Baraka Sues Over ICE Facility Arrest As Campaign Heats Up
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Newark Mayor Ras Baraka filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against U.S. Attorney Alina Habba and a Homeland Security official, alleging false arrest and defamation stemming from his brief detainment outside a New Jersey immigration detention facility last month. The lawsuit, which comes one week before the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary, seeks damages and claims Baraka was wrongly charged with trespassing during an oversight visit alongside members of Congress.
Baraka, who is running for governor, said the incident was politically motivated and accused Habba of authorizing his arrest despite clear evidence he had committed no crime. The suit also takes issue with a post Habba made on X, formerly Twitter, in which she stated Baraka had "committed trespass," calling it a defamatory statement. The charges were later dropped, but the lawsuit has reignited tensions over immigration policy and local cooperation with federal authorities.
Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark, speaks to the media and supporters after exiting the courthouse on May 15, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey.
Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark, speaks to the media and supporters after exiting the courthouse on May 15, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey.This is a breaking story.
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Politico
28 minutes ago
- Politico
Jolly takes the plunge into wide open field
BREAKING LAST NIGHT — 'President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a sweeping new travel ban for people from 19 countries, citing national security risks,' reports POLITICO's Myah Ward. The ban fully restricts people from Haiti and partially restricts entry for nationals of Cuba and Venezuela. Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Zero Democrats in statewide office. An electoral shortfall of 1.3 million voters. The home for much of President DONALD TRUMP's staff and his 'Winter White House.' The testing ground for MAGA. It's how Florida looks for Democrats. And running for Florida governor in that kind of environment, where fundraising is sputtering and the party has immense hurdles to overcome? Seemingly no one would rush to take that on. Except for DAVID JOLLY. The former Republican congressman, who was a politically independent voter since 2018 and registered as a Democrat in April, has officially filed to run for governor. The biggest challenger on the Republican side so far is Trump-endorsed Rep. BYRON DONALDS. But the Democratic field has been full of only crickets thus far. Those who openly expressed interest in running a year ago have since stepped back, underscoring just how bleak the landscape appears after Trump won Florida by 13 points in 2024. 'People who might have been very strong candidates would want to see the party infrastructure build up and be a better atmosphere to run,' said state Sen. TINA POLSKY (D-Boca Raton). 'But then it kind of takes someone maybe a little bit different, a little bit out of the norm — like David Jolly is — to upend the system. If anyone's going to do it, I think he has a better chance than a run-of-the-mill Democrat.' A lot could change ahead of the August 2026 primary. But the dearth of interest — or of candidates even at the very least floating trial balloons to gauge reaction — stands in contrast to what's happening at the national level, where Democratic hopefuls are already making moves to signal their 2028 presidential interest. The last time Florida had an open seat for governor, in 2018, seven Democrats competed for the nomination. But Jolly could help unify the party with an easy path to the nomination. He told Playbook in an interview that he's hoping the 2026 cycle will be a 'change election' in which voters are driven to outside-the-norm candidates given Trump's policies and how unaffordable Florida has become under GOP leadership. He said he's going to try to bring together not just Democrats but unaffiliated voters and Republicans. 'The ones we've spoken to have either indicated they're not running or they'll support us, either privately or publicly,' Jolly told Playbook of top Florida Democrats. While he does anticipate a primary, he added: 'What I know is we have to unify this primary early if we want to win next November.' Of course, the primary would have been contested early if state Sen. JASON PIZZO had remained a Democrat. Now, they'll just be delaying a showdown. Pizzo plans to run as an independent in a move that has many Democrats concerned he'll serve as a spoiler and deliver the governor's mansion to Republicans. But Jolly and Pizzo have had a chance to talk, and it seems there's no bad blood there. While Jolly didn't disclose details of the conversation, he said he respected 'anyone who follows their convictions,' and that he thinks Pizzo is 'doing what he believes he can do to change Florida.' 'You won't hear me say an ill word about Jason Pizzo,' Jolly said. 'I respect his decision.' Reached by text, Pizzo called Jolly 'bright' and said their conversation went well. 'I commend him for the endeavor,' he said, 'and wish him well.' WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis will speak at the Florida Professional Firefighters convention in Palm Beach Gardens at 9:45 a.m. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@ ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... FLORIDA'S NEW EDUCATION COMMISSIONER — 'The state Board of Education on Wednesday unanimously backed Anastasios Kamoutsas, the governor's deputy chief of staff who has long played a key behind the scenes role, to lead the agency. Kamoutsas, in accepting the position, pledged to follow through on Florida's reforms on parental rights and school choice that have thrust the state into the national spotlight,' reports POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury. 'During his time with the agency, Kamoutsas, who is known as 'Stasi,' helped the state carry out policies bolstering parental rights, quashing 'wokeness' in education and battling with school districts that pushed pandemic student masking.' TIME IS TICKING — 'State lawmakers forged through a second day of Florida budget negotiations Wednesday, reaching accords on several significant items including how much money they will steer into a program designed to help homeowners hurricane-proof their homes,' report POLITICO's Gary Fineout and Bruce Ritchie. 'Lawmakers are racing to wrap up their budget work in time for a mid-June vote — about two weeks before the end of the fiscal year. The two sides agreed to spend half of the $200 million proposed by Senate President Ben Albritton, a citrus farmer from Wauchula, to boost the state's ailing citrus industry. That includes $70 million for replacement trees, less than the $125 million he had proposed.' STATE PARK SLASHES — 'Florida's renowned state parks would suffer under state House and Senate proposals for the 2025-26 state budget, supporters of the public lands said this week,' reports POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie. 'Budget negotiators from both chambers met publicly Tuesday for the first time on a 2025-26 state budget. The House proposal that passed in April would slash 25 vacant positions in the Florida Park Service as part of a workforce reduction across state government.' RESERVOIR CLAW BACK — 'State House and Senate budget negotiators agreed this week to revert $400 million in spending approved last year for a controversial Central Florida reservoir to appropriations for the coming year,' reports POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie. 'The two sides also got closer on slashing funding from the 2023 state budget for the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a priority of then-Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples).' NEW LIFE FOR AP AND IB — 'The Florida Legislature's latest budget proposal could relieve concerns of local schools that feared devastating funding losses were coming for top programs like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate,' reports POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury. 'A Tuesday offer by the state Senate scraps a previous plan that would have reduced by half the bonus funding levels schools receive for a list of popular programs, replacing the idea with a new section of the budget for these costs. Lawmakers say this proposed change would ensure schools can still score coveted extra cash for AP, IB, Advanced International Certificate of Education, dual enrollment and early graduation, while giving the state a clearer picture of where the money is going.' STILL FAR APART — 'The state House and Senate made some progress Wednesday in hammering out the state health care budget for next year, but the two chambers' proposals are still more 2,000 vacant agency jobs apart when it comes to possible cuts,' reports POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian. 'The latest budget offer presented to the Senate by House Health Care Budget Subcommittee Chair Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola) on Wednesday afternoon called for cuts of more than 2,900 vacant jobs, still well over 2,000 more than the 454 cuts proposed by the Senate. Andrade had asked the health care agencies facing the proposed job cuts to justify why those positions should exist. None of the agencies offered a justification, and the state Department of Children and Families, which could lose 802 vacant jobs under the latest House offer, did not respond.' NO HOPE FOR HOPE? — State Rep. ALEX ANDRADE (R-Pensacola) proposed cutting millions of dollars from Hope Florida's state funding early on in the dedicated two-week budget conference which started on Tuesday, Alexandra Glorioso and Lawrence Mower of the Miami Herald report. Andrade spent a good deal of the session investigating Hope Florida, the state program spearheaded by Florida first lady CASEY DESANTIS intended to gradually get Floridians off government assistance. The cuts would affect 20 Hope navigator positions who work on a helpline that connects Floridians in need to nongovernment assistance. MUSEUM DISCONNECT — 'The House is failing to go along with proposed funding for several Holocaust museum projects across the state,' reports Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics. 'St. Petersburg's Florida Holocaust Museum was chosen to hold a permanent exhibit to preserve the legacy of Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who later won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Senate is proposing to fund the exhibit with $850,000 while the House doesn't want to fund it at all.' LAND ON CABINET AGENDA — The governor and Cabinet next week will consider buying 75,000 acres of conservation easements in rural north central Florida. The state would pay $93.6 million to Weyerhaeuser Forest Holdings, Inc. for an easement over 61,389 acres in Baker and Union Counties. And the state would pay Blackbottom Holdings LLC $24.3 million for an easement over 14,743 acres in Baker and Bradford counties. The Tampa Bay Times reported that the Cabinet also will consider a proposal by Cabot Citrus Farms, a golf course developer, to sell 340 acres in Hernando County near where it sought to acquire state forest land in a controversial 2024 trade deal that was recently scrapped. — Bruce Ritchie BALLOT INITIATIVE LATEST — 'A federal judge on Wednesday placed a temporary halt on part of a new law tightening Florida's control over ballot initiatives. But he refused to press pause on the entire measure,' reports POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian. 'A group called Florida Decides Health Care filed a lawsuit in Tallahassee federal court about a month ago challenging a new state law. The measure has been heralded by DeSantis and other state GOP leaders as the solution to fraud allegations made by state elections officials as campaigns gathered enough voter-signed petitions to qualify for the ballot. The new restrictions also come with hefty penalties and tight deadlines critics believe were designed to make the state's citizen-led initiative process unaffordable for most groups.' TALLAHASSEE ICE RAID — The families of more than 100 ICE detainees say they are struggling to locate their loved ones, Ana Goñi-Lessan and Valentina Palm of USA Today Network — Florida. The detainees, construction workers who were arrested at their job site, were taken into custody by ICE during the largest immigration raid in Florida this year. Some remain in Florida, some were sent to El Paso, Texas, and some are already in Mexico less than a week after being detained. Family members' questions about the whereabouts of some of the detainees have been unanswered since May 29. — 'Florida quickly appeals injunction against law aimed at keeping kids off social media,' reports Jim Saunders of News Service of Florida. — 'Florida's National Guard will soon leave state prisons,' reports Romy Ellenbogen of the Tampa Bay Times. PENINSULA AND BEYOND NO IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT — The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says it is following city attorneys' legal advice by not enforcing the city's two-month-old immigration enforcement law which serves to punish people who enter Jacksonville while they are in the country illegally, reports David Bauerlein of the Florida Times-Union. City Councilor KEVIN CARRICO, who introduced the legislation, said the lack of enforcement undermined the will of City Council and the state Legislature by siding with 'open-border politics.' — 'Hialeah's $45,000 farewell to Bovo: When public money pays for private parties,' by Verónica Egui Brito of the Miami Herald. — 'It's not just his wife. Lee County undersheriff has another relative on the payroll,' by Bob Norman of the Florida Trident. TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP FREE LAND FOR PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY — 'Of the locations considered, FAU in Boca Raton, Fla., emerged as the preferred site because of its proximity to Mar-a-Lago, a private Trump club,' report The Wall Street Journal's Meridith McGraw, Josh Dawsey and Annie Linskey. 'A person familiar with the negotiations said that Trump's team is nearing a deal with FAU — which has offered a 100-year lease at no cost — and that Trump expressed interest in the university during a meeting with lawyers at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.' ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN BIRTHDAYS: Former Chief Financial Officer and gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink, founder of Ruth's List … former State Rep. Seth McKeel … Heidi Otway, president and partner at SalterMitchell PR. CORRECTION: Wednesday's newsletter incorrectly stated that the Stanley Cup finals began in Florida on Wednesday. The first game was in Edmonton.
Politico
28 minutes ago
- Politico
Spiller super PAC spent $8.3M just on canvassing
Presented by Good Thursday morning! The super PAC that's unofficially running NJEA President Sean Spiller's campaign for governor has spent as much just on canvassing as his rival candidates' actual campaigns are allowed to spend, period. Yesterday, NJEA critic Mike Lilley's group pointed out an odd-seeming $8.3 million in expenditures on the financial disclosure of the super PAC, Working New Jersey, which is funded with $40 million entirely by the union. All that money went to AP Consulting Firm in Newark, which as far as I can tell is a tiny company run by former Newark Board of Education member Ariagna Perello that specializes in tax prep. That's actually payment for Working New Jersey's field operation, according to the super PAC's spokesperson Eddie Vale. He said it's run by James Souder, who was briefly Newark's director of neighborhood and recreational services but stepped down amid an alleged nude photo incident and general dissatisfaction with his job performance, and later served as a legislative director for the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, according to his LinkedIn page. Perello, he said, is administering it. Vale told me the canvassing operation is in all 21 counties. 'Working New Jersey's field program remains active in all of these counties as part of what is certainly the biggest GOTV operation, independent or otherwise, in the Democratic primary, especially now during early vote and the final six days of the campaign,' he said. 'Biggest GOTV operation' seems like an understatement. All five of Spiller's Democratic rivals are taking matching funds from the state, which basically limits them to spending $8.7 million. And while there are super PACs doing field work for some of Spiller's rivals, none of them approach $8.3 million. And that figure was with two weeks to go before the primary, so it will almost certainly be larger. By contrast, Ras Baraka's campaign has spent about $685,000 on canvassing through his brother Middy's consulting firm, and it broke down the expenses to include every person receiving the walking-around money. Or to make an even more stark comparison, Working New Jersey's field operation alone costs more than 24 times the roughly $342,058.84 Sean Spiller's campaign reported spending since he launched his campaign a year ago. Have I ever mentioned that our campaign finance system is absurd? FEEDBACK? Reach me at mfriedman@ WHERE'S MURPHY — In Hoboken at 11 a.m. for a Unilever headquarters opening. In Newark at 1:15 p.m. for a 'ratepayer relief' announcement. And in Oceanport at 6:30 p.m. for a New Jersey Theatre Alliance gala. QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'The whole thing is looking like the three-way standoff in the movie Reservoir Dogs. And that shoot-out turned out poorly for everyone involved.' — Princeton's Sam Wang and FairVote's David Daley on the Democratic primary in a Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed advocating for ranked choice voting. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Kevin Peng, Shereef Elnahal, Dan Harris, Charles Rosen. WHAT TRENTON MADE HE'S LITERALLY PHONING IT IN — 'Even Offstage, Trump Is Everywhere in New Jersey's Governor's Race,' by The New York Times' Tracey Tully: 'President Trump has played a starring role throughout the race for governor of New Jersey, thanks to his stronger-than-expected showing last November in the Democrat-led state. But his influence on the Republican and Democratic primaries, set for Tuesday, was impossible to miss this week. On Monday night, just hours before the start of early voting, Trump held a dial-in telephone rally for the candidate he endorsed last month, a Republican former assemblyman named Jack Ciattarelli, who is making his third run for governor. Ciattarelli was at the front of a five-candidate G.O.P. pack long before he earned Trump's backing. Still, if Ciattarelli wins Tuesday's primary and beats the Democratic nominee in November, the president will rightly be able to claim some credit. Only New Jersey and Virginia are holding races for governor this year, and the contests will offer an early gauge of voter attitudes toward Trump, five months into his second term as president. He seemed to allude to that looming scorecard on the call, reminding listeners that the race was 'being watched, actually, all over the world.'' — 'New Jersey primary sets up the first major fight for the Democratic Party's future' EVERYBODY'S GONE SURVEYING. SURVEYUSA — It doesn't really tell us anything about the primary, but a new poll conducted by SurveyUSA for the advocacy group Education Reform Now has some numbers worth looking at considering the dearth of polling. The poll of 576 likely voters shows Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer with the highest net favorability ratings of seven candidates for governor: All six Democrats and Republican Jack Ciattarelli (it did not ask about Bill Spadea). Sherrill is at +12 and Gottheimer at +13. Ciattarelli is at +4, Ras Baraka +3 and Sean Spiller +3. The two Steves, Sweeney and Fulop, are just barely in the negative, at -2 and -1, respectively. The poll also asked voters' attitudes towards President Trump. He's 44 percent approve to 53 percent disapprove, a -9 net favorability rating. It's not apples to apples, but that's worse than the 47-47 approval rating split in a recent Emerson poll, but significantly better than the -21 approval rating he had in a May 2017 Quinnipiac poll. See the poll questions and results here. The poll's credibility interval is +/- 6.1 percentage points. POWER — 'Utilities plan to delay (but not decrease) electric rate hikes for New Jersey customers,' by The Press of Atlantic City's Wayne Parry: 'New Jersey's main utility companies plan to delay steep increases in the price of electricity until the fall, but customers will still pay every penny of the higher rates, just spread out over time. Three utility companies say they have requested permission from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to defer the significantly higher rates brought on by the most recent supplier auction held by PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator … The steps proposed by the power companies, in response to a request by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, will be but a reprieve for customers; unless they qualify for financial assistance, they will still pay the full amount of the increases, but the cost could be spread out over as many as six months.' SKINT TAG — 'Murphy plans to axe summer tuition aid for college students,' by NJ Spotlight News' Hannah Gross: 'For a growing number of low-income college students, summer does not necessarily mean time off from school. The expansion of the Tuition Aid Grant program to include summer classes has allowed students to continue toward their degree at a lower cost — but this could be the last summer the financial aid is available. Gov. Phil Murphy's proposed budget does not include funding for Summer TAG, which has helped around 24,000 students in its first two years. At budget hearings, college presidents called for the Legislature to add $30 million for summer tuition aid to the budget for next year so the program can continue in summer 2026. This is one of several requests from higher education leaders, who are raising alarm about potential cuts at the state and federal levels. 'It's a perfect storm of disinvestment,' said Eric Friedman, president of Bergen Community College.' GOTTHEIMER — 'Former Gaza hostage Edan Alexander and his family support Democrat in tight N.J. governor race,' by NJ Advance Media's Brent Johnson: 'Edan Alexander, the New Jersey native who was recently released after being held hostage for 19 months in Gaza, and his family wrote a letter supporting U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer as he runs in the state's tight Democratic primary for governor, now in its closing days, NJ Advance Media has learned. Alexander, a soldier for the Israeli army, on May 11 became the last living American hostage set free by Hamas. … The family wrote the letter a week after Alexander's release ... They said they were in Israel, 'embracing every moment of Edan's return to our lives.'' — 'Eleven towns that tell the story of New Jersey's Democratic brawl for governor' — Kean Sr.: 'We all lose without local news' — 'Goal of NJ school segregation suit is not to revoke home rule law, attorney says' — 'In school segregation case, New Jersey opposes appeal as think tank urges court to consider remedy' — 'New Jersey teachers bankroll the $40 million man' — 'New Jersey has given $37.5M in matching funds to governor hopefuls' — Pizarro: 'Critical Context on 'the Establishment' Candidacy of Mikie Sherrill' TRUMP ERA AN ADMINISTRATION COMMITTED TO FREE SPEECH — 'Surveilled, detained: Feds pursue Paterson woman a year after Gaza protest,' by The Record's Hannan Adely: 'Leqaa Kordia of Paterson said she soon found that the Department of Homeland Security was investigating nearly every aspect of her life. They interrogated her mother, uncle, a clothing store owner and tenants of an apartment that she briefly rented. … The scrutiny, described in a federal lawsuit, came nearly a year after her participation at a demonstration on April 30, 2024, outside the gates of Columbia University. New York City police arrested 119 protesters on and off campus that day, including Kordia, a Palestinian who had been in the United States since 2016. Although charges were dropped, the arrest put her on federal authorities' radar, the lawsuit shows. In March, the Department of Homeland Security announced Kordia had been arrested for overstaying her student visa. Kordia's mother had filed a family-based petition for her to become a permanent resident that she mistakenly thought gave her temporary legal status, her attorneys said. Today, she remains in Texas at the Prairieland Detention Facility, 1,500 miles away from her family, held in what her attorneys describe as 'inhumane conditions.'' — Testa: 'Don't let NJ Democrats distract you with their epic failures. Medicaid is safe' — 'CBO: Nearly 11 million people will be uninsured if GOP megabill becomes law' LOCAL FROM RENAISSANCE SCHOOLS TO A DARK AGE — 'Camden students bring concerns about budget cuts to New Jersey Department of Education,' by WHYY's P. Kenneth Burns: 'At least two dozen Camden students traveled Wednesday to Trenton to protest looming budget cuts being made to the state-run school district, voicing frustration and fear over what the reductions could mean for their education. And they didn't come alone. Community members and representatives from the Camden Education Association, New Jersey Education Association, NAACP New Jersey State Conference Youth and College Division and New Jersey Working Families Party also showed up to support the student-led rally outside of the New Jersey Department of Education building. … Several students spoke of their hurt that more than 100 people, including teachers and a cast of support staff, will be laid off to cover a $91 million budget deficit. The deficit was announced by state District Superintendent Katrina T. McCombs on April 30, along with a series of moves to balance the budget, including the layoffs. 'I am devastated,' said Kevin Duncan, a Camden High School student. 'There is no emotions and words that can describe this feeling that I'm feeling today.'' PATERSON — 'Paterson shootings down from 31 in 2024 to 20 this year,' by the Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: 'As summer approaches, Paterson has seen a significant decrease in gun violence in 2025, according to data released by the city police department on June 3. The city had 20 shooting incidents during the first five months of this year, compared to 31 over the same time period in 2024, a 35.5% reduction, the police department said. Meanwhile, the number of shooting victims in Paterson from January through May dropped by about 50% compared to the first five months of last year, when 41 people were killed or injured by gunfire in the city, officials said. The 2025 drop in gun violence has been unmatched over the past decade … Paterson PBA President Angel Jimenez attributed the drop in shootings to the violent crime suppression initiative, which uses overtime to assign extra officers to notorious trouble spots … As part of the state takeover, Gov. Phil Murphy's administration has allocated an extra $20 million for Paterson police operations, including millions spent on overtime to increase police presence on the streets.' 500-PERSON TOWN HAS ITS OWN POLICE FORCE, SCHOOL BOARD — 'West Wildwood could look to supplement cops, not disband,' by The Press of Atlantic City's Bill Barlow: 'The Board of Commissioners will consider contracting with an outside police department to cover overnight shifts for its understaffed and overstressed police … On Monday, a report from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police on West Wildwood became public, outlining multiple problems with the department. They included serious staffing woes, along with raising concerns about procedure for handling evidence, training officers for leadership and responsibilities for investigation … But the conclusion of the report was that the department should be disbanded, contracting with Wildwood for police service. A group of West Wildwood residents does not want to see that happen. More than 200, out of a year-round population of about 540, are part of a Facebook group called 'Save the West Wildwood Police Department.'' MR. GUYBACHEV, PUT UP THIS WALL BETWEEN UNION CITY AND NORTH BERGEN — 'Hudson County officials celebrate a piece of the Berlin Wall coming to Secaucus park,' by Hudson County View's Daniel Ulloa: 'Hudson County officials celebrated a piece of the Berlin Wall that separated West Berlin from East Germany during the Cold War was installed in Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus yesterday. 'It's a powerful symbol of a world once divided: It marked the triumph of the human spirit, that moment changed the world,' Hudson County Cultural and Heritage Affairs Director Gina Hulings said at the ceremony. ... Hudson County Executive Craig Guy also expressed enthusiasm about the unveiling. 'This is an historic event, right? We have a piece of the Berlin Wall that comes all the way across the pond, all the way to Hudson County … It finds itself in one of the best parks,' he stated.' MANALAPOLOGY — 'Mayor's wife wrote apology letter after stealing $5K at housekeeping job, police say,' by NJ Advance Media's Anthony G. Attrino: 'The wife of a mayor in Monmouth County wrote a letter of apology to a friend she worked for as a housekeeper after the friend allegedly caught her on a security camera stealing cash, according to police. Jennifer Nelson, 52, of Manalapan, was charged with third-degree theft on May 22 for an incident that allegedly occurred a week earlier at a home in Freehold, according to police. The victim is identified in court records as Nelson's friend, and someone whose home Nelson cleaned for eight years.' — 'New Jersey primary 2025: Here's what to know about Camden Mayor Vic Carstarphen's reelection bid and City Council races' — 'Turnout so far: 9% for Demcorats, 5% for GOP' — 'Ex-[Mount Arlington] councilman who took an envelope of cash from a secret hotel meeting will avoid jail' — 'Democrat running for Wayne mayor: My primary opponent is a 'lifelong Republican'' — 'Jersey Shore firefighter wins court battle over growing beard on religious grounds' — '[Salem City] man says he's fighting for justice after beloved bulldog dies in animal control custody' — 'N.J. suspends license of [Penns Grove] department's top cop over licensing dispute involving other cops' — 'Jersey City Police Officer Freeman is 6th candidate to formally declare for mayor' EVERYTHING ELSE THE CRUCIFIX IS IN — Lawmakers threaten Seton Hall funding amid new scandal, by POLITICO's Dustin Racioppi: Seton Hall University could lose $1 million in state funding over its handling of sexual abuse scandals. Two influential state senators said in a statement that they are 'no longer confident that Seton Hall deserves funding from NJ taxpayers,' following new allegations of sexual abuse and hazing in the school's baseball program. Those claims, detailed in a new lawsuit, follow POLITICO's reporting that the university hired its new president despite recommendations he not hold leadership positions because he didn't properly report sexual abuse allegations as a seminary leader. And even though the Catholic university's church leader ordered an investigation into how the new president was hired, Seton Hall has blocked a key witness from testifying, setting up a power clash at the country's oldest diocesan university. State Sens. Joseph Vitale and Andrew Zwicker said they are 'particularly disturbed' by that decision and are now 'confronted with allegations that go to the heart of the university's culture and failure of leadership.' — 'Sailor returned from combat to find his beloved dog was given away; he wants Archie back' — 'Decorative helicopter mishap cost American Dream over $20M, developer says' — 'Cliffside Cube? A new style duplex is rising in northern NJ. And it's everywhere'
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Calmes: The 'Trump Doctrine' revealed
'I run the country and the world,' President Trump boasted to reporters for the Atlantic in April, by way of explaining how his current presidency differs from his first. Even for the clinically braggadocious Trump, that was a mouthful. Yes, alas, he does run the country, with a bold recklessness like no president before him, and often lawlessly. He's virtually unchallenged by a supposedly co-equal Congress run by obeisant fellow Republicans who are scared of him and his voters, and he's only partly limited by federal courts that are constrained, as he's not, by fealty to the slow and deliberative rule of law. But Trump running the world? That's hardly clear. As often as not, the world seems to be running him. Yes, Trump is wielding power and forcing global leaders and foreign economies to react to his diktats. He's inflicting incalculable damage: by his hostility to the United States' longtime democratic allies and to the 80-year-old international structure that's bound them; by his shameful deference to the world's dictators; by his global trade war; and not least, by his near-wipeout of U.S. humanitarian aid resulting in the confirmed deaths of uncountable numbers of the globe's poorest people. Yet there is no peace between Ukraine and its Russian invader, despite then-candidate Trump's frequent claims he'd settle the worst European conflict since World War II even before he got to the White House. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doubling down on his scorched-earth war in Gaza, though Trump told his pal Bibi last year to end the killing, before Trump took office. Talks with Iran are reported near collapse on a deal to prevent the country from building nuclear arms, replacing the Obama-brokered pact that was doing just that before Trump scrapped it. And despite White House bluster in April about cutting 90 trade deals in 90 days, as nations pleaded for relief from Trump's tariffs, no final agreements have been announced by the self-described artist of the deal. For more than a century, as the United States evolved from an isolated giant buffered by two oceans into the world's superpower, people here and abroad have looked to American presidents' early actions and pronouncements to discern a guiding doctrine. After all, not just Americans but all the globe's residents have a stake in U.S. policies — as HIV-infected children in Africa, Ukrainian soldiers, foreign traders and consumers, and many others are sadly finding. A Trump Doctrine is easily discernible in the president's foreign policy record: It's 'Me, Myself and I.' Aside from his vague 'America First' (white) nationalist sloganeering, Trump speaks and acts in ways that reflect little appreciation for the national interest or democratic ideals. He's all about himself and his interests — increasingly, that literally means his business interests. Trump's foreign policy is strictly transactional, motivated by what's in it for him, personally and politically. Which is why, contrary to past presidents for decades, Trump twice now has made his first foreign trip as president not to allies in Europe or North America who share America's values, but to autocratic Saudi Arabia. There, and in the smaller, oil-rich Middle Eastern monarchies he also visited last month, Trump is plainly comfortable, amid the opulence and the shared language of deal-making. In fact, Trump explicitly told reporters soon after his inauguration that he'd likely travel first to Saudi Arabia — if it agreed in advance to spend about $500 billion in the United States. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gamely offered $600 billion over four years. Ultimately, Trump came home from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates boasting of bagging $5 trillion — that's trillion, with a T — or maybe $7 trillion, he said, along with a Qatari royal jet for his own use. What details there were suggested that the trade deals for which the president was taking credit — no surprise here — included some commitments dating to the Biden administration. In any case, Americans shouldn't necessarily count on the promised investments: Saudi Arabia's MBS similarly vowed to spend up to $600 billion in the United States back in 2017, when Trump first took office. Yet a study by the Arab Gulf States Initiative concluded that over Trump's first term, U.S. exports to Saudi Arabia totaled $92 billion — below the $110 billion in exports during the preceding four years under President Obama. But here's what you can count on: As the Wall Street Journal has reported, the Trump family business is signing more deals internationally than ever before, mostly in the Middle East but also in India and eastern Europe, for 12 projects including residential high-rises, luxe hotels and golf courses. Beyond real estate, there's the Trumps' $2-billion cryptocurrency deal with the United Arab Emirates state fund. America First? 'We're the hottest brand in the world right now,' son Eric Trump, who runs the Trump Organization, told the Journal. That's good, I guess, because the American brand under Trump has hit the skids. The other noxious sign of Trump's personalization of foreign policy: his constant references to foreign leaders in terms of his own relations with them. Trump's problem is that his supposed friends — the Saudis' MBS, Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping — have ideological and national interests that, unlike for Trump, transcend their personal feelings and stakes. And so MBS resists making peace with Israel, as Trump wants, if Israel won't support a Palestinian state. And Netanyahu vows he'll never do so. Xi has avoided taking a phone call with Trump to talk U.S.-China trade. Meanwhile, Putin plays Trump along in the U.S.-sponsored peace talks with Ukraine; he doesn't want peace, he wants all of Ukraine. Only Trump, then, was surprised by Putin's murderous air attacks in recent weeks. 'I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him,' Trump posted. 'He has gone absolutely CRAZY!' The Kremlin dismissed Trump as 'emotional.' That's what happens when you think you run the world, and the world has other ideas. @Jackiekcalmes @ @jkcalmes If it's in the news right now, the L.A. Times' Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
