OPINION: The Blue and Yellow of this Memorial Day. On this Memorial Day, we should make sure our commitments remains strong to help Ukraine here and across the world in their battle against the illegal Russian invasion. It is estimated that at least 17,500 Ukrainians have died since last February on the battlefield. And they have died for the same reasons we will solemnly celebrate Memorial Day this weekend: democracy and freedom. There is a growing movement by extremes of each party to reduce our support both financially and militarily to Ukraine. This can not stand and President Joe Biden is right to make sure the world understands that our nation’s support is unwavering. North-JerseyNews.com
Russian forces rained missiles down on the Dnipropetrovsk region of east-central Ukraine on May 26, hitting a medical clinic and killing at least one person. The region was one of several in Ukraine targeted by a broad overnight aerial assault. Ukraine’s military said that 17 missiles and 31 attack drones had been launched by Russia in attacks targeting “critical infrastructure and facilities of the Ukrainian defense forces.” Air defenses managed to shoot down 10 cruise missiles and 23 drones. The New York Times
White House and House Republican negotiators are zeroing in on a deal to raise the debt limit, ahead of the June 1 deadline when the government could run short of money to pay its debts and fund government programs and salaries. The talks have focused on a two-year spending deal that would raise the debt ceiling for the same amount of time, extending it past the 2024 election. The deal under discussion would cap federal spending but would include increases for the military and veterans. Also at issue were a number of factors that the White House and House Republicans were still trying to negotiate, such as increasing work requirements for government benefit programs and rescinding some of the $80 billion that Congress approved last year to expand the Internal Revenue Service. The Wall Street Journal
An Assembly Committee heard from experts and a Murphy Administration official that the rise in whale deaths are more likely being caused by climate change than the work being done for offshore wind farms. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette was forceful during his testimony that the deaths were unrelated to the current work being done, connecting the death to the oceans getting warmer that has resulted in changing migration patterns that had been documented over a longer period of time then the recent work for offshore wind farms. “This landward migration is bringing whales into direct conflict with a shipping super-highway that resides just off our coast,” said LaTourette. “The culprit is a changing environment, and our inabilities societally to get it under control.” North-JerseyNews.com
Cape May County Commissioners have unanimously passed a resolution opposed to offshore wind projects and vow to continue to fight the installation of windmills off the coast. A report supporting the resolution claims the windmills will cost Cape May County more than $1.1 billion in lost tourism revenue and will have a devastating impact on food service, hospitality, retail, rental housing and other segments of the local economy. NJ1015.com
Federal prosecutors are reportedly investigating whether Sen. Bob Menendez or his wife received unreported gifts of a luxury car and an apartment in Washington from a halal meat company that is also the focus of a criminal inquiry. Two weeks ago, as part of the same investigation, the Manhattan prosecutors subpoenaed documents tied to a bill that has stalled in the New Jersey Legislature that would limit the height of construction projects near the Palisades along the Hudson River. The subpoena asked for any correspondence about the bill from Menendez, his wife or Fred Daibes, one of the region’s most prominent developers. The New York Times
The U.S. Supreme Court limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority over wetlands in a decision with broad ramifications for the environment, agriculture, energy and mining. Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the May 25 opinion that the Clean Water Act covers only wetlands with a “continuous surface connection” to navigable waters, overturning a 2006 precedent recognizing federal protection for wetlands with a “significant nexus” to such bodies. The new interpretation, Alito wrote, “accords with how Congress has employed the term ‘waters’ elsewhere in the Clean Water Act.” The Wall Street Journal
Legislation aimed at regulating the live ticket marketplace after many fans of Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift were left high and dry while trying to buy tickets for the artists’ ongoing tours has been introduced by two New Jersey congressmen. The BOSS and SWIFT Act, named after the two music icons and was introduced by Reps. Bill Pascrell Jr. and Frank Pallone, would addresses issues including hidden fees, on-sale transparency, buyer protections, speculative tickets, and deceptive white label websites. The Record
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19) wants to cut property taxes in half for most New Jersey senior citizens while also offering a plan to help seniors pay for health insurance and prescription drugs. Coughlin’s proposal, StayNJ, would provide an income tax credit of 50% of the local property tax bill for New Jerseyans over age 65, capped at $10,000, with income limit as long as New Jersey is the principal residence. In separate legislation, Coughlin wants to eliminate the asset test for Medicare savings programs and increase income eligibility thresholds and cut average Medicare Savings Program benefit premiums by more than $2,200. New Jersey Globe
Gov. Phil Murphy voiced opposition May 25 to a broad new tax cut plan for New Jersey seniors being pushed by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. Murphy officials said the governor would veto the “irresponsible” bill if the Democratic-controlled state Legislature sends it to his desk as is and that he is even preparing for the possibility of a state government shutdown if there is a standoff. Murphy said two elements are “concerning” to him: the cost of the program and a lack of eligibility limits. “We’ve got revenues that are softening already, which we expected,” Murphy said. The program would cost $1.7 billion, he added, and “that’s an annual freight that would blow up all the great progress we’ve made with the rating agencies.” PoliticoNJ
Gov. Phil Murphy has job approvals of 47% to 43% disapprove, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll of adult New Jersey residents released May 26. New Jerseyans give Murphy favorables of 37%-31%. Murphy remains wildly popular among Democrats (81%-15%), but essentially even among independents (43%-42%); he’s upside-down among Republicans (14%-81%). Murphy’s at 51%-39% among women and upside-down at 43%-49% among men. New Jersey Globe
Assembly lawmakers approved a measure May 25 that would allow some 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections. The measure would allow voters who would be 18 on the date of the next general election to cast ballots in that year’s primaries, an allowance the bill’s supporters view as a path to building voting habits in the state’s young people. New Jersey Monitor
New Jersey tax law could soon be rewritten as a response to states like New York that maintain an aggressive approach to taxing out-of-state residents who work from home. Legislation approved by the Assembly on May 25 seeks to level the playing field with states that assert they have the power to tax the income earned by remote workers if a company is based within their borders. But the New Jersey measure would also go a step further by establishing a new tax-credit program to entice out-of-state companies to create new locations in New Jersey, effectively repatriating their remote workers’ income taxes. NJ Spotlight News
The increased cost to travel to your favorite Jersey Shore vacation spot is considerably cheaper than a year ago. According to research conducted by the Affinity Federal Credit Union, the cost of a day trip at the Jersey Shore increased by just 4% from last year, down from the 16% jump in 2022. The increases are driven by beach services up 4%, leisure activities, such as mini golf and amusement park rides, climbing 8% and food and drinks rising 11%. But those costs are offset by the price of gas decreasing by 23% from last Summer, according to AAA. North-JerseyNews.com
Americans who fill up their cars this Memorial Day weekend will catch a break as the national average price for regular gasoline is a full dollar a gallon lower than a year ago. Drivers paid over $4.60 in May 2022, and prices had reached $5 by the second week of June. This week, they paid just over $3.50 a gallon for regular gasoline, according to AAA. Many energy experts said they expected prices to stay around these levels for much of the summer, barring a major disruption to global oil supplies. The New York Times
Hudson County has been awarded a $760,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation to fund the creation of a portion of the Hackensack River walkway. The county plans to use the funding, from the DOT’s “Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program (TAP),” to connect Lincoln Park West behind the Department of Roads & Public Property building to Duncan Avenue along the Hackensack River. The plan by the county and municipalities that run along the east side of the Hackensack River is to create continuous walkway from Bayonne to Secaucus. The Jersey Journal
And finally…Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour kicks off Friday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. News12 New Jersey
