot should provide a high degree of protection against serious illness all year,” White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha said during a briefing. New Jersey Monitor
No independent candidates have filed to run in November special elections for State Senate and Assembly. The elections to be held are in the 28th Legislative District, created by the retirement of State Sen. Ronald Rice, and the 12th district, to fill the unexpired term of the late Assemblyman Ronald Dancer. No candidates have been selected in the 28th by Republicans or Democrats. Jackson Council Vice President Alex Sauickie was selected by the GOP to fill the seat in the 12th on an interim basis and to run as their candidate for the unexpired term. Democrats are expected to run Kemani Scott, a 21-year-old Rutgers University junior, to run in the very red district. New Jersey Globe
High-rises planned for the naturally forested Sixth Street Embankment in Downtown Jersey City have been reduced to 600 combined residential and hotel units, downscaled nearly a third. The development of the embankment remains contingent on a resolution to the ongoing litigation. Jersey City Councilman James Solomon said the city is working toward a settlement that would allow the city to acquire the other seven blocks of the embankment. The city would then execute a plan supported by The Embankment Preservation Coalition that would both maintain natural growth and newly add recreational access. The Jersey Journal
And finally…New Jersey native Danny DeVito goes rogue in the Taylor ham vs. pork roll debate. NJ.com
