>> major funding is provided to.

Rowan University, educating New Jersey leaders, partnering with New Jersey businesses, transforming New Jersey's future.

Promotional support supply did -- provided by New Jersey business magazine.

Reporting to executive and legislative leaders in all 21 counties of the garden state since 1954.

And by politicos New Jersey playbook, a topical newsletter on garden state politics, online at Politico.com.

♪ David: what is so funny about New Jersey?

quite a lot actually.

Hey everybody.

It's Reporters Roundtable.

I'm David Cruz.

As we wrap up the year, we feature a panel of NJ Spotlight news journalist.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan and Lilo Stayton.

We will get to the panel in just a few minutes but we begin today with a look at the year in Jersey, from the absurd to the sublime and from the predictable to the profane.

Joining us is Chris Cather, the host of the New Jersey is the world podcast.

Good to see you.

Thanks for coming on.

Chris: Thanks for having me.

David: some really percolating stories.

None bigger than Bob Menendez indicted on corruption charges.

This one has gold bars, Mercedes.

All the good stuff for comedian, no?

Chris: it really was a gift for me and my friends on the podcast.

We've only referred to him as Bobby gold bars.

The idea that he put them into a jacket was incredible.

I only want to be paid in the form of jackets that have gold bars sewn into them.

I don't like cash, check, venom, none of that.

I want gold bars sewn into jackets.

Preferably from foreign governments.

David: what kind of reaction do you get from people when you talk about the kind of absurdity of the charges in this indictment?

Chris: well, we do comedy.

At the end of the day, I read up on it backwards and forwards.

I'm really concerned.

I do feel like the whole job of the comedian is, we better start laughing about this because it's completely absurd.

If we don't laugh I'm a we are going to go insane.

The fact that our representation in this state is being accused of being a foreign agent for the objection government, it's like, I better start stepping up as a comedian or people will be having meltdowns at Wawa.

Peoples brains are going to go, what's happening here?

I'd like to think we could provide presser really -- pressure release by making fun of the absurdity but that's not to discount the fact that it's really concerning and nuts.

David: the indictment reads like a screenplay.

Would it be a drama in your mind or is this something that's just ripe for comedic treatment?

Chris: if we are being honest, I feel like if someone turned that screenplay into a studio they would say, this feels like cartoonish.

You have to make this more real-world.

The idea that this corruption is happening in this way, it is to on the nose.

It would never really happen this way in real life.

But in Jersey, that's real life.

Cartoonish absurdity.

This movie should be animated if it was to happen.

That's how cartoonish the level of corruption is.

David: on an episode of New Jersey is the world, you did an episode on the New Jersey corruption Hall of Fame.

Who is in that?

Chris: it was a very long list.

We went through all the long history of corruption in the state.

I'm an Essex County guy.

Nork mayors alone, you can have a whole wing of the New Jersey corruption Hall of Fame.

Just the amount of mayors who have left office and gone immediately to the courthouses.

That could get its own exhibit at the New Jersey corruption Hall of Fame.

When you start to read about it you go, they should be a fun exercise and looking up New Jersey's corruption.

You realize, for decades it's just been riddled with it.

That idea stopped being funny fast when we realized how entrenched it is.

David: I always thought of that is a great wing of the New Jersey Hall of Fame which has all of the great contributors to arts and culture from New Jersey.

But then you have this little -- you have to go down the stairs, around the back, behind the boiler room is the New Jersey corruption Hall of Fame.

Chris: it's just sharp James sitting at a card table talking to you personally.

You get to pick his brain.

That's the New Jersey Hall of Fame that I would buy a ticket for.

I would sleep overnight to get a ticket on day one.

I will say, the New Jersey Hall of Fame is a cool thing.

I wish it was more realistic.

I think the line would be out the door.

David: I would pay $20 for that.

First Lady Timmy Murphy now running for U.S. Senate.

Her husband is the governor.

This is fine, right?

Chris: no conflict of interest there.

I will say, at the end of the day, and Kim is a great candidate.

Tim Murphy has accomplished a lot.

It's easy to say, oh first lady.

She's been a very active first lady.

She's used her platform for a lot of good.

If we want up with either of them, I feel good about our state.

Concerns about the fact that she was in the Republican Party up until a handful of years ago, everybody has them.

At the end of the day, this will shine light on the county line and the way things work in Jersey as far as counting endorsements guiding things in the way that no other state has.

That stuff is really fascinating.

No matter what happens, my guess is that this might expose it in a way where it has to change which would be good.

That would be a bummer for me.

On our podcast, we have so much fun talking about Jody.

He's the best.

I have great love for him.

He's like an unapologetic County politician.

He doesn't hide it.

You know what?

it is so much better than it used to be.

Shout out.

That was really sad when I was a kid growing up.

He started treating it like his personal kingdom and Dow that rules.

I take my son there.

Maybe the county politicians are doing something right.

David: it may be a well-kept secret among voters.

Chris Christie is running for president again.

I don't know if you watched the debate last week.

How is he doing?

Chris: I've watched all the debates.

You know, being that he shut down the bridge and then he went on the beach when no one else was allowed to go on the beach, I never thought I would see a point where I would start to feel sympathy for Chris Christie in my life again.

I do think he's a voice of reason in the anti-Trump thing.

Nikki Haley is also stealing his thunder on that.

He seems like a lonely guy off to the side.

I never thought I would have my heart pulled by Chris Christie after some of the nonsense that happened.

My heart goes out to Chris Christie on some of this stuff.

I never thought I would say that.

I never think I would say that.

David: a polarizing debate that required legislative action.

The existence of Central Jersey as a region and a state of mind.

Do you have some sock -- thoughts on that?

Chris: Central Jersey is real.

This is coming from a guy, I grew up in Essex County.

When I got into Rutgers, I was mad I was going to school in South Jersey.

I have a friend from Bergen County who insists that everything south of Route 80 is South Jersey.

That is some real Bergen County nonsense.

You can't and I that when you drive around Mercer, Somerset, that it just feels different than everything else.

The next big fight is people starting to say, we have to separate the shore and South Jersey.

Those are different culturally.

Yeah.

For real.

My friend says everything south of Route 80 is South Jersey.

I'm like, that includes Passaic and.

Are you nuts?

he's like, no.

Once they get a chip on their shoulder, it's hard to get them to drop it.

David: my line was, anything south of Bayonne.

Chris: you are right there with him.

What a wild thing.

What a wild thing to say.

David: you just went through a 21 county tour.

So you've done the research about New Jersey.

Do you have a favorite County?

Chris: that's a really good question.

David: you can't say as six because you are from Essex.

We will assume you are an Essex homeboy.

Chris: when I was performing in Middlesex County, I had a moment on stage where I said in a lot of ways, I'm coming to realize that Middlesex County might be the most New Jersey of New Jersey's 21 counties.

You have all the craziness of Route one and Route 18.

You have all these strip malls.

I still have memories of shopping and buying borderline illegal stuff at the Route 18 free market.

You've also got all these lovely communities.

You have all the strip malls and immigrant communities.

All these lovely things about New Jersey smashed together in Middlesex County.

On top of it, you have the suburban sprawl and the traffic snarls and the madness of Route one.

I did walk away, a lot of my Middlesex County memories are of getting yelled at by the grease trucks or being intoxicated on Easton Avenue.

Going back as part of the tour, I was like, if you smashed all of New Jersey into one county, it's probably Middlesex.

I should give them some love.

David: comedian and host of New Jersey is the world, good to see you.

Thanks for coming on.

Chris: thanks for having me.

David: good to see you all.

We are wrapping up 2023 with many big stories still pending for 2024.

Let's start with the U.S. Senate race.

Timmy Murphy getting all the establishment support so far.

But in a head-to-head straw poll, it's Andy Kim who got overwhelming support from Monmouth County Democratic leaders.

There's definitely an undercurrent I think here of nepotism, the party line, etc.

Last week, may the sharpest criticism of the first lady from Julie Regan ski.

She is no friend of the Murphy's but she was an insider during their ascent in the 2016 and 2017.

Let's listen to this and then we will come back to talk about it.

>> so Yoda -- you don't consider her an ally to women.

>> now.

I don't consider her an ally to women.

She's an enabler of her husband.

If the only time you are speaking out is because the press is all over you but you are doing nothing to help women win the tension -- attention is not on you, you are enabling the harming of women.

I consider you to be an enemy of women.

David: shots fired, now?

massive enabler, kind of an enemy.

Fair?

>> I will note that I retweeted that clip from your show with some fire emojis because I thought it was really fiery.

I thought it was a hot interview.

I thought what she said was unbelievable.

Not unbelievable in the sense that it couldn't be believed but unbelievable in the sense that someone went there so clearly and so strongly.

I will also note that a boss of mine got heard from about my tweet and said I was being unfair.

I can't speak to the issue because I haven't had that connection with her.

I don't know.

I can't say she's an enabler or not.

But I mean, I think it's a fair conversation to have.

I think Julie's point is, if you are only doing something when people are looking, if you are only saying things are acting a certain way when the attention is on you, it's really important.

David: what did you think when you heard that?

>> I can see Julie's point.

I mean, where was Tammy Murphy during the whole Edna man situation at the correctional Institute for example?

you need to be able to step up and be critical of situations, problems that arose with your husband's administration.

I didn't hear her then.

I think it's going to come down to her proving that she belongs on this ticket.

And that she's not just benefiting from a frontloaded campaign.

It would have been knife -- nice to see her get out there and are those endorsements.

Instead of having it handed to her by her husband.

David: Joanna, are you hearing some of the things that Brenda was just talking about?

>> I am.

I think people's main issue here was Tammy Murphy is that she was anointed into this candidacy.

It's hard to deny that she's done a lot of good for women.

She's championed maternal care.

New Jersey ranked 47th in the nation for maternal fetal deaths.

So she's done a lot in that space.

I think she's in a unique position where, as first lady who is now a candidate, she has to answer for the things that happened during the Murphy administration.

Some may say that's not fair.

Others say it's fair because she's been a focal first lady and she's taken a more empowered role than a lot of first lady's before her.

Folks say, it's fair for her to have to answer.

She knew what she was going to get stepping into this candidacy.

So fair game.

There are plenty of reasons to criticize the Murphy family or Tammy Murphy for how she got here and her being able to lead the race the way she is.

One criticism that seems off-base to me is inexperienced.

She is clearly experienced.

The business woman.

She has run various organizations that have been successful.

She has really leaned into this mirth -- maternal health thing.

Even people who criticize or tell me, she worked hard to learn about the issue.

I think inexperience isn't something you contact her with.

>> there's no denying that she's done some very good angst.

I think it was the automatic anointment that people have a problem with.

David: what did we think of Steve Sweeney's launch this week?

he is longtime advocate for people with disabilities and he focused on that a lot.

What's his impact been?

>> Steve Sweeney is one of those people who is known as being a leader on certain issues.

He is also, his strength is working behind the scenes.

Getting these deals.

Working with people across the aisle.

The consequent of that is not always the pure concept that you went in with you get the perfect being the enemy of the good perhaps.

He gets stuff done and he moves the needle.

I'm laughing because the video is so classic New Jersey campaign style video.

It's also a really good story.

I think he's an important force in the race.

I think it's too soon to say which way it would go.

But you know, he's clearly a contender.

I don't think what happens to him in the election in which he lost should be necessarily looked at as, oh he can't possibly compete statewide.

I don't think that's the case.

Democrats and South jersey taking their eye off the ball big-time.

You now, I think he's a legitimate candidate statewide.

He has a lot to talk about.

David: running out of time here.

Let's take a look at some of the stories you covered over the past year that stuck with you and maybe some stories that didn't.

Joanna, you got one?

>> as I look back at the year, I can't help but think about Polonia and how that dominated the news cycle.

This potential cancer cluster that existed there.

While that story garnered a lot of attention, it also fizzled at some point.

What I think it did was just highlight the prevalence of cancer in our communities and how the Department of Health could come out and say, we might have hundreds of cases of extreme really read disease but that's par for the courts were living in New Jersey.

So really when I look at -- back at the year, that and the war on Ukraine and the impact in New Jersey, overshadowed by Israel and the conflict that we see between Palestinians and the Jewish community in New Jersey, those are some of the highlights for me.

David: Brenda, got one?

>> so many things that happen.

What a chock full year this was.

There was a lot going on.

Never forget the central regional high school meeting that we covered dealing with the suicide of Adriana Cruz and bullying in school.

There have been some repercussions from that.

I think that's an issue that the state, the school system still has to deal with.

Connected to that, the parental notification issue.

How do you deal with kids privacy in terms of gender identification and things like that?

that whole political movement proved to be not as big an impact in the election as the Republicans thought it would be in terms of culture war.

It remains an issue that we are going to see more of next year.

David: Lilo, quick one for us?

>> I am pleased about the package I did on health care for transgender people.

I also think -- it really speaks to populations who are ignored and not embraced by the health care community.

There is one.

I would also say the closure of the Princeton nursing home, which shut down in 24 hours or less really.

When the state was aware that their finances were crumbling and left 80 residents or 70 some residents literally with no place to go.

I think that was an important story.

I'm very glad that the local press was on it.

And that we could follow up.

I think it's an important story.

David: OK. We are replacing our only New Jersey moments with individual holiday traditions this week.

As we like to say, what's up with your holiday?

Brenda?

>> I don't know if we have a photo of it.

I have an ornament that goes on my tree every single year.

It's a patch that was embroidered by Amy Wilson from Jersey City, that we got.

There it is.

It quotes Senator Bob Menendez after the mistrial.

To those who were digging my political grave so I could trump -- jump into my seat, I want forget you.

Every Christmas that's on my tree.

I think we are going to hear more of that maybe next year.

David: what a lovely and not cynical let all ornament.

[LAUGHTER] >> and timeless!

David: Joanna, you got one?

>> I have to say, these are a staple in my house.

David: that's nice.

>> a lot of traditions with the kids start with decorating the tree.

Gingerbread house every year.

There's my two kids.

I let them put the ornaments wherever they want and then they go to bed and iFixit.

The gingerbread house.

This year, our elf on the shelf gave us a little hand and finishing it when we went to bed.

All of those nice touches came from our elf.

We always make the trip.

I know it's not in jersey.

You go to see the tree in the city.

We try to do that every year.

David: sweet.

Lilo?

>> so at some of you on the show now, my husband and I have some cats.

He's a cat rescue organization so we have a few.

One of my holiday traditions was, I was trying to get acute picture of the cats.

That's Cody.

It really turns into more of a battle of trying to keep them off the tree.

Framing them with the tree at that spot, in the back is Callie and there's goldenrod.

He's no longer with us.

So it's a battle of how much we can keep on the tree, do we put the fancy ornaments up or do we just look at them in the box.

You reevaluate the things in your life when you are -- with the animals that you love do things to your house.

David: I yield my time to the lady from Huntington County.

It's the annual Christmas display at our colleague Colleen O'Dea AIDS home -- O'Day's home.

This template -- display started in 1992.

It has 70 lighted buildings and all, plus lots of people and dogs and raccoons and dear and farm animals and singles and a whale.

It takes up the entire dining room window so, table, and six folding tables.

It is simply fantastic.

But we cannot end the year without an acknowledgment of the Penn station bowl.

Nobody knows how he got there but he made enough of a public spectacle to get a reprieve from what was assumed to be a visit to the slaughterhouse.

He's now safely at an animal sanctuary.

As for metaphors, you can go with something like, you mess with the jersey bowl come you get the jersey horns.

Or something about the bovine Scap elegy that passes for effort to fund NG transit.

Take your pick.

That's roundtable for 2023.

Happy Holidays.

Good to see you all.

Things for joining us.

Thanks also to Chris.

You can follow the show on next -- x and get fresh content when you scan the QR's codon years -- code on your screen.

For all the crew here at Gateway Center in downtown Newark, thanks for watching.

Happy Holidays.

♪ >> major funding for Reporters Roundtable with David Cruz is provided by -- RWJ Barnabas health, let's be healthy together.

Rowan University, educating New Jersey leaders, partnering with New Jersey businesses, transforming New Jersey's future.

Promotional support provided by -- New Jersey business magazine, the magazine of the New Jersey business and is her story Association, reporting to executive and legislative leaders in all 21 counties of the Garden State since 1954.

And by Politico's New Jersey playbook.

Topical newsletter on Garden State politics, online at Politico.com.

♪