| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Presented by Anbaric Development Partners | Good Monday morning! I'm back from a lovely vacation that I spent far from New Jersey, barely reading political news. But even though it happened nowhere near New Jersey, I was jolted back to attention Saturday by a white 18-year-old's racist terrorist attack on a supermarket in Buffalo in which he killed 10 people, most of them Black. First, some of the circumstances — a hate-motivated crime at a supermarket — reminded me of the hate crime that targeted, but did not exclusively hit, Hasidic Jews in Jersey City in 2019 at a market. In fact, the Lakewood Scoop noted that the shooter referenced Hasidim in Jersey City, Lakewood and other New Jersey Jewish communities in his "manifesto." But for the similarity of those two attacks, there's a key difference: The Jersey City attack was committed by two people linked to a fringe hate group, the Black Hebrew Israelites. You've probably seen them on the street trying to provoke passers-by with hate. But you don't hear their rhetoric spewed on mainstream cable news. It appears from his writings that the Buffalo shooter's main motivation was the "Great Replacement"— a conspiracy theory that there's a conscious effort to replace white Americans with non-white immigrants to achieve political ends. The thing is, this isn't just some fringe thinking from the farthest reaches of the right. Tucker Carlson talks about it on Fox News, mainstream politicians have echoed it and it's gained alarming currency with a not-so-small segment of the population. I hope, but am not optimistic, that when people are inspired by these awful ideas to commit violent acts, TV personalities with millions of viewers and politicians will back away from the ideas. And more broadly, I hope we can discuss political issues and the way our world, culture and mores are changing without apocalyptic rhetoric. DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE'S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 90 WHERE'S MURPHY? — In Hackensack for an 11 a.m. fire funding announcement QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Nobody should have to fork over such an exorbitant amount for a beer." – Port Authority Chair Kevin O'Toole on airport vendors' price gouging HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Union City Mayor Brian Stack, Activist Jay Lassiter, former Assembly candidate Mark Natale, CWA 1036's Michele Liebtag TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com NEED MORE PLAYBOOK? — Sign up here for NJ Playbook PM and get more news in your inbox care of POLITICO's Jonathan Custodio, minus the snarky headlines | | | | A message from Anbaric Development Partners: At Anbaric, we are investing in New Jersey's clean energy future. We were proud to put forth the Boardwalk Power Link Projects in response to Governor Murphy's first-in-the-nation offshore wind transmission solicitation. This portfolio offers an opportunity to utilize a transmission-first approach to deliver offshore wind to shore through a strong, reliable network that will maximize efficiency, create jobs, and protect the environment. Learn more about Anbaric's innovative approach. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | | NURSING HOMES — "Understaffed and Overwhelmed: N.J. nursing homes lack the staff required by landmark legislation. Is the law being enforced?" by NJ Advance Media's Susan K. Livio and Ted Sherman: "In the aftermath of a pandemic that claimed the lives of more than 9,000 nursing home residents and staff in New Jersey, the state imposed a landmark law last year that set strict limits on the number of nursing home residents CNAs could be assigned to care for on any given shift, The staffing law was one of the most important reforms for an industry long plagued by a shortage of aides and health care workers in long-term care facilities devastated by the pandemic. For the first time, a limit was set on how may residents a nurse aide could be asked to handle — no more than 8 on the day shift, with higher numbers on the evening and overnight shifts when residents presumably would be sleeping. Months later, however, it is clear that understaffing remains prevalent. An analysis by NJ Advance Media of data reported to the state by New Jersey's more than 350 nursing homes found that nearly 6 in 10 do not meet the requirements of the new state law. At some nursing homes, CNAs were assigned to take care of as many as 12 or more residents on a shift. Aides interviewed by NJ Advance Media, meanwhile, say the situation is far worse than the numbers suggest." ON THE WATERFRONT — New Jersey and New York agree to timeline in waterfront dispute, by POLITICO's Ry Rivard: Attorneys for New Jersey and New York have agreed on a timeline to make various court filings in their dispute over how to police the East Coast's largest shipping port. In a joint filing Friday, the states said the U.S. Supreme Court can decide the case by interpreting the language of a disputed 1953 bi-state compact that created the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor and that there isn't need for justices to appoint a special master to gather lots of evidence. In disputes between states, which automatically head to the nation's high court, a special master can act like a trial court judge, gathering evidence on the justices' behalf. Attorneys for both states say the dispute is about how to parse a law, not over facts. A 2018 New Jersey law calls for the state to exit the commission, which state officials say is holding up economic activity at the port. The state's exit was held up by previous litigation between New Jersey and the commission itself, which New Jersey won.
DIVERSITY: THE LEGISLATURE HAS LAWYERS IN IT WHO SPECIALIZE IN EVERYTHING FROM MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT TO PERSONAL INJURY — " It's still mostly 50-something white guys in the N.J. Legislature, but there is more diversity," by NJ Advance Media's Brent Johnson: "[Shame] Haider and a pair of fellow first-term Assembly Democrats, Sadaf Jaffer and Ellen Park, are the first Asian American women ever to serve in the Legislature. Haider and Jaffer are also the first Muslim members — of any gender — in the Legislature's history. 'It's like, wow,' Haider, D-Bergen, said. 'I hope I've opened a door for other people like me' For all that progress, though, the door could still be opened wider. The 220th edition of the Legislature, which took office in January, has greater gender and racial diversity than years past. But it still falls short of matching the makeup of New Jersey's population, considered one of the most diverse in the country. The average lawmaker here remains white, male, straight, and nearly 60. … Of the 120 members across both houses of the Democratic-controlled Legislature — the Senate and Assembly — 84, or 70%, are white. That's an improvement over 90 members, or 75%, in 2019, the last time NJ Advance Media crunched the numbers. But that's still greater than the 54% of New Jersey's 9.2 million residents who are white. Meanwhile, a record 41 members, or 34%, are women — up from 37, or 31%, four years ago. But that's short of the state's population, which is 51% female."
SAINT NICK — "Scutari gets full vindication after lawsuit against Linden is settled," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "The City of Linden has settled a lawsuit filed by Senate President Nicholas Scutari alleging that political foes, including Mayor Derek Armstead, conspired to retaliate against him for not backing their candidacies, for malicious prosecution, and for defamation, libel and slander. The settlement, obtained by the New Jersey Globe, effectively debunks a politically motivated investigative report written by a law firm hired by Armstead, Calcagni & Kanefsky. The mastroesque probe, paid for by the city, accused Scutari of 'serial absenteeism.' Scutari spent fifteen years as Linden's municipal prosecutor, topping out at a salary of $85,000-per-year. While the report found that Scutari did not attend about 40% of municipal court hearings between 2014 and 2018, it ignored the long-standing practice across the state of part-time prosecutors taking responsibility for covering municipal court sessions at their own expense. Scutari personally paid substitute prosecutors. In his lawsuit, Scutari pointed to a 2005 memorandum from the city authorizing him to secure coverage when he didn't personally appear in court, as long as he bore the cost. He accused Armstead and others of 'deliberately' concealing that document." THEN WHO'S GONNA TELL ME ABOUT HOW CIGARETTES BENEFIT MY 'T-ZONE'? — Medical Society of New Jersey wants state to penalize physicians who spread 'dangerous' Covid misinformation, by POLITICO's Daniel Han: The Medical Society of New Jersey wants the state to penalize physicians who take part in "dangerous" Covid-19 misinformation. In a letter earlier this month to the state Board of Medical Examiners, which oversees the licensure of physicians, the medical society asked the board to "reprimand, suspend, revoke or otherwise discipline" New Jersey-based physicians who spread Covid-19 misinformation "in a way that is harmful to individual or public health." Representatives for the medical society testified Wednesday before the board. "We value of course the free speech rights of all physicians and all people very highly," Josh Bengal, director of government relations for the medical society, said in an interview. "We look forward to working with the BME to get them the info they need to identify … when speech has gone beyond just protected free speech rights and gone into dangerous misinformation that can harm patients or the public." —"N.J. bishops call Murphy's abortion proposals 'a direct attack on dignity and sanctity of life' " —"Personal income is on the rise in N.J., but there's a catch" —" Assembly panel advances voting reforms meant to speed election results " —Ciattarelli: "Here are five ways New Jersey can become more welcoming to business " —"How these Black families are helping each other to enter N.J.'s legal weed market" —Mulshine: "The marijuana market isn't exactly rocket science" | | | | DON'T MISS DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | BIDEN TIME | |
BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL — "Defund the police? No way, N.J. Dems say as midterms elections near," by NJ Advance Media's Jonathan D. Salant: "Outside the U.S. Capitol last Thursday, some two dozen members of the U.S. House touted their bipartisan bill that would earmark federal funding for smaller police departments for training and recruitment. 'We need to fund — not defund — local law enforcement,' said the measure's chief sponsor, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist. Gottheimer's use of that phrase was no accident. Following killings of unarmed Blacks by law enforcement officers, supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement, including a few Democratic members of Congress, began advocating defunding the police … Gottheimer, [Tom] Malinowski and Rep. Andy Kim, D-3rd Dist., and Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist., are the New Jersey lawmakers sponsoring the legislation. They're also the four Democrats who won Republican-held House seats in the last decade and all are on the National Republican Congressional Committee's target list."
—"Rep. Payne is latest N.J. congressman to test positive for COVID-19" —Pascrell: "The federal tax code is broken. Here are two steps toward fixing it" | | | | A message from Anbaric Development Partners:   | | | | | LOCAL | | MAN CHARGED WITH BALLOT FRAUD COMMITS IRONY — "In second term, will Mayor Sayegh get support for projects from volatile Paterson council? " by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico : "Mayor Andre Sayegh's landslide reelection victory puts him back where he spent the past four years — facing an often adversarial, sometimes volatile, and usually unpredictable City Council. Three of the men who ran against Sayegh in Paterson's donnybrook of a mayoral election retain their seats on the council. Two of them — council members Michael Jackson and Alex Mendez — made it clear during post-election interviews they still see Sayegh as part of Paterson's problem, not its solution. 'Andre didn't win this election, he stole it,' said Mendez, complaining about the way Sayegh supporters delayed mail-in ballots through litigation. Sayegh, for his part, called Jackson and Mendez 'criminals' during the campaign when he brought up their pending voter fraud indictments. The mayor, who won by more than 3,000 votes, didn't respond when a reporter sent him a message asking about the uncertainties involving his relationship with the City Council." OCEAN GATE GATE — "Ocean Gate mayor to be removed from office amid allegations he stole from taxpayers ," by The Asbury Park Press' Erik Larsen : "Mayor Paul J. Kennedy has forfeited his office and will no longer be in power effective Saturday, special Borough Attorney Jean Cipriani said. 'If the elected official fails to attend or participate in any meetings of the governing body for a period of eight consecutive weeks without having been excused — then at the conclusion of such period by an operation of law — then that office is vacant,' Cipriani explained during a Borough Council meeting Wednesday night. Kennedy has not attended a council meeting since before his March 18 arrest on corruption charges." —"Who in Ocean County government 'told' employees to go work on Ocean Gate mayor's house?" SCOOBY-DOO AC — " Atlantic City gambles on N.J. legal weed to boost tourism and draw conventions," by NJ Advance Media's Suzette Parmley: " Atlantic City is taking a leap of faith and gambling on weed to boost tourism and become an East Coast convention mecca. But since casinos are federally regulated and under the federal ban on weed, cannabis businesses cannot be located in any of the nine gambling halls. So the city is looking outside the casinos, primarily along Atlantic and Pacific Avenues, to adding weed to diversify its economy. At least two big cannabis operators — iAnthus and Acreage — are already selling medicinal marijuana in Atlantic City and both are eyeing a piece of the adult weed business. A smaller cannabis business just received a micro dispensary license to operate just behind Boardwalk Hall. iAnthus — which acquired MPX NJ earlier this year and opened a medical marijuana dispensary in Atlantic City on May 5 — wants to expand to sell to the adult market there real soon, NJ Advance Media has learned. So does The Botanist, which sells medical weed on the Boardwalk, and is owned by Acreage. iAnthus is set to appear before the Atlantic City City Council on Wednesday to make its pitch to add adult weed sales." CAMDEN RISING: LUXURY WATERFRONT APARTMENTS NOW AVAILABLE — " Hundreds living in deplorable city complex where owner hit with over 1K violations," by NJ Advance Media's Steven Rodas : "Aura Gonzalez races from room to room when the Camden inspector arrives. Opening drawers. Turning on faucets. Pointing in different directions. She is eager to show him what she faces daily with her 12-year-old daughter at Northgate 1. A patchwork job for a ceiling collapse from months ago in the bathroom. A rotting refrigerator base. Plumbing that backs up more than it runs smoothly. That's before you leave the actual apartment, she says … Gonzalez has called the owner to address issues like people constantly loitering in the hallway, broken cabinets, and the building's malfunctioning elevator. But, she said, she only 'gets help sometimes and always after weeks or months of trying.' The series of problems and the lack of response from the owner, Camden 7 Realty, LLC, have become common themes for residents at the 60-year-old complex, Camden County officials told NJ Advance Media during an inspection of the property on April 28. The county allowed a reporter and photographer to join the inspection. The issues recently culminated when the city issued 1,155 code enforcement violations against the owner of the property following an inspection of the building's 21 floors where about 300 people currently reside. The inspection took place over a two-week span between March 28 and April 6, leading to citations for plumbing problems, repairs, infestations of roaches and other issues." JUST GONNA LEAVE THIS RIGHT HERE — "Trenton councilman accused of violating residency rule claims he was on 'vacation' ," by The Trentonian's Isaac Avilucea: "Well, it looks like Councilman Santiago Rodriguez is not living in Florida after all. Or so that's what he's saying now as his story about whether he's still living in Trenton continues to morph and change over the days. First, it was that he was living at a new place on South Broad Street. Now he admits that he was actually on vacation in Florida, the same state where he now acknowledges owning property, for a 'couple of weeks,' visiting his autistic grandson. 'My grandson is the reason I am not running for re-election for councilman,' Rodriguez wrote in a Facebook post. 'The services that he requires are not easy to get in Trenton.'" — R.I.P. "Anthony Amalfe, giant in Union County politics, dies at 95" —–" Gusciora calls for fiscal monitor in Trenton amid latest budget flap with council prez" —"Who's up and who's down: The Aftermath of May 10th" —"A racial justice organization has sued 30 towns in NJ. Here's what they're looking for" —" From Ukraine to Hamilton Park, one Ukrainian refugee brings the love of gardening and beekeeping" —" Manchester Regional board grants principal tenure against teachers' wishes. Here's why" —"Students, parents say Piscataway school psychologist was fired for advocating for LGBTQ+ students" —Opinion: "Pay new city cops better so they can afford to live in Jersey City" | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
NJ CANNABUSINESS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES NAME CHANGE TO 'NJ BONG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE' — "Projection: NJ cannabis could be a $2B industry in five years ," by The Press of Atlantic City's Bill Barlow: "Edmund DeVeaux looks forward to a time when a cannabis store downtown in your community does not draw any more notice than a liquor store or a restaurant. 'You wouldn't think twice about the fact that there is a liquor store on Main Street,' he said. 'It will just be part of the fabric of the community. You wouldn't think twice about walking in or passing it by.' … DeVeaux is the president of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association, what he described as the cannabis chamber of commerce. He cited studies that indicate cannabis could grow into a $2 billion industry within five years, which he said will mean more jobs, more revenue for public priorities and additional impact on other fields, from law firms to real estate to security companies."
—Chao: "America stripped him of his dignity. Yet this NJ veteran still chose to serve" —" Prisoner reentry group announces mental health, addiction services for vets" | | | | A message from Anbaric Development Partners: New Jersey is making great strides towards a carbon-free future by harnessing the power of offshore wind. As a responsible clean energy partner with decades of experience, Anbaric understands the importance of a transmission-first approach—because how we deliver energy from offshore matters.
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