| | | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Presented by A Healthy Future, LLC | Good Monday morning! What a strange time in Republican politics. Former Gov. Christie in a speech Thursday put himself out there as one of the few Republicans with 2024 ambitions willing to openly criticize Donald Trump, and the anti-Democratic moves that helped pave the way to Jan. 6. But Christie's criticism of the former president only started after Trump lost last year's election. The signs of authoritarianism — the demonization of immigrants and Muslims, delegitimizing the media as "enemies of the people," the election integrity conspiracy theories, the not-so-subtle calls to violence — were all there when Christie became the first mainstream Republican to get on board the Trump train. And Christie lobbied to become his pick for vice president. And the role reversal: Gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli, who during Trump's first campaign called him a "charlatan" and criticized Christie for spending a lot of time out-of-state campaigning for him, no longer speaks ill of the former president. He may have acknowledged the reality of the 2020 election — that Trump didn't win — but he did speak at a "Stop the Steal" rally. What's clear is that Ciattarelli's stance is where the vast majority of the base is. But you've got to give Christie this: He's found a lane few others are occupying. One that hasn't been closed, if you will. The media has given Christie way more attention than presidential primary voters do. But the state of politics three years from now, even within the Republican party, could look a lot different than it does now. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "They all have marijuana in them. So they're pretty much very limited in their capacity right now." — Ocean County Investigator James Riley on how police dogs trained to sniff out marijuana can no longer be used to establish probable cause to search cars. WHERE'S MURPHY? — In Trenton for a 1 p.m. coronavirus press conference HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Seton Hall's Matt Hale, NBC News' Ginger Gibson, noted Matt Friedman and vaccine fan Jamel Holley | | A message from A Healthy Future, LLC: Some members of Congress want to fund a partisan $3.5 trillion spending plan on the backs of Medicare patients. Their plan would repeal a safeguard in Medicare protecting seniors and those with disabilities, cutting off access to life-saving medicines. Tell Congressman Frank Pallone: Oppose cutting Medicare to pay for the $3.5 trillion spending plan. Stop the government from pulling needed prescription drugs from the market. Sign the petition. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
IDA — Murphy: Four more New Jersey counties added to FEMA major disaster declaration, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton : More than a week after the remnants of Hurricane Ida caused deadly flash flooding across New Jersey, FEMA has declared major disasters in Essex, Hudson, Mercer and Union counties, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Friday. "This is really good news," Murphy said during an unrelated campaign event in Bloomfield. What it means: The major disaster declaration entitles residents and business owners of the four counties to apply for disaster assistance grants through FEMA to pay for temporary housing and home repairs. Low-cost loans are available for the loss of uninsured property. State, tribal and eligible local governments, along with nonprofit organizations, can also access federal funding to assist with emergency work as well as replacement and repairs of damaged facilities.
—"Morris County gets FEMA disaster declaration after Ida wreaked havoc" THE GOO GOO DOLLARS — " After Ida soaks NJ, Murphy seeks hard reelection cash with soft money rock show," by The Record's Charles Stile: "As Gov. Phil Murphy surveyed the flood damage left by the remnants of Hurricane Ida at the side of President Joe Biden last Tuesday, his reelection campaign was inviting donors to an acoustic rock 'n' roll party under a tent. Headlining the Sept. 14 event at the Suneagles Golf Club in Eatontown is Murphy's friend and former Middletown neighbor and the new namesake of a Garden State Parkway rest stop: Jon Bon Jovi, who will appear with the Kings of Suburbia. Also expected to perform are Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, New Jersey-native songwriter Brian Fallon and Brian Kirk and the Jirks, a popular regional band. Tickets are $4,900 for 'solo' donors and $9,800 for a 'duet.' But a table of six — the 'rock star' level — will cost $25,000 and the "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame" level for a table of 10 will cost $49,000. A potential donor who shared this with me was puzzled by the timing — sending out invitations to a high-dollar, outdoor event with an open bar seemed a peculiar thing to do on the same day that distraught Jersey homeowners are dragging their flood-damaged furniture to the curb. In a statement, campaign spokesman Jerrel Harvey said, 'Governor Murphy is focused on helping families and businesses get back on their feet in the aftermath of the storm. At the same time, the campaign is committed to raising the resources needed to ensure the Governor wins a second term.'" IT'S ALMOST LIKE THERE WAS A HUGE EMERGENCY OR SOMETHING —"Bergen's 911 system was inundated with more than 11,000 calls for help during Ida deluge'," by The Record's Steve Janoski: "On a normal day, Bergen County's 911 dispatch center in Mahwah isn't all that busy. Even though the center's dispatchers serve tens of thousands of people in 25 Bergen County towns, only about 100 calls for aid reach their ears every day, according to Frank DelVecchio, director of the county's Public Safety Operations Center. That changed last week when the remnants of Hurricane Ida stormed into New Jersey, dumping up to 10 inches of rain on already sodden ground. The number of 911 calls rose alongside the flash floodwaters, eventually inundating the two dozen or so dispatchers working that night." MAYBE IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT'S TAKING A LONG TIME — "N.J. has too many cannabis license delays," by Bershan Shaw, Darrin Chandler Jr. and Marisa Edmunds for The Star-Ledger: "In 2019, the New Jersey Department of Health released a public competitive bid request for applications for 24 newly available medicinal cannabis licenses … Per the application requirements, companies needed to demonstrate a myriad of resources, most importantly they were required to provide: a viable town willing to host their cannabis business, site control, an executed lease, purchase of real estate, a business plan with architectural drawings, background checks and a financial plan along with proof of capital. Due to legal matters outside of our control, our companies, along with other 2019 applicants, have had to endure a two-year delay. The delay in scoring the applications has caused companies to maintain real estate or site control with no resolution in sight. This delay has forced applicants to absorb exorbitant fees, along with threats of possibly losing site control." PLEASE STAY SIX FEET APART. NOW WHERE'S MY MONEY? — McKinsey contract included assistance on selling social distancing, lockdowns to the public, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton: The global consulting firm has received more than $26 million to aid New Jersey in its pandemic response, with the bulk of its work dedicated to data collection and health system and supply chain management, as well as the rollout of logistically complicated Covid-19 testing and vaccination programs. However, one section of the firm's initial $5.5 million contract — which it submitted to the Office of Emergency Management in April 2020 upon the state's request — detailed how it could aid in the public adoption of politically challenging stay-at-home orders and restrictions; particularly during the monthslong period when Murphy was slowly unwinding different aspects of the lockdown … In layman's terms, McKinsey's contract positioned the firm to help the Murphy administration sell social distancing to the public … Senior administration officials say McKinsey played an almost nonexistent role in the administration's pandemic messaging. POLITICAL NON-DISTANCING — Democratic lawmakers not distancing themselves from Murphy ahead of their own reelections, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman : They spent years fighting over budgets, corporate subsidies and taxes. But now the fortunes of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and the members of his own party who control both houses of the Legislature are tightly bound together, with Democrats' hopes of expanding their majorities contingent on Murphy's performance against Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli at the top of the ticket. While there are 120 seats up in 40 districts, both parties' resources look to be focused mainly on three legislative districts whose representation is currently split in the Senate and Assembly: South Jersey's 2nd and 8th dsitricts, and Central Jersey's 16th district, which Ciattarelli represented for six years in the Assembly. Democrats hold a 25-15 majority in the Senate and a 52-28 majority in the Assembly. THE OTHER CAP POCINO WORE — "Pocino retires from Port Authority, Turnpike commissioner posts," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "Labor leader Raymond Pocino is retiring after 19 years as a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, opening up another seat on the bi-state panel for Gov. Phil Murphy. Pocino also resigned as a commissioner of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. He's in his fifth term and has served there over for over 25 years, including a stint as chairman. He has submitted his letters of resignation, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed, notifying Murphy that he will be moving out of state before the end of this month, 'I would be willing to serve in a holdover capacity for a limited period of time .. should that be legally permissible,' Pocino said. Otherwise, his resignation is effective immediately." SPACE TO BE DESIGNATED FOR SEN. MICHAEL TESLA — "N.J. doesn't have enough places to charge electric vehicles. A new plan would allow 1 in every town," by NJ Advance Media's Payton Guion: "If New Jersey is to get people in electric cars in numbers large enough to significantly reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions, it is going to need more places to charge them. The Murphy administration has taken a small step toward supplying that by imposing an ordinance making it easier for towns to install electric vehicle charging stations. The new regulations allow charging stations and designated parking spaces in each of the state's 565 towns. State officials said this week that these rules take effect immediately." NJ WASN'T OVERBUILT IN A DAY — "NJ politicians want to talk about 'climate change', while not revising land use," by InsiderNJ's Max Pizarro: "You will not hear anyone on the campaign trail discuss – with substance or any institutional awareness or any sense of moral righteousness or real credibility – the issue of land use in New Jersey and how our unwise, clubby, greedy practices have intensified the hazards of our suicidal condition in the aftermath of a storm that killed 29 people in 'the Garden State.'We won't hear that discussion because both political parties lie together, like Romulus and Remus, in the suckled manger of the same coffers-filling mangy wolf called corporate overdevelopment. That's why the state specializes in giant box construction of the kind we saw in Camden, for example, courtesy of an $11.5 billion bipartisan state tax incentive package, which has nothing to do with improving the lives or opportunities of actual people already struggling on the ground." —Murphy: Ciattarelli should run for governor of 'Florida, or Texas' over gun stances —" Sweeney, team spend $61k on new attack ads in the 3rd Legislative District" —"NJ's heat exemption for masking in schools raises questions" —" Democrats wanted Trump gone. Now they want him on the ballot" —"Friendly Fire: Ida's fallout, Christie's launch, and vaccine mandates"
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| | BIDEN TIME | |
JUST ENOUGH TO INSPIRE XENOPHOBIC RANTS BY RADIO PERSONALITIES — "About 9,000 Afghan refugees are being housed at joint military base in N.J., Menendez says," by NJ Advance Media's Jonathan D. Salant: "Nearly 9,000 Afghan refugees evacuated when the country fell to Taliban are being housed temporarily at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst at a compound called Liberty Village, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez said Friday. 'This is their first taste of freedom,' U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez said following a two-hour tour of the village and after talking with some of the refugees. The base has a mix of temporary housing, some refugees are in buildings and some are housed in tents, grouped by family and village."
—" FBI releases first 9/11 document after Biden order" | | | |   | | | | | LOCAL | |
DECISION HAPPENED TO COINCIDE WITH BEING SENT FEWER INMATES — "Hudson County seeks to sever ICE contract after years of protests," by New Jersey Monitor's Sophie Nieto Munoz: "Hudson County officials are planning to exit their 10-year contract with U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement to hold immigrant detainees at the county jail, a change that comes after years of protests by immigrant advocates. The move would make Bergen County the only publicly run jail in New Jersey that houses ICE detainees, following Essex County's decision in April to sever its ICE contract. For years immigrant advocates and activists have pushed the Democratic leaders of all three counties to stop working with the federal agency. 'There will be a further announcement on the future of the jail but right now, the only thing that's official, or hopefully will be next week, is that we're withdrawing from the ICE (contract),' said Tom DeGise, the Hudson County executive."
WE'D FORGET THIS TOWN EXISTED BUT FOR ITS POLITICAL HIJINX — "Englewood Cliffs councilman changed his resignation date by 2 days. It prompted a lawsuit," by The Record's Katie Sobko: "In the wake of Councilman William Woo's abrupt resignation last week, the borough's Democratic County Committee filed a lawsuit in Superior Court on Wednesday demanding that Woo's seat be on the ballot this fall. Woo submitted a letter of resignation on Aug. 31, effective that day, to the borough administrator, the borough attorney, the mayor and his fellow council members. He said he was resigning from the council to spend more time with his family. At the time, the borough clerk was suspended and the deputy clerk had recently resigned. The suit alleges that Mayor Mario Kranjac responded by thanking Woo for his service that same day. The following day, though, Sept. 1, Woo sent another email changing the day his resignation went into effect to Sept. 2 … According to the suit, the law says that if a council vacancy happens before Sept. 1 of the second-to-last year of a term, the vacancy goes on the ballot to be filled during the next general election, and since Woo resigned before Sept. 1, his seat should be on the ballot on Nov. 2. 'This was clearly an attempt to avoid the repercussions of his Aug. 31 resignation under the municipal vacancy law,' the complaint states." TELL THAT TO THE WAWA-STARVED KIDS IN MAHWAH — " These Cherry Hill neighborhoods don't want another Wawa," by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Kevin Riordan: "Wawa, Barclay Farm and nearby Kingston Estates are among the latest communities saying no to one of the chain's proposed outlets … 'We don't need another Wawa in Cherry Hill. We want to maintain the community we have here, and a Wawa would create a whole different atmosphere,' said Carol Saldutti, a certified public accountant who has lived in Barclay since 1992. There are six Wawas in the township, and many more near its borders … Saldutti is one of the leaders of the "Preserve Barclay" campaign against the proposal — in the works since 2019 — to redevelop a portion of the Barclay Farms Shopping Center on Route 70 with a 24-hour Wawa store and gas station with 16 fueling stations as a new centerpiece. The application for site plan approval was filed last spring with the Cherry Hill Planning Board." R.I.P. — "Former North Arlington Mayor Leonard Kaiser has died" —" Lavarro tries to force Jersey City council colleagues to move on affordable housing legislation, but is rebuffed" —"'Kept in the dark:' Elizabeth residents displaced by Ida uncertain where to stay" —" Damage from Ida keeps portions of Palisades Interstate Park closed" —"Prosecutors issue 'stern warning' to Governor Murphy's [New Brunswick] ally who violated his school mask mandate" —" Goodbye Grubhub? These [Jersey City] restaurants built their own delivery service" | | | | HAPPENING WEDNESDAY - POLITICO TECH SUMMIT: Washington and Silicon Valley have been colliding for some time. Has the intersection of tech, innovation, regulation and politics finally reached a tipping point? Join POLITICO for our first-ever Tech Summit to explore the evolving relationship between the power corridors of Washington and the Valley. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
FUTURE DISPENSARY MASCOTS — "NJ police dogs face forced retirement due to marijuana legislation," by NBC 4's Claudia Vargas: "After six years with the Ocean County Sheriff's Office, Stosh is at the height of his career -- he's busted drug dealers and found large amounts of narcotics in cars. But because the German Shepard was trained on detecting marijuana and small amounts of the drug are now legal in New Jersey, Stosh got the pink slip. He and three other K-9s in the Ocean County Sheriff's Office were fired-- or sent to early retirement … Some are retiring the dogs, others are keeping them and using them for patrol, search and rescue … The bread and butter of Ocean County's narcotic K-9 dogs is establishing probable cause with vehicle stops-- meaning that officers can search a car without a search warrant. The dog's scent is enough to run a search of the vehicle. 'We do a lot of residences or building searches, but a bulk of it is the motor vehicle stops,' Riley said. But those searches are completely off limits now. 'If he was to indicate a car had marijuana in it… it would be an illegal search,' [Investigator James] Riley said … A police dog can cost about $5,000 untrained, according to the Police Canine Association President. And then several thousand dollars for training if the training isn't done in-house. But the real cost is the handler's salary. 'You're assigning an officer for three quarters of a year,' Riley said. 'You're going to lose them off the road for a considerable amount of time.'"
"The mu COVID variant has been detected in New Jersey. Here's what we know about it." —"The mu COVID variant has been detected in New Jersey. Here's what we know about it"
| | A message from A Healthy Future, LLC: If Congressman Frank Pallone and Congress cut Medicare to pay for the $3.5 trillion spending plan, the government could refuse to cover life-saving medicines and prevent breakthrough therapies for diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, or diabetes. What about a vaccine for the next pandemic? This is a prescription for disaster. We can't let the government play doctor. We can't give government bureaucrats the authority to deny access to needed prescription medicines and ration care as a way of "saving money" to fund their multi-trillion-dollar wish list. Sign the petition and make sure Congressman Pallone hears your voice today. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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