The Assembly passed a new gun control bill that Republicans said was unnecessary and would fail in courts. The proposal (A4769) passed on Nov. 21 that would require gun owners in New Jersey seeking to obtain a carry permit to purchase liability insurance and take training courses, while prohibiting people from carrying firearms in a wide range of “sensitive places” in the state, including schools, public parks, courthouses, and bars. “I think you literally have a solution looking for a problem,” said Assemblyman Hal Wirths (R-24). “We have the strictest gun laws in the state of New Jersey. Even after the Supreme Court ruling, if we just simply follow those rules, we have the best gun laws–and some of us would even argue too strict.” North-JerseyNews.com
Six people were shot and killed inside a Walmart in Chesapeake, VA, on Tuesday night, the authorities said, the second high-profile mass shooting in the United States in three days, after five people were killed at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs over the weekend. The assailant in the Virginia shooting was found dead at the store and it was unclear how many people were wounded. Investigators did not know whether the attacker was an employee or how the person had died and first reports indicate no shots were fired by police officers. The New York Times
A recently-enacted gun law in New Jersey is already facing legal scrutiny after a group representing gun manufacturers nationwide filed a lawsuit against New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin alleging the law is unconstitutional. The lawsuit, filed last week in federal court by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, seeks to strike down a law that allows Platkin’s office to bring legal action against gun manufacturers, dealers, and sellers. Gov. Phil Murphy signed the law in July in the wake of a string of mass shootings across the country. The Connecticut-based group calls the law “breathtaking in scope” and claims it violates the First and Second amendments and the Due Process and Commerce clauses of the U.S. Constitution. New Jersey Monitor
Gov. Phil Murphy recently announced to extend and expand the eligibility requirements for the ANCHOR property tax relief program in New Jersey. The deadline for filing an application will be extended to Jan. 31, 2023, allowing taxpayers an extra month to file. Additionally, renters who had previously been ineligible because their unit is under a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement can now apply for the benefit. The extension and expansion will be paired with a new marketing push. “Expanding eligibility for renters and extending the deadline only strengthens that commitment and ensures all who need relief will have the time and awareness to benefit,” said Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. “This truly remains a game-changer for folks who have seen their budgets stretched further and further.” North-JerseyNews.com
The Supreme Court cleared the way for a House committee to obtain former President Donald J. Trump’s tax returns, refusing his request to block their release after a yearslong fight on Nov. 22. The court’s brief order, which was unsigned and did not note any dissents, was another decisive defeat for Trump delivered by a court that had moved to the right with his appointment of three justices. The decision means the Treasury Department is likely to soon turn over six years of his tax returns to the House, which has been seeking his financial records since 2019. While Democrats said the committee was studying whether changes were needed to an IRS program that audits presidents, Trump supporters maintain that is a pretext for a politically motivated fishing expedition and that Congress lacks a legitimate legislative purpose in seeking the records. New Jersey Herald
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) testified before a Georgia special grand jury that is investigating 2020 election interference by Donald Trump and his advisers. Graham’s lawyers had fought for months to keep him from having to testify, taking their effort all the way to the Supreme Court. Graham’s testimony comes as three other high-profile allies of Trump continue to fight orders to travel to Atlanta to testify. All three — Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff; Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser; and Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker — have appealed rulings that said they had to comply with the subpoenas. The New York Times
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) called on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign or face potential impeachment proceedings at a news conference in El Paso, TX. McCarthy, who has suffered defections in recent days from hard-right Republicans who have said they would not back him for speaker, accused Mayorkas of ignoring immigration laws and lying to Congress, citing the secretary’s assertions that the border is secure at a time when crossings are at a high. “If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign, House Republicans will investigate every order, every action and every failure, and will determine whether we can begin an impeachment inquiry,” said McCarthy. The New York Times
The Biden Administration is extending a pause on federal student loan payments following legal challenges that have halted President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student debt for many borrowers. Payments were set to resume Jan. 1, 2023 but they now will resume 60 days after litigation over the loan-forgiveness program is resolved or the program is implemented. If the litigation hasn’t been resolved by June 30, payments will resume 60 days after that date, according to the Education Department. “It isn’t fair to ask tens of millions of borrowers who are eligible for relief to resume their student debt payments while the courts consider the lawsuit,” President Biden said in a video posted to his Twitter account. The Wall Street Journal
The Murphy Administration dispatched a team of long-term care professionals to the Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park on Nov. 22 to help the state-run nursing home correct glaring problems of abuse and safety violations that were uncovered in a recent inspection and put residents in “immediate jeopardy.” A nurse consultant and an administrator with expertise in running long-term care facilities that state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli described as a “mission critical” team arrived at the Edison campus, with a third member, an infection control preventionist, expected next week. NJ.com
The U.S. is heading into its third COVID-19 Thanksgiving in better shape than the last two, but holiday gatherings will provide a test of whether the nation can avoid another major Winter surge, epidemiologists and virus experts say. Thanksgiving once again comes at a precarious time, as new subvariants take over and the return of cold weather brings people back indoors, often in family gatherings where the virus can easily spread. This time around, some virus experts say the lack of a fresh surge triggered by newly ascendant Omicron subvariants is a hopeful sign that built-up immune protection from vaccines and prior infections is helping. The Wall Street Journal
NJ Transit says it will be offering early getaway rail and bus service Wednesday for people traveling to Newark airport who are traveling for Thanksgiving. Extra trains and buses will also be available on Thursday and Friday for holiday revelers and shoppers. But Amtrak officials are warning riders to arrive at least 45 minutes early this week as it happens to be their busiest time of year. News12 New Jersey
As Garden State residents get set to travel this Thanksgiving holiday, one North Jersey lawmaker wants to make sure they are connected while on buses and trains. Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips (R-40) introduces new legislation which would require NJ Transit to provide free Wi-Fi service on passenger trains, noting the taxpayer-funded transit authority already provided free Wi-Fi at select rail stations for existing Optimum cable customers but not on any trains. “Commuters are the backbone of NJ Transit’s customer base. They spend more time on the train than they do the station, so what good is it to tout limited internet access at the station? It’s a joke,” DePhillips said. North-JerseyNews.com
Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker sent a letter to a federal agency seeking an explanation for telling the New Jersey Department of Transportation to remove snarky and humorous traffic safety messages from Garden State roadways. Messages like, “We’ll be blunt, don’t drive high” and “Slow down. This ain’t Thunder Road,” were ordered taken down on Nov. 18 with little explanation. A spokesman for NJDOT said the Federal Highway Administration “instructed us to cease posting these creative safety messages,” but refused to say why. FHWA officials confirmed they “reached out” to the NJDOT, but offered no explanation. NJ1015.com
New Jersey is already on track for another deadly year as traffic fatalities continue to increase in 2022, outpacing last year’s total for the same period last year, according to state data. New Jersey State Police have recorded 623 traffic fatalities this year, as of Nov. 21, which is 1.6% higher than the same time last year, when there were 613 traffic fatalities. Last year, there were a total of 697 traffic fatalities in the state, the highest since 2007. NJ.com
An attempt to remove Hoboken Councilman Phil Cohen from office via a recall election will not move forward after the group behind the effort decided to focus instead on the recent school board election. The committee of Rebecca Cohen, Barry Grossman and Perry Belfiore said they decided to drop the recall attempt because an election for it would’ve been close to the recent school board election, and that they instead wanted to “express its angst to defeat the school board ticket that proposed the monstrous new high school,” referencing the failed $241 million high school referendum. The Jersey Journal
An investigation by the O’Toole Scrivo law firm into a discrimination complaint by Montclair Black firefighters has found no bias, contradicting a March 2022 report by the town’s affirmative action officer. The Black firefighters allege that last year’s promotional exam, the first in more than a decade, eliminated or added metrics that hurt Black members of the force and aided the fire chief’s son, who earned the top score out of 32 firefighters who took the exam. In addition, the chief himself created the new scoring rubric, along with town manager Tim Stafford, against advice that he should recuse himself since his son was taking the test. The Record
Republican State Chairman Bob Hugin is calling on the state attorney general to investigate the cause of Election Day malfunction of Mercer County voting machines in a bid to assign responsibility and determine why a glitch led to the problem. “The complete failure of Mercer County voting machines on Election Day is unacceptable in a modern society,” said Hugin. “Faith in the election process is not bolstered where voters view the system as disorganized, cumbersome or that election officials do not treat their ballot with the respect and care that it deserves.” Election officials have said a programming glitch caused all voters to cast paper ballots. Dominion, the manufacturer of the voting machines, and the vendor hired by the county to print ballots, have pointed fingers at each other. New Jersey Globe
And finally…Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
