Rep. Andy Kim gains traction in bid for New Jersey’s Senate seat after primary victories in 3 counties
When New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy walked up to Rep. Andy Kim last weekend to congratulate him with a handshake after his third consecutive win in his bid for a U.S. Senate seat, the goodwill gesture represented a surprise within a surprise. The Senate seat only became competitive because incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was indicted last year on federal corruption charges. And Kim’s wins in three state county committee votes so far have fueled sudden momentum for the mild-mannered three-term congressman, who is mounting a more formidable challenge than is typical against a well-connected political figure in a state where connections count for a lot. That matters in the Democratic stronghold of New Jersey, where Democratic primaries often decide elections — and where primary winners are sometimes chosen by party leaders in behind-the-scenes gatherings well ahead of the primaries themselves. Kim sued this week in federal court to challenge the way counties draw ballots to favor candidates with party support. ANDY KIM SEES 3RD STRAIGHT WIN OVER NEW JERSEY FIRST LADY TAMMY MURPHY IN PRIMARY BATTLE FOR BOB MENENDEZ SEAT As surprising as they were, Kim’s wins in three counties so far, including his and the first lady’s home turf, hardly settle anything. Murphy, who comes from the world of high finance and has spent years cultivating allies among state party leaders, has already secured the support of party bosses in the more populous counties of Bergen, Camden and Essex. Menendez has yet to say whether he will seek another term. The charges against him have generated spectacular headlines and are seen by many to be career-ending. The senator has pleaded not guilty and projected a defiant stance as turmoil suddenly engulfed a seat that had long been seen as safe for Democrats. Still, the wins by Kim suggest that the race for the Democratic nomination won’t be easy for anyone. It pits Kim, perhaps best known for being spotted cleaning debris from the U.S. Capitol after the Jan. 6 insurrection three years ago, against Murphy, who is married to Gov. Phil Murphy and has made maternal mortality her signature issue in her role as first lady. Kim’s lawsuit signals that he still believes New Jersey’s way of giving better ballot positioning to candidates favored by local insiders could give Murphy an unfair advantage, a view shared by many political observers. “We do not have competitive primaries. We in theory have them, but in practice we have party leaders who get behind closed doors and the nominee is presented to the public as a fait accompli. This is your candidate, love it or lump it,” said Daniel Cassino, executive director of the Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll. “The fact that we’re actually having this primary is a sign something has gone awry.” The competition between Kim and Murphy began almost as soon as the Menendez indictment was announced. It gave New Jersey a rare competitive Democratic primary for one of only three statewide seats — the others, for a second Senate seat and governor, aren’t on the ballot this year. The seat may yet remain in Democratic hands, but a contentious campaign could consume energy and resources as the party gears up for a grinding presidential campaign and the larger fight to control Congress. Kim cast his candidacy in terms of the public’s distrust of officials and party insiders, pointing specifically to Menendez’s indictments. A 2015 federal corruption indictment against Menendez ended in a hung jury and with prosecutors dropping the case. The concern, Kim said in an interview, is that progressive Democrats who oppose the party bosses’ influence and independents might sit out the November election if they think Murphy’s candidacy was foisted on them. “If the Democrats don’t fix this and show that this is a credible and legitimate process, I think that this Senate seat could be in jeopardy this November. And I think that that’s something I absolutely refuse to see happen because I’ve been there in Congress. I know exactly what the Republicans would do if they have the majority in the Senate,” Kim said. Tammy Murphy, who worked at Goldman Sachs briefly and helped start a policy think tank in New Jersey, pushed back at the notion that the support she has is based on her marriage to Phil. She said Saturday she isn’t asking for his help. She also defended her departure from the Republican Party, which she left shortly before her husband’s run for governor in 2017. “I’ve been on the ground for the last eight years, literally building the party,” she said. “I’ve shown up serially in all these, all the red counties where they needed help. I showed up.” She added: “Many people are leaving the Republican Party here now, and I will tell you, I have stood for the same values since day one. Absolutely the same values.” The possibility of Republicans picking up the seat in November is overblown, Cassino said, in large part because the state tilts so overwhelmingly Democratic and because it’s an election year. Ben Dworkin, who heads the Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship, echoed that sentiment, pointing out Republicans haven’t been elected to the Senate in New Jersey since 1972. Republicans are grappling with their own primary, featuring southern New Jersey businessman Curtis Bashaw, Mendham Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner and former TV news reporter Alex Zdan. Also running in the Democratic primary are labor leader Patricia Campos-Medina and civil rights activist Lawrence Hamm. GOV. MURPHY $55.9B BUDGET FEATURES SPENDING HIKES, NEW BUSINESS TAXES Shortly before the Burlington Democratic Party results were announced Saturday, voters leaving the hall greeted each other with smiles and hugs. Kim and Murphy both stopped to chat with people. Murphy had talked earlier in the day about needing to send “ticked off” moms to Washington to fight for families. Kim had focused on being a county native and said he’d fight for the state particularly in light of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and the threat
Israel strikes Lebanon’s south, raising risks of escalation
Israeli strikes killed at least two people in Lebanon’s south on Wednesday evening, while Hamas fighters earlier fired a volley of rockets towards northern Israel from Lebanon amid escalating cross-border clashes in recent days. Lebanon’s Hezbollah has exchanged near daily fire with the Israeli army since Tel Aviv launched a brutal war on Gaza on October 7. Palestinian groups in Lebanon have also occasionally claimed attacks. They have been demanding a ceasefire in Gaza where more than 30,000 people have been killed in four months of relentless Israeli bombardment. “Enemy warplanes raided the towns of [Seddiqine] and Kafra… killing two people from the town of Kafra and injuring 14,” Lebanon’s state-run national news agency (NNA) said. On Wednesday morning, Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades said in a statement it targeted two Israeli military sites with two barrages of Grad rockets. The attack from south Lebanon came in “response to Zionist massacres against civilians in the Gaza Strip and the assassination of martyred leaders and their brothers in the southern suburbs” of Beirut, the statement added. The Israeli military said in a statement that “approximately 10 launches which crossed from Lebanon into northern Israel were identified”, adding that sirens had sounded in north Israel’s Kiryat Shmona area. Air defences “successfully intercepted a number of the launches”, the statement said, adding that the army “struck the sources of the fire in Lebanon”. Israeli police reported property damage in the Kiryat Shmona area but no wounded. A strike in January, which a United States defence official said was carried out by Israel, killed Hamas’s deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri and six others in south Beirut – the most high-profile Hamas figure to be killed during the war. The escalating cross-border exchanges since October 8 have stoked fears of all-out war on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. The exchanges have killed at least 286 people on the Lebanese side. On the Israeli side, 10 soldiers and six civilians have been killed, according to the Israeli army. Thousands of people from border regions have been displaced due to the exchanges. Adblock test (Why?)
Teacher sets up Gaza tent school to keep Palestinian children learning
NewsFeed This teacher in Gaza has set up a tent school to offer displaced Palestinian children an education that would otherwise have stopped due to Israel’s war. Published On 29 Feb 202429 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst on Israeli massacre in Gaza
NewsFeed Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said Israel’s massacre of hungry Palestinians waiting for food aid in Gaza was ‘state-sponsored terror’. Published On 29 Feb 202429 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
India’s GDP grew at 8.4 per cent in December quarter: Govt data
The NSO also revised the GDP growth for 2022-23 to 7 per cent against the earlier estimate of 7.2 per cent.
Biden’s border visit lands on one of the least trafficked towns, while Trump is headed into the thick of it
President Biden’s visit to the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday reflects his wishful thinking on the issue, arriving at one of the least-trafficked towns on the border. Biden will visit Brownsville, Texas, which ranks as the 29th-most trafficked town by illegal border-crossers, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Former President Trump, meanwhile, is set to hold a competing visit to the border, though he will arrive at Eagle Pass, Texas, one of the most heavily-trafficked towns in the country. Biden’s trip to Texas is an attempt to address his deep unpopularity on the issue, with a recent poll showing just 26% of Americans support his handling of the border. 7.2M ENTERED US UNDER BIDEN ADMIN, AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN POPULATION OF 36 STATES CBP data shows that Brownsville has seen just 46 migrant encounters over the past five days, compared to 2,106 in Eagle Pass. The former averaged 17 migrant encounters per day in February, while the latter averaged 462. WHITE HOUSE CALLS FOR SANCTUARY CITIES TO COOPERATE WITH ICE AMID FUROR OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIMES Brownsville is part of the CBP’s Rio Grande Valley sector, which has seen 87,426 migrant encounters so far in Fiscal Year 2024. The Del Rio sector that encompasses Eagle Pass has seen 182,077 encounters, but even that is far below the busiest sector, which lies around Tucson, Arizona, and has seen 297,380 encounters. SALVADORAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED IN CONNECTION TO MARYLAND MURDER OF 2-YEAR-OLD BOY Eagle Pass has also been the center of an ongoing standoff and court battle between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the administration over border-related issues, including setting up razor-wire and a new anti-illegal immigration law. The White House says Biden will use the visit to renew his calls for Congress to pass a bipartisan border agreement, which would have increased staffing at the border as well as tightening asylum rules, moved to tackle fentanyl smuggling, and increased funding to communities and NGOs receiving migrants. Republicans argued it fell well short of what is necessary. “He will discuss the urgent need to pass the Senate bipartisan border security agreement, the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border in decades,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said aboard Air Force One on Wednesday. “He will reiterate his calls for congressional Republicans to stop playing politics and to provide the funding needed for additional U.S. Border Patrol agents, more asylum officers, fentanyl detection technology and more. Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Adam Shaw contributed to this report
New York governor urges online sites to hide illegal cannabis stores
After failing to wipe illegal cannabis dispensaries off the map, New York is asking online sites to hide them. Since the state legalized marijuana in 2021, unlicensed pot shops have proliferated across New York City, with limited pushback from authorities. On Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul called on online map and social media companies to stop listing them. “If you type in ‘cannabis dispensaries’ in Google Maps or Yelp, you’ll get a long list of unlicensed illegal vendors,” Hochul, a Democrat, said Tuesday, speaking to reporters alongside some of the owners of licensed, legal weed stores that make up a tiny minority of the cannabis shops in New York City. FEDERAL JUDGE GREEN LIGHTS NEW YORK MARIJUANA LICENSING DESPITE ‘DISASTER’ LEGAL CANNABIS MARKET ROLLOUT In a statement, Yelp said the company believes “consumers have a First Amendment right to read and write about all businesses, even if unlicensed.” “Allowing users to contribute and see information … about unlicensed businesses serves the public interest and provides a resource for regulators to determine whether any particular business has appropriate licenses,” the statement read. Legal marijuana shops in New York pay a vice tax, purchase from local farms, and submit to quality control testing to ensure their products aren’t laced with other drugs and aren’t stronger or weaker than their label says. NEW YORK GOV. KATHY HOCHUL PROPOSES LEGISLATION TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL POT SHOPS But so far, fewer than 80 cannabis licensed stores have opened around the state, where strict eligibility requirements and lawsuits have contributed to slowing the rollout. Meanwhile, it’s common for a single neighborhood in New York City to have a dozen illegal ones. Hochul vowed to crack down eight months ago, but has failed to make noticeable progress. Aiming to avoid an echo of prohibition-era criminalization of drug sales, New York state’s marijuana legalization doesn’t include severe criminal punishment for illegal sales and doesn’t allow most law enforcement agencies to enforce pot laws. Legislation that Hochul signed last May gave the state powers for inspections, seizures, fines that can reach $20,000 a day and, in some cases, close shops and go after landlords. But the governor on Wednesday said she has since learned that it wasn’t enough. She said the fines aren’t high enough to deter people, and noted the appeals process takes many months, allowing shops to continue raking in tax-free profits off unlicensed products that are less expensive because they can be purchased out of state. New York City itself has tried to stem the tide by going after landlords, but Mayor Eric Adams has been imploring Albany to grant the city more power to respond. Hochul has asked the Democrat-controlled state Legislature to pass new legislation to grant more enforcement authority to city agencies, increase fines, and give law enforcement permission to shut down illegal stores before the appeals process plays out. In the meantime, Hochul is asking tech companies “to not be posting the sites that are illegal and ensure that they’re posting the legal shops.” Local cannabis entrepreneur Osbert Orduña said Google Maps keeps delisting his legal shops, one in New Jersey, and another in Queens, New York. He said he’s never had trouble with his listings on Yelp, though he’d like the site to delist illegal operators as well. NEW YORK LAWMAKERS CONSIDER ADDING POT SHOP CRACKDOWN TO OVERDUE BUDGET “Four times, Google has taken us down off of their platform for ‘violating their terms of service.’ We’ve done nothing other than have our store hours and our basic business information listed,” he said. Google didn’t immediately respond to a query about Orduña’s specific circumstances, but noted in a statement responding to Hochul’s comments that it does remove listings for closed venues. “If we can confirm that a business has closed for any reason – including license issues – we’ll reflect that it’s closed in the listing. We also prohibit cannabis ads in New York and remove them upon detection, often before they ever run,” the statement read. Orduña said he also wants his illegal competitors, some of whom he knows personally, to be closed down. He says they tell him he’s playing a “sucker’s game.” But as a former Marine, he likes to do things by the book and even plans on expanding to open another store in Queens next week.
GA proposals to drop sex ed, ban foreign-owned farmland in limbo at legislative deadline
Georgia lawmakers face a key deadline Thursday, the last day for legislation to pass either the House or Senate and advance to the other legislative chamber for consideration this year. Lawmakers on Monday will decide questions including whether to tighten rules on law enforcement cooperation with immigration officials and enact state protections for religious liberties. Some key proposals have already moved forward, including a constitutional amendment that could allow a statewide vote on legalizing sports betting and a plan to cut income taxes. Proposals that would have curtailed automatic voter registration and limited how private schools could talk to students about gender identity appear unlikely to advance. Proposals that don’t pass by the end of Thursday could still be resurrected later this year, but it becomes more difficult. Because this is the second year of a two-year session, most measures that don’t pass Thursday will effectively be dead. GEORGIA BUDGETS $392M TO OVERHAUL CAPITOL, INCLUDING ITS GOLDEN DOME IMMIGRATION: House Bill 1105 would require local law enforcement to apply to help federal agents enforce immigration laws and enact criminal penalties for sheriffs who don’t contact federal officials to check prisoners’ immigration status. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY: Proponents say Senate Bill 180 would protect religious liberty from being trampled by state and local governments, while opponents say it’s a license for people and groups to discriminate against LGBTQ+ in the name of religion. FILM TAX CREDIT: House Bill 1180 would require more use of Georgia-based employees and contractors to get the top 30% income tax credit on film production, and would cap credits eligible to sold to third parties to 2.5% of the state’s annual budget, or about $900 million. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION: Senate Bill 390 bars state and local governments from giving money to the American Library Association. The sponsor says the the group’s ideology is harmful. Valdosta State University could still use private money to maintain accreditation for its library science degree. SEX EDUCATION: School districts could drop sex education and students would only be enrolled if parents specifically opt in under Senate Bill 532. The measure would ban all sex education in fifth grade and below. FOREIGN-OWNED FARMLAND: People and companies from certain foreign countries would be barred from buying farmland within 25 miles of any military base under Senate Bill 420 and House Bill 452. OKEFENOKEE MINING: Georgia would pause future permits allowing an expansion of a mine near the Okefenokee Swamp for three years under House Bill 1338, although opponents who want an outright ban on any expansion say the moratorium would be ineffective. SCHOOL REPORT CARDS: House Bill 1186 would require state education officials to resume assigning a single 100-point score to describe a school’s academic performance. SPEEDING TICKET CAMERAS: House Bill 1126 would repeal authorization for automated cameras to issue speeding tickets in school zones. SPORTS BETTING: Georgians could get a chance in November to vote on a state constitutional amendment authorizing sports gambling after the Senate passed Senate Resolution 579. PROPERTY TAXES: Senators want to limit future increases in a home’s taxable value to 3% a year under Senate Bill 349, while House members want to increase the statewide homestead tax exemption from $2,000 to $4,000 under House Bill 1019. School districts could cut property tax rates and still get state aid under House Bill 987. INCOME TAXES: An already-planned state income tax cut would be accelerated under House Bill 1015, giving the state a flat 5.39% income tax rate retroactive to Jan. 1. SOCIAL MEDIA: Senate Bill 351 seeks to require social media companies to get parental permission before letting children younger than 16 create accounts. It also bans use of social media using school computers and internet and creates new anti-bullying rules. CASH BAIL: Senate Bill 63 would require cash bail for 30 additional crimes, including some misdemeanors, and would impose new rules on nonprofit bail funds. It awaits Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature. ANTISEMITISM: Gov. Brian Kemp in January signed House Bill 30 defining antisemitism for use in hate crimes and antidiscrimination cases. Opponents warn it will be used to censor free speech and equate criticism of Israel to hatred of Jewish people. GUN TAX BREAKS: Senate Bill 344 would let people buy guns, ammunition and gun safes without paying sales taxes for five days each fall, while House Bill 971 would give a $300 tax credit to people buying gun safes, gun locks or taking firearms safety training. ELECTIONS: Senate Bill 358 would give the state’s appointed election board the power to investigate Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s handling of elections. Senate Bill 189 would mandate that barcodes can’t be used to count ballots and House Bill 976 would require watermarks on ballots. Senate Bill 355 would ban ranked-choice voting in Georgia. PROSECUTOR DISCIPLINE: House Bill 881 and Senate Bill 332 would revive a commission with powers to discipline and remove prosecutors, a move Democrats warn is aimed at Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ prosecution of former President Donald Trump. JUDGE PAY: House Bill 947 would create guidelines to raise and standardize pay for judges. TRAFFIC CITATIONS: Officers would no longer have to arrest people who refuse to sign traffic tickets under House Bill 1054. LAWSUIT LIMITS: Senate Bill 426 would be limit ability to sue an insurance company directly after a truck wreck, while House Bill 1114 would seek data for a future push to limit lawsuits. UNION ORGANIZING: Companies receiving state economic incentives would be barred from recognizing labor unions without a secret ballot election under Senate Bill 362. HEALTHCARE PERMITTING: Some additional healthcare expansions would be allowed without state permits under House Bill 1339, but that bill wouldn’t go as far as the Senate proposal to remove certificate of need rules. WATER RIGHTS: House Bill 1172 would alter law about using Georgia’s waterways for boating, fishing and hunting. Proponents say it balances public use and private property rights. Opponents say that measure and Senate Bill 542 would limit access. MEDICAID: House leaders had discussed expanding Medicaid to
The industries profiting off Chinese asylum seekers in the US
101 East investigates alleged human traffickers, scammers and middlemen profiting from the desperation of Chinese asylum seekers in America. Reaching the United States has long been the dream for would-be migrants travelling across Latin America. Thousands of Chinese have embarked on the dangerous route this year. But reaching their final destination is no guarantee that their troubles will be over. In Part 2 of The Route, 101 East heads to the US to explore an industry that has mushroomed around the Chinese citizens desperately seeking asylum. From alleged human traffickers, scam artists and opportunists operating in Los Angeles, to the migrants who have been tricked, cheated and exploited, this undercover investigation explores the price of pursuing the so-called American Dream. Adblock test (Why?)
Chaotic scenes in Gaza hospital after aid delivery massacre
NewsFeed There were desperate scenes at a hospital in north Gaza where dozens of casualties arrived after the massacre of Palestinians waiting for food aid. The hospital’s director described the critical situation staff were facing. Published On 29 Feb 202429 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)