
Budget deals take shape
They had largely kept it under wraps until Monday, but the budget process was delayed a bit by an impasse between Gov. Phil Murphy and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. The two sides hadn't agreed on about $150 million — a small sum in the scheme of things, but enough to cause some problems.
After negotiations Monday, Coughlin and Murphy by the afternoon had agreed on a plan that aims to find major savings in the state's public health benefits, presumably with the consent of Senate leadership. Or more of a plan for a plan: The committees in charge of planning the benefits will be charged with finding millions in savings.
The negotiations had also centered around whether to pare back Coughlin's signature StayNJ tax credit program for seniors, the tax rate on sports and online gambling, and the 'mansion tax' on home sales of over $1 million.
Brent Johnson reports details of the budget deal. It won't include taxing 'fun' like bowling and laser tag, but will still hike rates for online gambling and real estate sales over $1 million. The Legislature is hoping to pass it through committee Wednesday and in both houses by Friday. But nothing has been scheduled yet.
FEEDBACK? Reach me at mfriedman@politico.com
WHERE'S MURPHY — In Perth Amboy at 10:30 a.m. for a bridge replacement groundbreaking, then in Newark at 1 p.m. to speak at a NJ FAST event. Media: 'Ask Governor Murphy' on News 12 at 4 p.m.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'In fact, the Camden County Democratic Committee candidates were placed on the ballot in a disadvantageous position that the South Jersey Progressive Democrats often refer to as 'Ballot Siberia.'' — Attorney Bill Tambussi in a lawsuit filed by the Camden County Democratic Committee to stop a trio of progressives who won the committee election in Cherry Hill from filling 71 vacant seats. Here's what Tambussi claims is ballot Siberia, and here's a 2017 Camden City primary ballot on which non-machine candidates for mayor and council were in column 10.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Kristin Corrado, Sterley Stanley, Herb Klein, Bruce Land, Ed Traz
WHAT TRENTON MADE
BUDGET — Public-sector health savings at center of budget talks in final days, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman and Daniel Han: Gov. Phil Murphy and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin on Monday overcame an impasse over revenue in the $58 billion state budget that had threatened to delay its passage with a plan centered on public health benefits savings. According to three officials with knowledge of the negotiations, Murphy and Coughlin were about $150 million apart in revenues as of early Monday morning, but negotiations continued throughout the day. By the afternoon, the governor and Legislature had agreed to a plan to task the committees in charge with the state's public worker benefit plans with finding millions in savings. … According to the officials, the Murphy administration laid out a few options to the Assembly that they would accept in terms of making up the revenue: Enacting more aggressive cost savings measures in public workers' health plans, paring back Coughlin's signature StayNJ property tax relief program for seniors, or instituting a higher tax rate on internet sports betting and other forms of online gambling. One official familiar with the negotiations said a deal was in place that would require the committee overseeing plan design for the state-run public worker health insurance program to achieve a set amount of savings by a certain date. The committee is made up of equal representation from labor and government representatives.
—'With state health benefits rising 'astronomically,' Murphy seeks $100M in cuts'
IT'S GOOD TO BE THE CHAIR — 'Why does North Jersey town still get millions for a train station already paid for?' by The Record's Colleen Wilson: 'Buried in the hundreds of pages that make up New Jersey state budgets each year for the last five years has been a vague, inconspicuous line item: 'Repayment of Municipal Contribution to Mass Transit Facility.' But unlike most other grants in the budget pages for the Department of Community Affairs … this line item didn't name the project, program or municipality receiving the money. So far, a combined $47.5 million of state taxpayer dollars has been disbursed for this unidentified expense — and another $10 million is proposed in the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Documents filed with the Department of Community Affairs reveal that the applications for the 'Mass Transit Facility' grants were submitted by state Sen. Paul Sarlo, who is chairman of the powerful Senate budget committee and also the longtime mayor of Wood-Ridge.'
[REDACTED] IS WHERE THE HEART IS — 'After Minnesota assassinations, N.J. lawmakers seek to shield their home addresses,' by New Jersey Monitor's Nikita Biryukov: 'A New Jersey lawmaker wants to bar the disclosure of state legislators' home addresses after a gunman killed Minnesota's House speaker and left another lawmaker critically wounded earlier this month. Assemblyman Chris DePhillips' proposal would add legislators to the list of officials whose personal information is shielded under Daniel's Law, which currently prohibits the publication of home addresses of judges and law enforcement personnel. 'We need to do something on our end to protect public officials who have made the step to serve the public,' DePhillips (R-Bergen) told the New Jersey Monitor. … The assemblyman's effort to bar the disclosure of lawmakers' addresses isn't the first.'
FRUSTRATION WITH TRENTON CAN BRING ANYONE TOGETHER — 'Last-minute cancellation of anti-Semitism definition vote sparks anger,' by New Jersey Globe's Zach Blackburn: 'Democratic Assembly leaders quietly decided last week that there would be no committee vote on a divisive bill to define anti-Semitism, angering the advocates and legislators who weren't informed before Monday morning and potentially pushing off an already-tense political issue for even longer. When the announcement was made late last week that the Assembly Community Development and Women's Affairs Committee would hold a hearing on legislation that would codify a controversial definition of anti-Semitism, advocates around the state jumped into action, expecting a vote. By the time Monday morning rolled around, dozens of members of the public had arrived in Trenton to testify (many of whom rearranged work schedules to attend), demonstrators protested outside the statehouse in remarkable heat, and the bill's sponsors were ready to finally see a vote after more than a year of inaction. Instead, committee chair Shavonda Sumter (D-North Haledon) surprised the audience when she announced there would not be a vote on the legislation, further driving a wedge between Democratic lawmakers and some Jewish communities that could prove consequential in an election year. … While opponents of the bill were relieved not to see the legislation pass, some still felt miffed by the decision not to hold a vote. Selaedin Maksut, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-New Jersey, the Garden State's chapter of the country's largest Islamic advocacy group, said he hoped to see the committee vote down the bill instead of delaying it.'
—'Murphy 'will not give up' on offshore wind, blasts Van Drew for opposing it'
—Stile: 'Jack Ciattarelli and Mikie Sherrill both face headwinds. Can they push through?'
—'2 N.J. senators, a Dem and Republican, on the rise of political violence: Be passionate, never dangerous'
—'Bergen Assembly candidate down by 137 votes seeks recount'
TRUMP ERA
CD2 — 'He worked at USAID before Trump dismantled it. Now he's running for Congress in New Jersey,' by New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox: 'In the year and a half before Donald Trump retook control of the White House, Bayly Winder worked at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the arm of the U.S. government responsible for distributing foreign aid around the world. Shortly after he left the agency at the beginning of this year, President Donald Trump took a hatchet to USAID, and the work Winder and his colleagues did became the first casualty of the Trump administration's 'government efficiency' efforts. Now Winder, a New Jersey native, is back in his home state and running for Congress. A Democrat, Winder is announcing a campaign today against Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), who represents the Republican-leaning southern reaches of the state where Winder once spent his summers; the conservative congressman, Winder says, has lost touch with the voters of the 2nd congressional district. 'People across this district are really sick and tired of partisan games, political theater, and establishment politicians,' Winder told the New Jersey Globe.'
SUMMER CUTTIN', HAD ME A FAST — 'Do federal cuts imperil summer meals programs for children?' by NJ Spotlight News' Hannah Gross: 'One in seven children in New Jersey suffers from food insecurity, a significant increase from before the pandemic. Many of these 270,000 children count on their schools for two meals, five days a week. Now with schools closing for the summer, these families can turn to summer food benefit cards, free meal sites and local food banks for healthy meals. But potential cuts to federal programs key to helping with food insecurity, along with increased demand, present growing challenges to these food relief efforts.'
— 'Delaware estuary now under pressure from Trump administration'
—''It's great to be alive today': Donald Norcross returns to congress after near-death illness'
LOCAL
A BOSS'S HOME COUNTY IS HIS KASSEL — Camden County Democrats sue to stop progressives from filling committee seats, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: A judge has temporarily barred a trio of Cherry Hill Democrats from choosing 71 Democratic committee members following their slate's landslide victory in the June 10 primary. The Camden County Democratic Committee sued Monday, arguing that the three-member slate of the South Jersey Progressive Democrats doesn't have the right to fill the vacant seats with anybody but members of the losing slate. … Judge Michael Kassel, who sits in Camden County, set oral arguments for July 11 and then restrained the winning trio from conducting an organizational meeting, adopting bylaws and attempting to fill the seats. 'The South Jersey Progressive Democrats received the greatest number of votes. However, that group was only able to field 3 candidates. The remaining 71 seats, by operation of New Jersey law and the Bylaws of the County Committee, are awarded to the next highest vote getter. In this case, because of unique and unprecedented ballot design issues, it was not possible for voters to select individually from the 74 Camden County Democratic Committee candidates, who all therefore tied for the next highest vote total,' attorney Bill Tambussi wrote in the lawsuit.
—'Norcross machine Democrats file suit against Cherry Hill progressives over their election loss'
PATERSON — 'Officials shut down Paterson graduation as 16 hospitalized, 160 seek heat relief,' by The Patereson Press' Joe Malinconico: 'After declaring 'a mass casualty event,' emergency management officials shut down Paterson's high school commencement ceremony on June 23 as 166 attendees — including graduates and family members — were overcome by the heat. Even though dozens of people needed medical treatment during the morning ceremony, Paterson Schools Superintendent Laurie Newell made the decision to go ahead with the afternoon portion of the commencement at Hinchliffe Stadium, officials said. Graduates in gowns sat in folding chairs on the heat-radiating artificial turf, while their family members looked down from the grandstands made of hot concrete. None of them were in the shade. Dignitaries, including Board of Education members and school district officials, were given seats under tents. As temperatures climbed closer to 100 degrees, emergency medical technicians scrambled to respond to people in the crowd suffering from heat exhaustion. City officials intervened about an hour into the afternoon ceremony and ordered an end to the commencement as school administrators were in the middle of announcing the names of graduates from Eastside High School.'
PASSAICKY — 'Major Paterson developer buys home from city official for $500,000,' by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: 'Charles Florio, the city's most prominent housing developer, spent $500,000 in May to buy a one-family home from Mayor Andre Sayegh's public works director, William Rodriguez. Florio — a longtime supporter of Sayegh — has made his mark in Paterson by buying properties in the city's most troubled neighborhoods and constructing apartment buildings there. But the house Florio bought from Rodriguez is on Lenox Avenue in the Hillcrest neighborhood, a suburb-like enclave with lawns and low crime. 'I saw an opportunity to buy a good asset at a good price,' Florio said. 'There were other bidders. I was the highest, and I will renovate and flip the property.' … The price Florio paid seems within market value, said several people familiar with Paterson real estate.'
— 'Cranbury unveils affordable housing plan for 175-year-old family farm'
—'Tenants advocacy organization pushes for Passaic referendum on limiting rent hikes'
R.I.P. — 'Trenton officer dies in off-duty car crash Sunday in Westampton'
EVERYTHING ELSE
SCATTERED OUTAGES — About 13,000 New Jersey customers lost power on Monday, according to PowerOutage.us. Most of those, which are likely due to heat-related strain on distribution system infrastructure, were in the PSE&G service territory. An extended heat wave could be bad politically for New Jersey Democrats. Power bills are already set to skyrocket because of a long-term supply-demand crunch. Republicans who are trying to get a foothold in the Legislature and retake the governor's office have blamed Democrats for energy policies that have driven up prices. A hot summer forcing people to keep their air conditioners running will only make those price spikes more dramatic. Demand was also straining but not breaking the 13-state regional grid. Though supply still exceeded demand, PJM issued an emergency alert over the weekend saying it may require all generators to operate at maximum output. — Ry Rivard
TEACHER LOSES SECOND BITE AT APPLE — 'Teacher's $77M lawsuit over refusal to take LGBTQ+ training thrown out by judge,' by NJ Advance Media's Colleen Murphy: 'A federal appeals court has shut down a lawsuit filed by a former New Jersey teacher who claimed he was fired for refusing to support LGBTQ+ inclusive policies, citing religious objections. Gregory J. Janicki, who taught music at Washington Township High School in Gloucester County for nearly 20 years, said he was terminated in 2020 after refusing to participate in LGBTQ-related training and events. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld a lower court's dismissal earlier this month, concluding the case had no merit for further review. The court also ordered the former teacher to cover court costs, effectively closing the door on a legal battle that had stretched over two years. … U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams ruled that Janicki's claims were already resolved through a formal arbitration process. … According to court records, the arbitrator cited a pattern of behavior that showed intolerance toward LGBTQ+ students and staff. This included distributing controversial materials and refusing to attend mandatory training sessions, according to the ruling.'
BRIDE TO BRIE — 'Cheesy proposal. Man pops the question with ring hidden inside mozzarella ball,' by The Record's Matt Fagan: 'Popping the question via a fortune cookie or Jumbotron may seem cheesy, but those pale to John Russo's proposal, who literally hid the engagement ring inside a ball of cheese. More specifically, the ring and its box were hidden inside a fresh mozzarella ball made by North Jersey's king of mozzarella, Vinnie Morelli of Vinnie's Mootz in Lyndhurst. Fortunately, the bride-to-be, Hannah Jang, shares her fiancée's humor and loved the cheesy proposal. She said yes. The couple, who met during the COVID pandemic lockdown, had already agreed to marry on July 27 in Tarrytown, New York, however, there had never been a ring or a formal proposal.'
—'Cocaine pipeline from Puerto Rico to N.J. severed in record-setting drug bust, prosecutor says'
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Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Can YIMBYs win without Scott Wiener?
BIG SHOES — Activists with the pro-housing YIMBY movement have scored win after win at the California Legislature in recent years. But they could soon face a conundrum: What happens when state Sen. Scott Wiener isn't around? Wiener, in tandem with Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, has been the tip of the spear, pushing through a host of aggressive bills to turbocharge housing construction. Most notably, Wiener and Wicks championed a proposal this year to bypass environmental reviews for new housing in urban areas — the biggest reform to the landmark California Environmental Quality Act in a generation. His time at the state Capitol is winding down, however. Wiener recently opened a campaign committee to run for San Francisco's congressional seat currently held by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. There are a lot of 'ifs' surrounding Wiener's political aspirations. Pelosi, who's represented the city in the House since 1987, hasn't ruled out running for another term in 2026. Wiener's fundraising committee is ostensibly earmarked for a 2028 campaign, but he could easily transfer it to a 2026 run. And Wiener's campaign has been ambiguous lately about whether he would consider running against Pelosi. All of that said, activists with the YIMBY — 'Yes in My Back Yard' — or Abundance movement are grappling with the reality that their champion legislator may soon depart. At stake is whether those groups will have the legislative muscle to continue pushing through efforts to solve the housing shortage by slashing state and local regulations. More lawmakers aligned with the YIMBY movement have been elected in recent years, but it's unclear who among them has the skills to be a cudgel in the Senate like Wiener. 'The honest answer is, 'We'll know in time,'' said Todd David, political director for Abundant SF and a member of Wiener's inner circle of advisers. 'Senator Wiener has loomed so large on this issue. The question is, 'How long will it take for some of these (new) legislators to come into their own?'' Laura Foote, executive director of YIMBY Action, said she's not sweating Wiener's eventual exit. She said the group's success reforming CEQA and passing other pro-housing legislation is a reflection of the movement's grassroots, with YIMBY chapters that have canvassed and raised money to help elect lawmakers. 'There's going to be elected officials that want to claim that mantle,' Foote said. She listed a handful of new-ish legislators who are YIMBY-friendly: Sens. Jesse Arreguín and Christopher Cabaldon and Assemblymembers Juan Carrillo, Lori Wilson, David Alvarez and Nick Schultz. Wicks won't be forced out due to term limits until 2030. Wiener told Playbook he's not worried about the plight of housing bills after he's gone: 'Listen, we're all replaceable. We all have expiration dates,' he said. 'There are various members in both houses who are deeply committed to housing, so I'm confident the work will continue.' But YIMBY advocates have another problem, too — one that is cropping up before Wiener leaves Sacramento, and regardless of when he runs for Congress. Incoming Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón, one of the chamber's biggest environmental champions and a lukewarm supporter of housing legislation, is widely expected to remove Wiener as chair of the powerful budget committee (this year's CEQA reforms advanced through budget bills). Moreover, the YIMBY movement has faced sharp criticism in recent months from some labor union leaders and environmentalists, who argue the effort to streamline construction has undermined other priorities, such as protections for workers and wildlife habitats. California Labor Federation leader Lorena Gonzalez, a fierce opponent of recent YIMBY legislation, said a sizable group of Democratic lawmakers are uncomfortable as pro-housing groups take bigger regulation-cutting swings. She predicted that discomfort will grow regardless of Wiener's plans. 'The (YIMBY) movement has moved the bar … it finally got to a point where lawmakers were like, 'Hold up, I didn't sign up for that,'' Gonzalez said. 'It's a natural reaction to people opening their eyes.' GOOD MORNING. Happy Tuesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Like what you're reading? Sign up to get California Playbook in your inbox, and forward it to a friend. You can also text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. CA vs. TRUMP DUKING IT OUT OVER DATA — California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James are leading a lawsuit against the Agriculture Department over its efforts to obtain sensitive information on participants in the country's largest anti-hunger program, our Grace Yarrow reported for POLITICO Pro subscribers. The officials allege USDA's request for state data on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program applicants and participants violates federal privacy laws. Bonta has also sued the Department of Health and Human Services for sharing patient data with immigration authorities. This latest development tees up another fight over jurisdiction as immigration advocates seek to keep wide swaths of undocumented Californians' data out of the Trump administration's hands. 'President [Donald] Trump continues to weaponize private and sensitive personal information — not to root out fraud, but to create a culture of fear where people are unwilling to apply for essential services,' Bonta said in a statement. NUMBER OF THE DAY 100,947: The record number of California residents admitted to University of California campuses for the upcoming academic year. CAMPAIGN YEAR(S) FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: KHANNA'S NOD — Rep. Ro Khanna is backing Democratic entrepreneur Brandon Riker in his bid to unseat Rep. Ken Calvert, Riker's campaign exclusively told Playbook. The crowded race to oust Calvert — a top target of Democrats this cycle — also includes Katherine Aleman, a teacher who announced last week, and Riverside attorney Anuj Dixit, who was recently endorsed by Rep. Dave Min. MONEY MEADE — In case you missed it while we were off, Democratic labor organizer Perry Meade last week joined the field challenging Republican Rep. Young Kim. And he raised $250,000 in the 24 hours after he announced his candidacy, his campaign told Playbook on Monday. Read more on his launch from our Juliann Ventura STATE CAPITOL EYES ON GAZA — Sacramento leaders have joined national and international leaders in condemning the starvation and displacement of Palestinians in Gaza amid a growing global outcry. Wiener, who is chair of the Legislative Jewish Caucus, shared an X post on Friday condemning the Israeli government's actions. 'What the Israeli govt is doing in Gaza — inflicting mass displacement & starvation on Palestinians — is indefensible & has to stop,' he said. 'The Israeli govt's actions won't bring the hostages home or bring peace. This gruesome campaign will do nothing except continue to inflict misery.' Jewish Caucus member Matt Haney called for an end to the 'despicable, inhumane assault on the people of Gaza' yesterday in an Instagram post. State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez also shared an Instagram post calling for a ceasefire. 'We will not let people starve in silence,' she said. Gov. Gavin Newsom — who took a trip to Israel shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — hasn't weighed in on the topic in recent days. Asked whether he planned to comment on the situation, Newsom's team pointed to a statement he made during his appearance on 'The Shawn Ryan Show' podcast two weeks ago. 'Just enough,' Newsom said on the podcast. 'Come on, all these poor children. Enough. When's enough, enough? I mean, fuck Hamas … But Jesus. Look at these children starving.' — Lindsey Holden Top Talkers SOUNDING THE ALARM — Wiener, in a San Francisco Standard op-ed, warned against dismissing Trump's idea to reopen Alcatraz as a prison. The San Francisco Democrat wrote that 'we can't assume this idea is fake' and that 'we need to be planning now for how to stop this awful plan — or at least slow it down.' UNIVERSITY EXPANSION — A spokesperson for Vanderbilt University said that the school is considering expanding into San Francisco and has been working with Mayor Daniel Lurie's office, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The spokesperson said that the university is exploring the idea of 'establishing a presence downtown.' CHECKING IN — Rep. Robert Garcia said he spoke to Andry Hernández Romero, a Venezuelan migrant whom the U.S. deported to El Salvador, about the makeup artist's recent release from a Salvadoran prison. Garcia on X said Romero was in good spirits but spoke of horrific conditions in the CECOT detention facility. AROUND THE STATE — A U.S. citizen arrested during a July 17 immigration raid at a Sacramento Home Depot store was charged Monday with vandalism and accused of puncturing a tire on a van being used to transport undocumented immigrants, The Sacramento Bee reports. — The union representing thousands of grocery store workers from the U.S.-Mexico border to Bakersfield authorized a strike against a major supermarket chain. (The San Diego Union-Tribune) — Environmental groups sued California over a state climate rule, alleging it increases air pollution. (POLITICO's E&E News) — A city in Mexico that has more than a thousand dentists draws patients mostly from across the border who are seeking more affordable dental care. (The New Yorker) PLAYBOOKERS SPOTTED: WEDDING CRASHER — Kamala Harris in the Cotswolds region of England, attending the reportedly $6.7 million wedding of Olympic equestrian Harry Charles and Eve Jobs, the daughter of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. PEOPLE MOVES — Rhonalyn Cabello has been promoted from communications manager to communications director in the office of Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis. — Stuart Leavenworth has rejoined the Los Angeles Times as state editor, based in Sacramento. He'll oversee general assignment reporters across the state. BIRTHDAYS — former Rep. Jeff Denham … author Jason Levin … documentary filmmaker Ken Burns … actor Wil Wheaton … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Monday): Josh Curtis WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO's California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form.


NBC News
5 hours ago
- NBC News
Republicans across the country are pushing bills to stop government 'weather modification'
'They're upset over what they call chemtrails they see in the sky,' Greene said of constituents who have contacted her about the issue. 'They're continually upset about it, and they're engaged on it. But it hadn't gotten there on a wide scale. Remember the flooding in Dubai? That was one of the first times I saw, like, 'Oh, this went mainstream, and people are paying attention.'' A Democrat who works on environmental policy said the episode has them feeling as bleak as ever about the future of their field. 'I saw someone tweet the other day a picture of the sky, and it was blue,' this person said. 'And then 20 minutes later, there were clouds. And they said, 'How is this possible?' And I'm like, have people just never looked up?' This person said the focus on geoengineering has crystallized in their mind as the next stage of the Republican response to the impact of climate change. 'It went from 'we don't believe in climate change' to 'we actually believe in this other thing,'' this person said. 'It absolutely is their response to climate change.' Greene and Burchett's legislation still has a long road ahead of it before it could become law, which Greene acknowledged in the interview. But in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed such legislation into law last month. That bill was a high-level priority for Republican state Attorney General James Uthmeier, DeSantis' former chief of staff. At Uthmeier's urging, the state's Republican-dominated Legislature passed a bill this year that makes weather modification and geoengineering a third-degree felony punishable by a fine of up to $100,000. The bill passed with only Republican votes. 'Florida does appear to have seen evidence of weather modification activities in the state,' a spokesman for the attorney general's office said. 'We don't yet know what impacts cloud-seeding or aerosol releases have on environmental or human health, which is all the more reason why Florida wants to raise public awareness and stop weather modification experiments in the state.' In Florida, a decades-old law requires permission from the state for anyone to alter the weather. State officials told the Tampa Bay Times that no one has ever applied under the law. In a letter this month, Uthmeier warned publicly owned airports across the state that they must be in compliance with the new law, which requires public airports to report planes with weather modification devices to the state, and suggested that weather modification may have triggered the flooding in Texas. 'Because airports are most likely to catch those who seek to weaponize science in order to push their agenda, your compliance with these reporting obligations is essential to keeping our state safe from these harmful chemicals and experiments,' Uthmeier wrote this month. The Trump administration is also trying to address the concerns. This month, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin directed readers to his agency's new resources on geoengineering and contrails. (Contrails are naturally forming condensation trails from rockets and other aircraft.) Those new websites shut down claims of government weather control, saying the government was not engaged in solar geoengineering testing and that the 'federal government is not aware of there ever being a contrail intentionally formed over the United States for the purpose of geoengineering or weather modification.' Bartolotta highlighted the new information now available on the EPA's website, saying its mention of the issue is more evidence that her concerns are valid and adding that she is worried about potential adverse health impacts. 'I know so many people today, they're finally noticing, and it gets worse and worse and worse,' she said. 'Every single day, you can't look at the sky and not see huge stripes sprayed by all these planes every single day and every night.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
What to expect, and what not to, at the UN meeting on an Israel-Palestinian two-state solution
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Body The U.N. General Assembly brought high-level officials together Monday to promote a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict that would place their peoples side by side, living in peace in independent nations. Israel and its close ally the United States are boycotting the two-day meeting, co-chaired by the foreign ministers of France and Saudi Arabia. Israel's government opposes a two-state solution, and the United States has called the meeting 'counterproductive' to its efforts to end the war in Gaza. France and Saudi Arabia want the meeting to put a spotlight on the two-state solution, which they view as the only viable road map to peace, and to start addressing the steps to get there. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told ministers and diplomats at the opening of the meeting that a two-state solution is further away than ever before, pointing to 'the obliteration of Gaza that has unfolded before the eyes of the world' and Israel's threatened annexation of the West Bank — the key parts that could make up a Palestinian state. 'Because of the grim realities, we must do even more to realize the two-state solution,' he said. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa called for all countries who haven't yet recognized statehood to do so 'without delay,' welcoming France's recent decision to do so in September. 'The path to peace begins by recognizing the state of Palestine and preserving it from destruction,' Mustafa told minsters and diplomats at the start of the gathering. The meeting was postponed from late June and downgraded from a four-day meeting of world leaders amid surging tensions in the Middle East, including the 12-day Israel-Iran war, and the war in Gaza. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that 'this must be a turning point and a transformational juncture for the implementation of the two-state solution. We must work on the ways and means to go from the end of the war in Gaza to the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." His co-chair, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, called the meeting a 'historic stage' not only to end the deadly, nearly two-year war but to also 'settle the international atmosphere towards a two-state solution.' Here's what's useful to know about the upcoming gathering. The history The concept of dividing the Holy Land goes back decades. When the British mandate over Palestine ended, the U.N. partition plan in 1947 envisioned dividing the territory into Jewish and Arab states. Israel accepted the plan, but upon Israel's declaration of independence the following year, its Arab neighbors declared war and the plan was never implemented. Under a 1949 armistice, Jordan held control over the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and Egypt over Gaza. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those lands for a future independent state alongside Israel, and this idea of a two-state solution based on Israel's pre-1967 boundaries has been the basis of peace talks dating back to the 1990s. The two-state solution has wide international support. The logic behind it is that the populations of Israel, east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza are divided equally between Jews and Palestinians. The establishment of an independent Palestinian state would leave Israel as a democratic country with a solid Jewish majority and grant the Palestinians their dream of self-determination. Timing of the conference France and Saudi Arabia have said they want to put a spotlight on the two-state solution as the only viable path to peace in the Middle East — and they want to see a road map with specific steps, first ending the war in Gaza. The co-chairs said in a document sent to U.N. members in May that the primary goal of the meeting is to identify actions by 'all relevant actors' to implement the two-state solution — and 'to urgently mobilize the necessary efforts and resources to achieve this aim, through concrete and time-bound commitments.' Saudi diplomat Manal Radwan, who led the country's delegation to the preparatory conference, said that the meeting must 'chart a course for action, not reflection.' It must be 'anchored in a credible and irreversible political plan that addresses the root cause of the conflict and offers a real path to peace, dignity and mutual security,' she said. French President Emmanuel Macron has pushed for a broader movement toward a two-state solution in parallel with a recognition of Israel's right to defend itself. He announced late Thursday that France will officially recognize a Palestinian state at the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly in late September. About 145 countries have recognized a Palestinian state. But Macron's announcement, before Monday's meeting and amid increasing global anger over desperately hungry people in Gaza starting to die from starvation, makes France the most important Western power to do so. Israel's view Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects the two-state solution on both nationalistic and security grounds. Netanyahu's religious and nationalist base views the West Bank as the biblical and historical homeland of the Jewish people, while Israeli Jews overwhelmingly consider Jerusalem their eternal capital. The city's eastern side is home to Judaism's holiest site, along with major Christian and Muslim holy places. Hard-line Israelis like Netanyahu believe the Palestinians don't want peace, citing the second Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s, and more recently the Hamas takeover of Gaza two years after Israel withdrew from the territory in 2005. The Hamas takeover led to five wars, including the current and ongoing 21-month conflict. At the same time, Israel also opposes a one-state solution in which Jews could lose their majority. Netanyahu's preference seems to be the status quo, where Israel maintains overall control, and Israelis have fuller rights than Palestinians, Israel deepens its control by expanding settlements, and the Palestinian Authority has limited autonomy in pockets of the West Bank. Netanyahu condemned Macron's announcement of Palestinian recognition, saying it 'rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became." The Palestinian view The Palestinians, who label the current arrangement 'apartheid,' accuse Israel of undermining repeated peace initiatives by deepening settlement construction in the West Bank and threatening annexation. That would harm the prospect of a contiguous Palestinian state and their prospects for independence. Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the PLO Executive Committee and close associate of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the meeting will serve as preparation for a presidential summit expected in September. It will take place either in France or at the U.N. on the sidelines of the high-level meeting, U.N. diplomats said. Majdalani said that the Palestinians have several goals, first a 'serious international political process leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state.' The Palestinians also want additional international recognition of their state by major countries, including the United Kingdom. But expect that to happen in September, not at Monday's meeting, Majdalani said. And he said that they want economic and financial support for the Palestinian Authority and international support for the reconstruction and recovery of the Gaza Strip. Attendance at the meeting All 193 U.N. member nations have been invited to attend the meeting and a French diplomat said that about 40 ministers were expected. The United States and Israel are the only countries who are boycotting. The co-chairs have circulated an outcome document which could be adopted, and there could be some announcements of intentions to recognize a Palestinian state. But with Israel and the United States boycotting, there is no prospect of a breakthrough and the resumption of long-stalled negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians on an end to their conflict. Guterres urged participants after the meeting was announced 'to keep the two-state solution alive.' And he said that the international community must not only support a solution where independent Palestinian states and Israel live side-by-side in peace but 'materialize the conditions to make it happen.' ___ Josef Federman reported from Jerusalem. Angela Charlton in Paris, and Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations, contributed to this report. Edith M. Lederer And Josef Federman, The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio