Rep. Josh Gottheimer believes TikTok is a Trojan Horse for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), posing a threat to the safety of children, data, and U.S. national security. Gottheimer pushed for legislation in Hackensack March 6 that would grant the President the power to ban TikTok in the United States, or force the sale of its U.S. operations to an American company. “It’s time we gave the President the tools to fight back against TikTok’s information invasion against America’s families,” said Gottheimer. “In the wrong hands, this data is an enormous asset to the Chinese Communist Party —a known adversary— and their malign activities.” North-JerseyNews.com
Xi Jinping solidified his status as China’s most powerful leader in decades by sweeping into a new term as president on March 10. Even as he extended a friendly hand to private businesses, describing them as “one of us,” Xi reminded them that they must serve the party’s priorities, including in national security and rural development. The Wall Street Journal
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations March 10 in a deal brokered by China, ending seven years of estrangement and jolting the geopolitical alignment of the Middle East. Under the agreement released by all three countries, Iran and Saudi Arabia will reopen their embassies and missions within two months, and both affirmed non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. Ties between the two countries, whose competition for influence in the Muslim world has fueled conflict across the Middle East for decades, were cut in 2016 after the Saudi Embassy in Tehran was overrun amid protests over the execution of a prominent Shi’ite cleric by the Saudi government. The New York Times
Employers added 311,000 jobs in February, the Labor Department reported March 10, continuing a hotter-than-anticipated streak that has created abundant opportunities for job seekers while frustrating the Federal Reserve in its drive to contain stubborn inflation. The unemployment rate ticked up to 3.6%, still an exceptionally low level brought about both by robust job creation and workers’ return to the labor force after the pandemic. The prime age labor force participation—the number of people working or looking for work—is back to 83.1%, the pre-pandemic mark. The Wall Street Journal
President Joe Biden’s 2024 budget request calls on Congress to boost funding for defense and domestic programs and levy a 25% minimum tax on billionaires, setting up a significant contrast with House Republicans, who hope to cut spending to last year’s levels and overwhelmingly oppose tax increases. Biden calls on U.S. lawmakers to increase defense spending to $885 billion and funding for non-defense accounts to $1.015 trillion. That would increase both categories from the $858 billion in defense spending and about $773 billion in non-defense funding Congress approved in December when it wrapped up last year’s process. “My 2024 Budget is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America in a fiscally responsible way that leaves no one behind,” Biden said. New Jersey Monitor
The Biden Administration has allocated $700 million for the Gateway Tunnel Project in its proposed 2024 budget. The $16 billion Gateway Hudson River Tunnel is among those projects recommended for funding from the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant New Starts program. “This $700 million is on top of $400 million (announced by Biden in January) and another $100 million (previously awarded) for a total of $1.2 billion for Gateway, we all know how important that is,” said White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu. NJ.com
The Manhattan district attorney’s office recently signaled to Donald Trump’s lawyers that he could face criminal charges for his role in the payment of hush money to a porn star, the strongest indication yet that prosecutors are nearing an indictment of the former president. The prosecutors offered Trump the chance to testify next week before the grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the potential case, an offer almost always indicate an indictment is close. Trump, in a long and rambling statement posted on Truth Social said, “I did absolutely nothing wrong,” again denied having had an affair with Stormy Daniels, insulted her appearance and painted district attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation as part of a broader conspiracy to bring him down. The New York Times
A federal judge heard arguments March 9 over special counsel Jack Smith’s push to extract more grand-jury testimony from a lawyer for Donald Trump. In a closed-door court proceeding, Smith’s team urged Chief Judge Beryl Howell of the District Court for the District of Columbia to reject attorney-client privilege claims that Evan Corcoran, a lawyer for Trump, raised on behalf of the former president during a January grand-jury appearance. Following that appearance, prosecutors asked Judge Howell to invoke the so-called crime-fraud exception to bypass the privilege claims and compel Corcoran to provide more testimony. The Wall Street Journal
Saudi Arabia’s price for normalizing relations with Israel is reportedly seeking security guarantees from the United States, help with developing a civilian nuclear program and fewer restrictions on U.S. arms sales. Saudi Arabia’s request offers President Joe Biden the chance to broker an agreement that would reshape Israel’s relationship with the most powerful Arab state and fulfill his pledge to build on the Trump-era Abraham Accords, which brokered similar diplomatic deals between Israel and other Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. The New York Times
New Jersey’s special interest groups collectively spent $95 million on lobbying in 2022, a slight decrease from previous years but still the fourth-highest total in state history. The biggest spender was the utility giant PSE&G, which spent $849,112—a significant decrease from the $2.7 million it spent last year. Also in the top five were the ACLU of New Jersey, the NJ Association of Realtors, the AARP, and the League of Municipalities. NJ Spotlight News
Emotions and tempers were high during testimony in front of an Assembly committee considering banning smoking at Atlantic City casinos. Smoking is currently permitted on about 20% of a casino floor in Atlantic City. A temporary ban had been implemented at the height of the pandemic, but smoking returned when Gov. Phil Murphy lifted the temporary ban. Supporters of the ban spoke about the frequency they encounters smoking, sometimes as close as a foot away, while on the job and the lack of recourse to preserve their own health. But others testified to lawmakers about the loss of business that could potential shut down at least one casino. The Daily Record
Sussex County Commissioners began distributing checks in person March 9 to small business owners in the county affected by the COVID pandemic which closed or severely slowed down operations. The money comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and pass-throughs from New Jersey. Last year, the five-member board decided to put a large share of that money in the hands of small businesses who could prove financial hardship to their business due to the pandemic. Some of the money also went to county employees whose jobs put them in contact with the public or could not be furloughed because of the nature of their work. New Jersey Herald
New legislation introduced in both the State Senate and Assembly could better help first responders contending with long COVID. The First Responders COVID-19 Supplemental Benefits Program would address the economic losses of first responders who are eligible for workers’ compensation as they contend with long-term symptoms. “As a law enforcement officer I watched as many of my colleagues tackled cases of domestic violence and abuse, which grew to outstanding rates during the pandemic. These officers risked their health and the health of their families to fulfill their duty to protect and serve,” said Assemblywoman Shanique Speight (D-29). North-JerseyNews.com
An asbestos cleanup and demolition at the old Nabisco factory in Fair Lawn should be finished in the next three weeks, with the implosion of the plant’s signature tower likely to come next month, borough officials said on March 9. No official date has been set for the tower to come down beyond an April estimate, as a “certain amount of progress on the demolition is needed before the implosion can be scheduled,” according to an update posted on Fair Lawn’s website. The Record
Twenty nurses had their licenses revoked and another 26 had their temporary licenses canceled in New Jersey after a federal investigation found that those diplomas were fraudulently issued by universities in Florida. Back in January the federal authorities had charged 26 people with wire fraud at the five-now closed Florida universities. The DOJ found more than 7,000 fake diplomas were given out. News12 New Jersey
Bergenfield Councilman Rafael Marte won a special election convention to replace Ramon Hache on the Bergen County Board of Commissioners without opposition March 9. Hache resigned last month to take a job as CEO of the Ridgewood YMCA. Marte will replace him on the Democratic ticket for a three-year term in the June primary. New Jersey Globe
A hot mic in borough hall captured a conversation between the Palisades Park Council’s president and its attorney as they discussed future litigation, controversy over a vacant council seat and police personnel issues. Recorded prior to the Jan. 31 meeting, Council President Cynthia Pirrera can be heard talking to then-Borough attorney John Schettino, the police chief and others who went in and out of the room. The two hours of audio provide an unfiltered glimpse into the inner workings of a divided Council, back-room deals in the works, what led to an internal fight and ongoing litigation over a vacant council seat and police issues that include Pirrera’s son, a borough police officer. The Record
Former Assemblyman John Burzichelli will announce early next week that he will seek the Democratic nomination for State Senate in the 3rd district. His pending announcement follows former Senate President Steve Sweeney’s decision not to seek a rematch with State Sen. Ed Durr (R-3). Burzichelli spent 20 years in the Assembly before losing his seat in 2021. New Jersey Globe
And finally…Vinyl records outsold CDs for the first time since 1987. The Wall Street Journal
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