Category Archives: News you should know

Supreme Court justices and their recently retired colleagues have accepted an estimated $4.69 million in gifts since 2004, according to new data from the judicial watchdog Fix the Court, a tally that underscores the growing ethics crisis enveloping the nation’s highest court. The updated figures reveal the justices accepted at least 37 gifts valued atContinue reading “Legalized bribery has eroded trust in Supreme Court justices who took $4.7M in gifts”

Congressman Tom Kean Jr. is considered the most vulnerable Republican incumbent but his campaign is touting an endorsement from a group that wants to cut Medicare and privatize Social Security. The 60 Plus Association, which was created with seed money from conservative megadonors Charles and David Koch in 1992 as a far-right alternative to theContinue reading “Tom Kean Jr. backed by group that wants to privatize Medicare”

by Dana DiFilippo, New Jersey Monitor The Trump administration has appealed a federal judge’s dismissal of its challenge to policies in four New Jersey cities that limit how local law enforcement can cooperate with federal civil immigration enforcement. In June, U.S. District Court Judge Evelyn Padin tossed the feds’ lawsuit that sought to overturn sanctuary policiesContinue reading “Trump appeals loss in case against NJ sanctuary cities”

As New Jersey families grapple with soaring housing costs, high gas prices and lingering storm recovery needs, Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. — who was absent from Capitol Hill for nearly four months — has used taxpayer money to fund social media posts that appear to promote his reelection campaign. Kean missed more than 140Continue reading “Representative Tom Kean Jr. is using taxpayer money to fund his campaign ads”

A prominent gay rights activist and political columnist publicly excoriated New Jersey’s leading LGBTQ advocacy organization, accusing it of prioritizing partisan politics and protecting corrupt officials over the community it claims to serve. Jay Lassiter, a long-time political consultant and columnist for Insider NJ, issued a blistering critique of Garden State Equality (GSE) just asContinue reading “Gay activist excoriates New Jersey’s leading LGBTQ advocacy organization”

The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that a broad investigation into human trafficking linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and President Donald Trump will continue despite the death of a key figure at the center of the probe. Daniel Amar Siad, a 69-year-old Swedish modeling scout whose name appeared nearly 2,000 times in recently declassifiedContinue reading “Paris prosecutor says Epstein-linked model scout probe will go on despite suspect’s death”

When President Donald Trump appeared recently with visible bruising on his hands, it quickly became a subject of widespread public discussion. Photos of the discoloration, sometimes concealed and sometimes left uncovered, raised questions about his overall health. The White House later confirmed that the marks were related to Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI), a common circulatory conditionContinue reading “President Donald Trump has bruised hands due to Chronic Venous Insufficiency”

The U.S. Supreme Court added two opinions to its growing Second Amendment jurisprudence in June, when it ruled in the cases U.S. v. Hemani, holding that people cannot be denied guns because they unlawfully use controlled substances, and Wolford v. Lopez, expanding the right to bear arms on property that is privately owned and generally open toContinue reading “Second Amendment expert Adam Winkler thinks the Supreme Court has ‘made a mess’ of gun laws”

Health officials urge residents to stay hydrated, seek air conditioning, and recognize signs of heat illness; children and pets should never be left in vehicles Summer may be approaching its unofficial end, but New Jersey residents should not let their guard down when temperatures climb. Extreme heat can quickly turn from uncomfortable to dangerous, causingContinue reading “Extreme heat remains a deadly threat as New Jersey summer winds down”

A 19-year-old man lies in a hospital bed with a bullet in his brain, and the city’s promise of safety bleeds out onto the pavement of Martin Luther King Boulevard. Again. Police say a single shot rang out at 10:44 p.m. Wednesday, and a single round found its mark. The victim was discovered inside aContinue reading “Teenager’s shooting undermines Gusciora’s Trenton crime claims”

Two people were killed Saturday morning in a head-on collision involving a stolen vehicle in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township, authorities said. According to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, the crash happened around 7:30 a.m. near the intersection of Route 50 and Third Street. One adult and three juveniles who were inside theContinue reading “Two killed in Mays Landing crash involving stolen vehicle; Attorney General investigating”

A Toms River man pleaded guilty Aug. 19 to orchestrating a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud conspiracy and fraudulently obtaining more than $1.8 million in federal pandemic relief loans, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced. Arthur Spitzer, 39, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel to one count of bank and wire fraud conspiracy andContinue reading “Republican pleads guilty in multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud, COVID loan scheme”

An Old Bridge man admitted in federal court this week to producing and possessing images and recordings of child pornography as part of a scheme in which he posed as a teenager on Snapchat to manipulate two minor victims. Daniel Berwick, 39, pleaded guilty Aug. 18 before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch in Trenton federalContinue reading “Old Bridge man admits to producing and possessing child pornography”

by Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor A state panel deadlocked on a vote to raise premiums on school workers’ government-run health plan by an average of 34%, leaving health insurance rates in a state of uncertainty a little more than a month after open enrollment begins. The School Employee Health Benefit Commission’s 4-4 vote forestallsContinue reading “NJ panel deadlocks on vote to raise health premiums for teachers”

NJ strikes 5,100 from voter rolls in wake of registration gaffe by Dana DiFilippo, New Jersey Monitor New Jersey officials have deleted 5,100 registered voters from state voter rolls and directed another 1,650 to county election officials for review, one month after Gov. Rebecca ‘Mikie’ Sherrill revealed that thousands of noncitizens may have registered to voteContinue reading

The bond market, that great and grumpy oracle of American finance, has finally shouted its verdict from the rooftops, and the news is not fit for polite company. Long-term Treasury yields on Monday shot to their highest point since 2007, a spike that sent a shudder through every corner of the economy and forced TreasuryContinue reading “Bond market panic plagues Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent”

The federal government’s ledger has put another one of President Donald Trump’s promise into the realm of fantasy, with the national debt plunging past $40 trillion — a number so vast it has ceased to have meaning for the ordinary citizen. Treasury data for Aug. 18 showed the closing balance for public debt outstanding totaledContinue reading “Financial foolishness buries United States of America in debt”

If all goes to plan, a Ridgewood family of four will soon be trading their suburban New Jersey life for the sun-drenched coasts of Portugal. By then, they will have had their birth certificates notarized, submitted to fingerprinting by European officials and wired €500,000 into an international investment fund. They are among a growing numberContinue reading “For New Jersey’s Ultra-Wealthy, a Golden Visa Is the Ultimate Hedge Fund”

by Dana DiFilippo, New Jersey Monitor The Boys & Girls Clubs of America cannot be held liable for alleged sexual abuse perpetrated decades ago by a counselor employed by its Hudson County chapter, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The split decision, in which two justices issued a sharp dissent, was the latest in theContinue reading “NJ’s top court lets Boys & Girls Clubs of America off hook in sex abuse lawsuits”

Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have reintroduced the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act, landmark housing legislation that would rebuild the United States’ public housing stock, address the longstanding capital backlog, and create thousands of union jobs. This bill provides a much-needed infusion of federal fundingContinue reading “Progressives propose landmark housing legislation to rebuild America”