What do Staten Island, NY, and the Bay of New Jersey have in common?

Politico

07-07-2025

Good Monday morning!
Jack Ciattarelli recently said 'right now, I do not' disagree with President Trump on anything.
Mikie Sherrill wanted to make sure everyone saw that. But despite Trump's disastrous down-ticket results for New Jersey Republicans in 2018, the New Jersey GOP is beyond enthusiastic about him. They're mirroring his proposals.
Sure, New Jersey doesn't border Canada, which Trump wants to make the 51st state. But it does border New York. So most of the Republican caucus is sponsoring a bill to study annexing Staten Island in response to democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Of course, unlike Canada, conservative Staten Islanders might welcome a comparatively less liberal government. Except for all those cops and firefighters who would suddenly run afoul of New York City's residency requirement. (New Jersey Democrats already quietly did this, presumably their typical backroom way.)
And New Jersey is 1,000 miles away from the body of water Trump has renamed the Gulf of America. But the Delaware Bay is right there. And why should a state with one-ninth of New Jersey's population get the glory of sharing a name with the most famous bay between the Chesapeake and New York, where Otis Redding may very well have sat had he been on the East Coast? Mike Testa had the idea.
It's chest-thumping and very reminiscent of Trump. Republicans certainly don't have a monopoly on introducing symbolic bills that aren't going anywhere. But Delaware Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, a Democrat, cautioned New Jersey Republicans against this kind of messaging while the megabill Trump just signed is going to blow a hole in the state's Medicaid funding with state officials warning that hundreds of thousands could lose coverage.
'It is absolutely unbelievable to me that while Congress is stripping healthcare away from millions of hardworking Americans, any public servant deserving of that title would focus on something as pointless as renaming a body of water,' he said, according to the Delaware News Journal. Republicans in Junior New Jersey, I mean Delaware, don't like it either. See below.
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WHERE'S MURPHY — No public schedule
QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'Before New Jersey legislators think about adjusting borders or renaming bodies of water, they should probably consider taking steps to reduce their state's insanely high property tax burdens that have led many former Garden State citizens to become current Delawareans.' — Joseph Fulgham, spokesperson for the Delaware House of Representatives' GOP caucus, on Republican New Jersey state Sen. Michael Testa's proposal to rename the Delaware Bay after New Jersey
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Brian Bergen, Mo Butler, Naomi Nix, Michael Boonin
WHAT TRENTON MADE
THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE GO ROUND AND ROUND — Supreme Court to review scope of states' immunity after a pair of bus accidents, by POLITICO's Ry Rivard: A pair of bus accidents is prompting the Supreme Court to reckon with the scope of state entities' immunity from lawsuits. The court on Thursday agreed to hear two cases involving NJ Transit, which is being sued in Pennsylvania and New York state court after its buses allegedly hit people outside the borders of its home base Garden State. NJ Transit is a statewide system running trains, light rail and buses through New Jersey and in parts of the New York and Philadelphia metro areas. The high court sees a novel legal issue in the otherwise routine personal injury claims — which is partly of its own making. In 2019, it ruled 5-4 that one state cannot be sued in another state's courts without the first state's consent. The ruling left unclear where to draw the line on what state entities get such immunity, leaving open a question about things like state hospitals, student loan servicers and public transit providers. Attorneys in the personal injury cases argued NJ Transit isn't actually entitled to a state's immunity, even though the transit agency was created by the state.
— 'NJ budget yanks $125M from groups like Habitat for Humanity to build affordable housing'
— 'How lawmakers rewrote language in NJ budget to big effect'
— 'What Makes Jersey Run: Inside the drama of Gov. Murphy's final state budget'
— 'N.J. just raised the 'mansion tax' on high-value property sales. Here's what to know'
— 'Summer begins with no new heat standard protection for New Jersey workers'
TRUMP ERA
HEALTH CARE — 'N.J. families could face devastating healthcare losses as Trump signs his 'One Big Beautiful Bill',' by NJ Advance Media's Susan K. Livio: 'On Friday, President Trump signed the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' into law, redefining who may rely on the government's safety net and shifting much more of the cost of health insurance and hunger programs to the states. For New Jersey, the law blows a $3.6 billion hole in the $24 billion Medicaid program's budget, shedding an estimated 360,000 working poor, disabled and elderly people from the program's rolls, according to a statement from state Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman. Medicaid serves 1.8 million or one in five New Jerseyans. 'The irony of Congress passing this bill on (Thursday) the eve of Independence Day should not be lost on anyone. Far from advancing equality, this legislation undermines Americans' fundamental pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness,' Adelman said in a statement Thursday night.'
— 'Republicans exult after Congress passes Trump's megabill'
—'Smith, Van Drew, Kean support final GOP megabill, sending it to Trump's desk'
LET'S GET ETHICAL — 'Alina Habba has been under an ethics investigation for over a year,' by NOTUS' Jose Pagliery: 'Alina Habba, once President Donald Trump's personal attorney and now the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, has quietly been under investigation by the state's professional regulators for more than a year — putting her license to practice law at risk. NOTUS obtained documents detailing the investigation, which since January 2024 has been probing what happened when a young waitress at Trump's Bedminster golf club tried to sue over sexual harassment by her manager. Nancy Erika Smith, who represents the former Bedminster employee and filed the ethics complaint, told NOTUS she decided to come forward publicly about the investigation after patiently waiting for months without a resolution. The complaint closely adheres to allegations already made in state court — with a complaint backed by dozens of text messages — that Habba befriended Alice Bianco in the summer of 2021 when the 21-year-old waitress had just found an employment lawyer to file a sexual harassment lawsuit. Text messages show that Habba privately disparaged the other lawyer and offered herself up instead, drafting a $15,000 nondisclosure agreement. Just weeks later, documents show, Habba officially became Trump's lawyer in his lawsuit against 'Celebrity Apprentice' contestant Summer Zervos, with her small firm in the New Jersey suburbs replacing one of the top litigation firms in the country, Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP. When Bianco later discovered she owed taxes on the $15,000 she had received, Habba gave her the cold shoulder. '
MESSI MESSAGING — Trump leaves 'America First' behind in preparations for World Cup, by POLITICO's Sophia Cai: In early June, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency announced on its Facebook page that its 'suited and booted' agents would be at matches to the FIFA Club World Cup. Alex Lasry, CEO of the New York-New Jersey 2026 World Cup Host Committee, was startled to see the ominous message, which he worried could have a ruinous impact on tournament attendance … Andrew Giuliani, who leads a task force on World Cup preparations, reassured Lasry that the Department of Homeland Security would have just a routine presence at this month's soccer tournament. Giuliani encouraged Lasry to assuage apprehensive fans and send press back to the White House with any questions. The provocative CBP post was later deleted. Preparations for the world's largest sporting tournaments reveal a vision of an alternate Trump administration. The White House welcomes foreign visitors and maintains harmonious relations with neighboring countries. It works closely with international organizations and serves as a supportive, even solicitous, partner to leaders in Democratic-run states and cities. It is an exception to 'America First' large enough to kick a ball through. 'The largest World Cup in history will be both secure and welcoming,' Giuliani told Politico.'
— 'FIFA urged to use 'influence' over President Trump's 'abusive' immigration policy ahead of World Cup'
— 'FAA installs fiber optic network as first step to upgrade Newark airport air traffic control system'
— 'NJ could lose $143M as Trump administration freezes $7B for schools'
LOCAL
PROUD GRADUATE OF THE CREED BRATTON SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT — 'NJ overrides Toms River Regional, forces schools budget with 12.9% tax hike,' by the Asbury Park Press' Michael L. Diamond: 'The state Department of Education is imposing a budget on Toms River Regional's schools for the 2025-26 year, avoiding a move by the district to declare bankruptcy, but clearing the way for school taxes to increase 12.9% to make up for a shortfall in funding. Officials said Toms River repeatedly missed deadlines to adopt a budget, leaving it little choice but to approve the budget itself for the second consecutive year. Last year, the state imposed a budget funded in part by a tax increase of 9.3%. 'This troubling pattern indicates deeper and systemic concerns about the ability of the Board and district administrators to meet their most basic responsibilities,' the Department of Education said in a statement July 3 … Board President Ashley Lamb said the tax increase of 22.2% over two years was 'unconscionable' in light of $175 million in cuts in recent years due to the state's school funding formula. Under the state's S2 formula, districts with declining enrollments, such as Toms River Regional, have seen cuts in state aid for several years.'
MOUNT LAUREL — 'N.J. investigators say Mount Laurel police may have violated state discrimination law against Black residents in Edward Mathews case,' by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Robert Moran and Melanie Burney: 'New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced Wednesday that investigators found 'evidence supports a reasonable ground of suspicion' that police in Mount Laurel Township violated state discrimination law in how they handled complaints from Black residents against Edward Mathews in a case that made national headlines in 2021 … Prosecutors said Mathews had a pattern of terrorizing Black neighbors, as well as condo association board members, dating back to 2020. Residents complained to police, but no criminal charges were filed against Mathews until after a viral video showed him verbally attacking a resident with racist rants.'
THE GOVERNMENT TREAT — 'N.J. hotel where Einstein stayed gets tax break amid worker complaints,' by NJ Advance Media's Steve Strunsky: 'The Newark City Council on Wednesday approved a tax abatement for the owner of the storied Robert Treat Hotel amid assertions that the management had ignored employees' complaints of poor working conditions. The council voted 6-0 with one abstention to grant the 30-year property tax break to the Robert Treat Urban Renewall Inc., a subsidiary of the Berger Organization, whose chairman and CEO, Miles Berger, is a prominent Newark property owner and developer. Berger sought the abatement to help offset the estimated $6.5 million cost of extensive renovations to the landmark lodging, which has played host to John F. Kennedy, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., and countless political, social and business gatherings since it opened in 1916.'
WASHINGTON CROSSES THE SACK — 'New museum planned for Bergen County site of Gen. George Washington's 1776 retreat,' by The Record's David M. Zimmer: 'The Bergen County Historical Society is planning a new museum at the site of one of Gen. George Washington's most important retreats. As the nation prepares to mark Independence Day, the society has launched a campaign to raise funds for a new museum at Historic New Bridge Landing in River Edge, the site of Washington's 1776 retreat across the Hackensack River. Plans call for a 3,750-square-foot, climate-controlled building to house artifacts and host public programming. The campaign, announced in advance of July Fourth celebrations at the state park in River Edge, seeks to raise the remaining money needed to complete the project before the 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026.'
I SUPPOSE IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO RESIGN BEFORE THE PRIMARY — 'Gloucester County commissioner unexpectedly resigns,' by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: 'Gloucester County Commissioner Denice DiCarlo has resigned, effective [Thursday]. Chad Brunner, the county administrator and the Democratic county chairman, said she resigned 'due to professional obligations.' She is currently the vice president of finance and accounting at Comcast; in 2020, she and her husband purchased the Southwood Bar and Grill in West Deptford. DiCarlo is up for re-election this year — she was unopposed in the June 10 Democratic primary — and faces a competitive general election contest. Democrats have until August 28 to pick a replacement candidate to run with seven-term incumbent Frank DiMarco.'
— 'Thunderstorms kill 3 people in NJ, leave destructive trail and power outages'
— ''It was mayhem.' Panic set off stampede at [Jersey City]. fireworks show'
— 'I-80 sinkholes may be filled, but Wharton's mining legacy won't be forgotten'
— 'Solomon: 'We need to clean house' after Jersey City's credit rating hits 'negative''
— 'New Jersey officials expected to hear Atlantic City budget plan in August'
EVERYTHING ELSE
GET THE HELL OFF THE BEACH AND THE TOILET — 'Island Beach State Park staff limit visitors after 'sewer line blockages',' by the Asbury Park Press' Amanda Oglesby: 'Sewer line blockages prompted state park officials to limit the number of visitors allowed into Island Beach State Park on July 6, according to New Jersey officials. 'The park has experienced sewer line blockages over the past several days, requiring the closure of restrooms while Island Beach State Park staff and outside contractors work to identify and resolve the issue,' state officials wrote on the park's webpage. 'Per the New Jersey Department of Health's Public Recreational Bathing Code, operational restrooms are required to safely allow public access.' As of the morning of July 6, the park had 'limited functioning restrooms' and staff were working to bring in portable toilets to accommodate the public, according to the post.'
A HORSE IS A HORSE OFF COURSE, OFF COURSE — 'Horse gets loose at Monmouth, winds up on Route 36,' by the Thoroughbred Daily News: 'Hawkstone (Catalina Cruiser) was entered in Sunday's second race at Monmouth Park, but it seems like he was more interested in doing some sightseeing. As the Cal Lynch trainee was being walked over for the race, he spooked and got loose from his handler … Hawkstone headed west on Rt. 36, the main thoroughfare into Monmouth. Lynch said the horse was caught near a Dunkin' Donuts about a half-mile from the track.'
— '[Newark Beth Israel] hospital faces fine as part of investigation on health care fraud'
— 'Giant shuttered [Atlantic Club] casino goes up for sale at $55M as redevelopment plan falters'
— 'More than 400 workers will be laid off when logistics facility leaves N.J. for another state'