Is Epstein a racketeering case? French probe widens after death of model scout

By James J. Devine Daniel Siad died before French investigators questioned him, but prosecutors say their investigation will continue as newly released records renew scrutiny of the modeling agencies, recruiters, financiers and powerful associates who repeatedly intersected with Jeffrey Epstein over decades. An independent researcher argues those connections should be examined as a potential racketeeringContinue reading “Is Epstein a racketeering case? French probe widens after death of model scout”

A summer of recalls exposes holes in the nation’s food safety net

by Anna Claire Vollers, New Jersey Monitor Jalapenos. Frozen berries. Beef. Alfalfa sprouts. A summer of food recalls, including the record-shattering cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce that has sickened thousands, has raised many Americans’ fears of contracting a foodborne illness. The recalls have focused attention on the Trump administration’s decision to cut funding andContinue reading “A summer of recalls exposes holes in the nation’s food safety net”

More than 2000 Boy Scouts child sexual abuse victims died waiting for payment

BSA settlement pays pennies on the dollar as survivors wait and perish without justice More than two years after the historic $2.46 billion bankruptcy plan took effect, tens of thousands of sexual abuse survivors are receiving only a fraction of what they were promised — with many elderly claimants dying before they see meaningful compensation.Continue reading “More than 2000 Boy Scouts child sexual abuse victims died waiting for payment”

Trenton block party shooting leaves 2 killed, 8 wounded by gunshots

Two people were killed and eight others wounded early Sunday when multiple suspects opened fire into a crowd of about 100 people at a block party, authorities said. Trenton patrol units were dispatched to the 100 block of Locust Street at approximately 12:23 a.m. on Aug. 30, 2026, on a report of a shooting inContinue reading “Trenton block party shooting leaves 2 killed, 8 wounded by gunshots”

Trump orders renaming of Lake Ontario, sparking Indigenous outcry

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing the Department of the Interior to officially rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” on all federal maps and records, a move that has drawn sharp condemnation from Indigenous nations, Canadian officials and state leaders. The president cited deteriorating trade relations with the Canadian province of OntarioContinue reading “Trump orders renaming of Lake Ontario, sparking Indigenous outcry”

Extreme heat can kill: New Jersey residents urged to take danger seriously

Children, seniors, outdoor workers and people without air conditioning face heightened risks as dangerous temperatures can linger into fall Dangerous heat can linger well into September, leaving New Jersey residents vulnerable to heat exhaustion, heat stroke and other potentially deadly illnesses. Health and emergency officials are urging residents to drink plenty of water, limit strenuousContinue reading “Extreme heat can kill: New Jersey residents urged to take danger seriously”

After two Pennsylvania residents die of measles, Trump seeks fewer childhood vaccines

For the first time in a generation, measles has killed in Pennsylvania. Two residents of Lancaster County, neither of whom had received the vaccine that makes this disease a ghost of the past, are dead. The last time the commonwealth buried someone from this scourge, the Berlin Wall was still standing, and the first PresidentContinue reading “After two Pennsylvania residents die of measles, Trump seeks fewer childhood vaccines”

Jeffries-Kushner meeting signals post-election collaboration, analysts say

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Jared Kushner, who is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, held a private meeting in recent weeks, according to a report in The New York Times. The meeting took place in a private space in New York City arranged by a mutual acquaintance of the two men, the Times reported. TheContinue reading “Jeffries-Kushner meeting signals post-election collaboration, analysts say”

A nation’s narrowest escape: Washington’s ‘Midnight Miracle’ at Brooklyn

On this night 250 years ago, the flame of American independence nearly flickered out. Against a backdrop of crushing defeat and overwhelming odds, Gen. George Washington executed a stealthy retreat across the East River that remains one of the greatest military escapes in history—a testament to leadership, expert seamanship, and a timely turn of theContinue reading “A nation’s narrowest escape: Washington’s ‘Midnight Miracle’ at Brooklyn”

US sanctions Italian tech collective in politically motivated crackdown on dissent

The Trump administration has imposed sweeping sanctions on the Italian technology collective Autistici/Inventati (A/I), designating it a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist.” The move, which targets a volunteer-run group that provides encrypted email and web hosting to activists, marks a sharp escalation in the use of post-9/11 counterterrorism tools against domestic political opponents—and has drawn fierceContinue reading “US sanctions Italian tech collective in politically motivated crackdown on dissent”

Environmental Group Gives Sherrill an ‘A’ Despite Pipeline Approval, DEP Cuts and Regulatory Rollbacks

The New Jersey League of Conservation Voters awarded Gov. Rebecca ‘Mikie’ Sherrill an “A” for her first 100 days in office, praising what it called “swift and decisive environmental leadership,” but that glowing report card collides with her record as the self-described Blue Dog Democrat advances fossil fuel infrastructure, calls for dangerous nuclear power, cutsContinue reading “Environmental Group Gives Sherrill an ‘A’ Despite Pipeline Approval, DEP Cuts and Regulatory Rollbacks”

Sherrill’s weak data center reporting is barely better than Murphy’s subsidy

Gov. Rebecca “Mikie” Sherrill signed legislation Thursday requiring data center developers to disclose their water and energy consumption every six months, while simultaneously ending a $500 million tax credit program that former Gov. Phil Murphy created to lure artificial intelligence companies to the Garden State. The twin actions wete billed as a mark a sharpContinue reading “Sherrill’s weak data center reporting is barely better than Murphy’s subsidy”

The Great Skirt Chase: Kean’s desperate id to hide behind women’s petticoats

In a spectacle that would make even the most cynical observer of American politics wince, the Honorable Tom Kean Jr. has unveiled his latest strategic masterpiece—a “Women for Kean” coalition, as if the mere presence of skirts in his corner might somehow shield him from the glaring facts of his own pathetic record. The event,Continue reading “The Great Skirt Chase: Kean’s desperate id to hide behind women’s petticoats”

Sixty-three years after the dream, marchers save the republic from the man who tried to burn it down

Sixty-three years to the month after Martin Luther King Jr. summoned a nation to its better angels, thousands of Americans returned to the National Mall on Saturday—not to celebrate a dream fulfilled, but to mount a last defense against a republic actively unraveling. They march under a burning sun, in the very shadow of aContinue reading “Sixty-three years after the dream, marchers save the republic from the man who tried to burn it down”

Experts say Trump is “easily the worst president in U.S. history.”

Michael Bailey, a political scientist at Georgetown, recently told The New York Times that President Donald Trump is “easily the worst president in U.S. history,” after the convicted felon posted a chart disparaging his predecessors and placing himself above George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. “Trump’s stupid chart of ‘greatest’ presidents is aContinue reading “Experts say Trump is “easily the worst president in U.S. history.””

Signs of economic distress: Personal bankruptcy filings are soaring in 2026

By Jay L. Zagorsky The number of Americans who file for bankruptcy is growing. More than 500,000 people took this step in 2025, nearly 50% more than in 2022. And the numbers have kept on climbing, with a 12% jump in June 2026 from a year earlier as many consumers struggled to pay their bills. I am a business school professor whoContinue reading “Signs of economic distress: Personal bankruptcy filings are soaring in 2026”

Climate crisis kills 160 in Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal — The water came not from the sky but from the mountains, and it came with the force of a judgment long delayed. By the time the roiling wall of ice, rock and mud had finished its work along the Nepal-Tibet border, at least 160 people were dead and more than 680 remainedContinue reading “Climate crisis kills 160 in Nepal”

Over 1,500 cameras in New Jersey are part of a nationwide network of unwarranted mass surveillance

You didn’t see it go up. No public hearing, no notice in the mail, no town crier. Just a small black box bolted to a pole at the end of your street, its unblinking lens aimed at your bumper as you pull out of the driveway each morning. However, if you live in New Jersey,Continue reading “Over 1,500 cameras in New Jersey are part of a nationwide network of unwarranted mass surveillance”

Happy birthday, First Sergeant Leonard Alfred Funk Jr.

By James J. Devine On what would have been his 110th birthday, we are to remember First Sergeant Leonard Alfred Funk Jr.—paratrooper, Medal of Honor recipient, slayer of Nazis, and the original Antifa operative that every pearl-clutching conservative pretends never existed. Make no mistake: the United States Army in 1944 was the most formidable anti-fascist organization onContinue reading “Happy birthday, First Sergeant Leonard Alfred Funk Jr.”

Book-burning neo-Nazi extremists file a lawsuit against Chatham schools

A neo-Nazi anti-government extremist organization has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a school district that allows employees to respect students’ privacy rights by withholding information from their parents. Moms for Liberty, a far-right organization with a history of anti-LGBTQ activism, book-ban campaigns, and associations with extremists, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn aContinue reading “Book-burning neo-Nazi extremists file a lawsuit against Chatham schools”