>> major funding for "NJ Spotlight News" is provided in part by NJM insurance group, serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, And by the PSEG foundation.

Briana: Tonight on "NJ Spotlight News," arson arrest.

A 19-year-old has been apprehended.

Investigators say a bonfire he left burning triggered the blaze that claimed more than 15,000 acres.

Taking on Trump -- Attorney General Matt Platkin has filed more than a dozen lawsuits against the administration and will be defending one before the U.S. Supreme Court.

>> the president hasn't violated the law and heard the residents of New Jersey.

Briana: Plus, transit troubles.

New Jersey transit and its locomotive engineers union appear to be far from ideal.

And on again, off again.

The tariff turmoil is hitting local businesses hard in the garden state.

Rising costs and supply chain disruptions threaten to close some for good.

>> I think for small businesses they always take it in the neck appeared we are the first ones to fall.

Briana: "NJ Spotlight News" begins right now.

>> From NJPBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight News," with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: Good evening, and thanked for joining us on this Thursday night.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

We begin with a few top headlines.

First, a 19-year-old man has been arrested on charges of arson related to the massive wildfire in Ocean County.

It scorched more than 15,000 acres as of this afternoon and is 50% contained.

Prosecutors say Joseph Kling of Waretown allegedly started a bonfire in the fork in River Mountains wilderness area by lighting wooden pallets but failed to fully extinguish them before he left.

Investigators say they used GPS to determine exactly where the fire started.

Kling is being held at the Ocean County jail pending a hearing.

Authorities say the wildfire was first spotted 9:45 a.m. Tuesday morning your Waretown and was fueled by drought, blustery winds, and relatively low humidity.

A business in Lacey Township that backs up to the woods was destroyed, along with several vehicles.

No homes were damaged, and officials have not reported any injuries.

Raven Santana will have more later in the show including reaction from the business owner.

Also tonight, more trouble with contract negotiations between New Jersey transit and the union representing its locomotive engineers.

A week after the brotherhood of locomotive engineers and trainmen overwhelmingly rejected up contract, the two sides appear to remain far apart, with greater chance for a strike May 15.

New Jersey transit maintains that union members should accept the same salary increase other rail unions have already agreed to.

Members have been working without a wage increase since 2019.

The union argues their workers are more highly trained and the jobs require more skills than other professions, and therefore should be paid better.

Officials at New Jersey transit say accepting the union's demands would require a 17% fare increase this July.

Other options would be an increase to the corporate transit fee that businesses pay, or drastic cuts to service systemwide.

PLDT did not respond to our request for comment but told "NJ Spotlight News" they lost ranks of engineers who have taken jobs at other transit agencies that pay the rail agency disputes this, saying they have a full roster and pipeline of trainees.

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to grant oral arguments on President Trump's plan to end birthright citizenship, which under the 14th amendment guarantees anyone born in the U.S. is automatically made a citizen, including children born to mothers in the country illegally.

The president's executive order would terminate that portion of the law and is being challenged in court through a multistate lawsuit led by New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, who joins me now.

Attorney General Matt Platkin, good to talk to you could I want to ask you what signals if any does the Supreme Court send by agreeing to hear oral arguments on this birthright citizenship case.

Atty.

Gen. Platkin: well, thanks for having me, Briana.

We know this is a very important case.

The president on the first day of his administration at 8:00 p.m. tried to for the first time in 157 years, since the 14th amendment was ratified, to rewrite the constitution to say that babies born on U.S. soil are not entitled to the rights and privileges of U.S. citizenship.

That is clearly wrong, and every quote that is looked at this issue since January 20 has sided with us.

The separate issue we will be dealing with on May 15 is whether or not this issue should be decided based on which state you live in, which is obviously an absurd outcome.

It cannot be the case that if a parent take their child the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia but they live in South Jersey, the citizenship of that child should be determined based on the hospital they go to .

No one things the Constitution works that way, and that is why I'm confident we will prevail.

Briana: You mentioned that incident.

Are there other, or what do you see as the legal risks if the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the trumpet administration?

Do you see this as a risk to other challenges or reinterpretations to the Constitution?

Atty.

Gen. Platkin: Well, I think you have seen this administration show hostility to the United States Constitution and the rule of law unlike any administration in American history, frankly.

I do think there is a concern that if this administration continues to flout the rule of law, if they continue to do things that hurt residents including in our state, cutting critical programs, violating their rights in ways that hurt them unlawfully, then there are real problems this country is going to face as a result.

In this case, you would see if the court did not side with us, did not take the obvious interpretation of the 14th amendment, something we settled with the Civil War that babies born on U.S. soil are in fact citizens of this country, in a New Jersey would have thousands of children born every year who have some status that the administration has not even tried to articulate.

For the first time ever we would have a second-class status of residents here.

It says they are not citizens, it does not say what they are.

They don't know any other country, they only know the country they are born in.

The consequences to the state would be significant.

Briana: This is not an official count, but by my count this along with other lawsuits you are either co-leading with a multistates or Amicus briefs you have signed onto, there is about a dozen or so, again, by my unofficial count.

Are you hiring outside counsel to take on some of this work?

I know the governor's office budgeted an extra million dollars to handle some of these lawsuits.

How is your office tackling all of this extra demand?

Atty.

Gen. Platkin: By working literally around the clock.

We have had people sleeping in their offices.

We have had people work himself sick because they care so deeply about the impact that is being had on our residents.

I've said this to you and I've said it many times, the president has powers.

He's entitled to pursue a policy agenda.

He has a majority in both chambers of Congress.

He can pursue legal avenues to make changes in this nation.

But what he cannot to is violate the law and hurt the residents of our state.

You mentioned the number of cases.

We have been successful in 100% of them.

We're not filing cases similar because we disagree or because there is some fringe issue.

We are bringing lawsuits all in house because the president has violated the law and hurt the residents of New Jersey.

By my count, we have saved the state just in the first two and half months of the administration over $22 billion.

$22 billion with a b we have preserved in federal funding that the administration has unlawfully tried to freeze or cut in ways that would hurt our residents, in many cases in devastatingly painful ways.

Briana: Let me shift away from the president and bring it back to the state.

Your office filed an appeal over the George Norcross racketeering case.

Essentially the filing said the judge didn't necessarily take into account the 341 pieces of evidence, thousands of documents that were provided to the grand jury over a five-month period.

What is your hope here?

Atty.

Gen. Platkin: Well, look, I will let our filing speak for itself.

I think you accurately summed up the key point of it.

We obviously -- I respected the judge.

We disagree with the decision and we are seeking a reversal.

I will let the filing and our paper speak for itself.

Briana: Can I ask you quickly, are there any updates?

The interim U.S. attorney said she is investigating Governor Murphy and yourself, your office.

Have they requested any documents, as a -- have they made any inquiries?

Can you share with me where that stands?

Atty.

Gen. Platkin: no, my guess is that they looked at the numerous circuit cases that upheld the immigrant trusted directive and decided that was all they needed to do.

I'm not focused on baseless political threats made by anybody, searching the not anybody on cable news.

I'm focused on keeping the residents of our state say.

Yesterday when we brought one of the largest actions against landlord that was manipulated prices in the housing market, what we did on Monday, when we took on a 26-member violent gang, which we did last week, took down 39 defendant mob case, we brought drug overdoses down by 30%, gun crimes down to historically low levels, auto thefts, burglaries, all reaching low levels.

Anyone who wants to help us in that effort, I will support you.

What will not help us what happened last night when the federal administration without anyone cut millions and millions of dollars for law enforcement services currently on the street right now keeping people safe from gun violence, helping people suffering from opioid addiction, helping us come violence crimes.

Yanked it without any warning, not so much as a phone call.

You want to make people less safe?

That is the approach that will make people list say.

Briana: Attorney General Matt Platkin, thank you for your time.

As we mentioned at the top of the show, the fast-moving bonfire in Ocean County is still burning for a third date -- wildfire in Ocean County still burning for a third day, ranking among the state's largest in the last 20 years.

Fire officials today said it will likely grow in the coming days before it can be fully contained and extinguished.

As Raven Santana reports, the damage is already done.

>> It was on the other side of the Parkway, I didn't think much of it, but it did jump the Parkway and headed towards my building.

Raven: President and co-owner of liberty Door & Awning says he is coming to terms with the damage from the Tuesday Jones Road which destroyed his family-run business.

When were you able to get your building?

>> next morning.

Raven: what was that like?

>> It was surreal, complete devastation.

Your whole life flashes in front of you.

Raven: He says the fire destroyed his building and all the inventory he had inside it, leaving nothing behind but the rubble you see behind me.

>> 50-foot flames, it was hot.

The buildings around me got saved.

More fire trucks came as it progressed.

I think once they had -- somebody told me there was like 40 fire trucks fighting.

That is what saved the rest of the business park.

Mine was the first in line.

Raven: The harsh reality sets in after it was revealed that 19-year-old Joseph Kling has been charged with aggravated arson in connection with a wildfire.

We know there was a 19-year-old that was charged.

What is your thoughts on that?

>> I will wait until all of the evidence comes out.

I don't want to -- I've got a 19-year-old, I've got a 21-year-old I don't want to speculate anything at this time.

It's frustrating for sure that this could have been prevented.

Let's wait and see what happens.

Raven: You have a great support system here.

Tell me who has been sporting you.

>> Governor Murphy reached out to me personally on my cell phone, gave me his cell phone number.

Pretty amazing.

My suppliers are next level.

I wouldn't say it is going to be easy, but everybody that I associate with is helping me.

>> Good job to all the law enforcement and the fire investigators that took care of it.

I mean, this poor guy that's got a business and he lost a million dollars worth of product.

They've been in business and employ people from the town for years.

They are local people, they work throughout the state.

Is he going to affect anybody's jobs?

I hope not.

Raven: A resident who only wanted to get identified as John has lived in Lacey Township for years.

His home was one of more than a thousand at risk.

He praised firefighters and law enforcement for their efforts saving him and his home.

What was your reaction seeing those claims?

>> It's getting close, you know.

It's getting close.

But the police and fire department did a fantastic job.

The police were going door-to-door telling people they needed to evacuate.

It was an army of fire departments in front of my house.

I would say for hours they were there when they were doing the backfire just to make sure nobody's house caught fire, and if it did, they were prepared to take care of it.

Raven: Even today hotspots remain visible in the forest where the fire devastated the area.

New Jersey's estate climatologist says with the winds picking up, the air is deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups.

>> There is a chance that our prolonged drought was part of the issue, but the fact that we had a fire after 10 days without any rain and dry conditions, windy days, warm days, is a recipe particularly in the spring for fire.

Once the fire is extinguished, the air quality should improve rather quickly, even at the local scale.

There could be remnants of smoke, but what you really need is some rain to come down and clean out the atmosphere.

Raven: Robinson predicts rain in the forecast for this weekend, so it will help firefighters get this massive blaze completely contained.

For "NJ Spotlight News," I'm Raven Santana.

Briana: President Trump this week indicated he may soften his stance on tariffs against China, which sit at 145% on all goods.

But Chinese officials today hit back, claiming no negotiations about trade with the economy have taken place with the White House.

Meanwhile, companies large and small say they are bracing for lower profits as shoppers rethink their spending and try to make sense of the on-again, o ff-again policy.

That makes it difficult for owners to plan for the future even as some in New Jersey try to get ahead of the tariffs and bulk of their inventory.

Brenda Flanagan reports.

>> All of these items that you are seeing stacked here, all of these were going to be subjected to tariffs at a fairly high rate.

Brenda: Dean Smith mocked us shelves stocked with imported toys, extra inventory he rushed to buy ahead of Donald Trump's tariff deadlines just to keep his Princeton store supplied with affordable merchandise.

See these electronic toys from Belgium?

>> It is a Belgian company, but it is all made in China.

Brenda: And a Chinese-made it twice face 145% tariffs.

These slid in just under the wire, but Smith had to mingle with customs.

>> That was an $1100 order and I was charged $1400 in tariffs for it, and I had to argue and argue.

Brenda: With 77% of toys sold in the U.S. made in China, Smith and his partner Joe and did not wait for the White House to launch the trade were on Liberation Day they spent $400,000, draining savings accounts and tapping credit lines to prepare for the worst.

>> Is going to be a big price increase if the 145% doesn't get some kind of carveout for small businesses or something.

Brenda: Trade negotiations with China remain unsettled even after the CEOs of target, Walmart, and Home Depot warned the president that disrupting supply chains would create product shortages.

>> Just yesterday we heard from two manufacturers that they have suspended all shipments to the United States for the remainder of the year.

Brenda: Three manufacturers on these shelves have stopped shipping, and Smith says savvy parents are already shopping and buying birthday and holiday gifts for their kids to avoid the disappointment of empty shelves later on this year.

It's one reason Lamar Beatty bought one set of Legos now.

>> I'ma come in my downtime, that's when I grabbed it.

Brenda: Make sure they are still here.

Trade shops that work on custom projects like in Jersey City are scrabbling for raw materials.

With specialty was imported from Spain, Italy, and Canada, and hinges from Austria -- >> That is why you see businesses like mine buying materials really quickly, trying to catch that wave right before the tariffs it.

Brenda: The company caters to upscale clans and has two projects in the works, but one just got put on hold and prices are rising at lumber yards.

>> I can't eat all that, especially if it comes from China.

140%, it's just incredibly inflationary.

Whatever the tariff is, that is going to be the additional price.

>> I think for small businesses, they always taken in the neck.

We are the first ones to fall.

Brenda: Kelly Conklin with New Jersey's main Street alliance points to market volatility and widespread forecast of a sharp economic downturn.

New Jersey reported that before retaliatory tariffs even hit, first-quarter lay announcements doubled from last year.

>> We are feeling it already because of the self-inflicted wounds, which is the tariffs, has already started the process.

It is likely in my estimation and experience to deepen it and lengthen it.

The real question is how deep and how long.

Brenda: Most small businesses operate on slim profit margins.

JaZams will try to hold the line on prices and avoid staff cutbacks.

How long will its stockpile last?

Joking even a magic eight ball don't know what is coming.

>> If he doesn't change, it could be catastrophic for Main Street.

I think we're going to see closures, we are going to see companies that cannot survive is for sure.

Brenda: The president's predicted negotiations with China will lead to lower tariffs.

JaZams well anchored, they have been in business here 30 years, but they are holding their breath.

In Princeton, I am Brenda Flanagan, "NJ Spotlight News."

Briana: in our "Spotlight on Business" report tonight, more finger-pointing with the upcoming electric rate hikes.

The State Board of Public utilities said it will require New Jersey's power companies to come up with plans to didefer crisscross expected to hit utility bills this June, when the average bill is satisfied by $25.

Democrats are praising the idea as a way to ease the burden on ratepayers, but Republicans immediately blasted it as a gimmick ahead of the fall elections without getting to the root problem.

It is the latest escalation in what has become a full-blown battle.

Senior correspondent Joanna Gagis reports.

Joanna: finger-pointing and blame games are nothing new in politics, but right now they are being played with your wallet courtesy of spiking energy costs.

PJM is a company that sets market rates for energy supplied across 13 states.

New Jersey is one of them.

The costs are set through auctions held every three years.

Here is where it gets complicated.

>> Out of nowhere, PJM, the transmission grid for New Jersey in our area, raised their prices in a single year b y almost 10 times.

Nothing has changed by that amount.

Supplied may go up a little bit, demand may go up a little bit, inflation.

Those are a few percent, not a factor of 10.

>> What used to cost $28 in what is supposed to be a competitive auction bid certainly cost $270.

That is the reason for the increase.

Somehow the auction got out of whack.

Joanna: And the market fluctuation will mean a spike in your energy bills.

Members of the Senate and assemble he held a joint hearing to better understand what happened at this year's auction.

They have since sent PJM a letter asking for clarity on a range of issues, and Governor Murphy sent a letter to FERC asking for an investigation into possible market manipulation during PJM's auction, saying the increased costs will be in the billions.

In a statement, PJM told us it has not "seen evidence that supports a finding of marketing and ablation in the 2025-2026 auction, but we take such allegations very seriously," adding that PJM "will follow any directives we receive from FERC."

>> A lot of this criticism I've been seeing in the media directed at PJM and its management and blaming them for everything that is wrong with the PJM capacity market is in many ways misplaced, and a lot of it is because of state policies that have come to a head.

Joanna: Those estate policies are solely to blame in the minds of Republicans in New Jersey, who say PJM is the scapegoat for Governor Murphy's failed energy master plan that they say is the reason for New Jersey's lack of energy supply.

>> New Jersey is now being forced to purchase electricity off the grid.

And as a result of that, we are seeing these higher spike.

And it's -- you cannot try to completely electrify the state, you can't have an energy master plan that completely relies on renewables, and not have enough supply from those renewables to meet that increased demand.

Joanna: The Senate minority leader said seven years ago New Jersey was a net exporter of electricity, and today we import 40%.

Part of that was the decommissioning of the oyster Creek nuclear generating station.

The state had been counting on wind energy to come online in the next several years, but that has proven nearly impossible to get started so far.

Democrats say there are other ready sources of energy just waiting for PJM's approval.

>> There are literally thousands of projects ready to go across this PJM market, the Northeast basically, including about 80 in New Jersey.

Over 90% of these are renewable energy.

They are basically solar.

The real question is why has PJM not allowed thousands of renewable energy projects that are ready to go to produce more energy than we need right now.

>> in 2023 the average projects that got the approval had been waiting for five years ifor PJM to say it could go ahead and connected to the grid.

These are projects that the market is trying to build to bring down costs for customers, but PJM is standing in the way through its broken approval process that takes years and years.

Joanna: Can two things be true, that one, the wind industry did fall on his face in New Jersey, and two, perhaps PJM's process needs to be upgraded and projects need to be brought online faster?

>> I don't have a problem with looking at how PJM conducts the auction and their methodology.

But PJM is not solely to blame for this crisis.

That is absolutely clear.

Joanna: And yet so much remains unclear, like how FERC will respond and if any relief is in sight for residents and businesses.

PJM says it has reformed the approval process to bring project online faster, but that will not change the $25 increase Double hit energy bills starting June 1.

For "NJ Spotlight News," I'm Joanna Gagis.

Briana: That is going to do it for us tonight.

Before we go, especially edition of "NJ Spotlight News" tomorrow night.

We close out for a week with an encore presentation of a documentary reproduced called "Pardox -rising water and mounting costs."

The cost of keeping the shore open for business are becoming more expensive.

Now it is up to local, state, and federal leaders to figure out the best ways to protect to the shore.

That is tomorrow night right here on NJPBS.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

For the entire team at "NJ Spotlight News," thanks for being with us, have a great evening.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

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