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♪ From NJ PBS, this is NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: Good evening and things for joining us this Wednesday night.

Former President Donald Trump lashed out Tuesday night following his historic arraignment in a lower mid to -- lower Manhattan court where he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

In a fiery speech to his supporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump aired a list of grievances about investigations against him ripping a page from his playbook going on the counter attack and deflecting from the legal charges he is facing.

Despite warnings from the judge presiding over the New York case, Trump attacked the Manhattan district attorney and his family as Trump haters calling D.A.

Alvin Bragg a criminal who should be prosecuted.

He also called it a persecuted -- a persecution, not investigation.

>> And I never thought anything like this could happen in America.

Never thought it could happen.

The only crime I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.

This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately.

Briana: Many analysts all the speech as a campaign moment blurring the lines between Trump's court battles and political opponents.

It certainly registered on national polls among his supporters and in the millions of dollars in campaign contributions that began rolling in the moment Trump announced a possible indictment.

For more on the political fallout, I'm joined by Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky and GOP strategist Chris Russell.

Good to see you both.

Thank you both for being here.

We have an indicted former president who is now running again for president as the Republican front runner.

Does this situation move him closer or further away from his supporters?

Chris: To his hard-core supporters, it moves him closer.

They are going to circle the wagons and rally around the flag.

What it means more broadly is it remains to be seen.

Part of that that is rallying supporters to this and even people who are not necessarily supporters is this is a flimsy case.

DA Bragg has gone in and picked a legal case that many people believe is fabricated for the most part if not a real stretch.

Briana: This is not the only legal well Trump is owing to have to face.

We heard last night in his speech it seems the Georgia case is really on his mind.

Does it get harder to paint himself as a victim or as someone who is being personally attacked when there are multiple possibly federal counts here?

Julie Roginsky the more trauma Donald Trump -- the more imposes on the country the less swing voters will want to vote for him or the Republican party.

I have great somebody for the Republican party which has gotten itself into this mess I some extent by enabling him as they cannot shake him.

They cannot win with him or even with him in the ecosystem at the same time they cannot afford to jettison him because obviously his core support mix up so much of the Republican these days.

Until the scourge of Donald Trump leave the Republican party, I don't know where even moderate Republican candidates can do well.

Briana: Is this going to be a campaign focal point for Republicans across the board?

I'm talking nationally and in New Jersey.

Chris: They have had no choice but to rally around him because it is the right thing to do based on the law and everyone needs did be treated equally under the law.

Accredits have a president and an assumed nominee who will run again who most of them want to jettison.

Our politics is in a weird place or Joe Biden does not have majority support to run again from Democrats if you look at any national poll.

As more people get into the race, only President Trump, and he Haley, minor candidates enter the race who have gotten in.

DeSantis has not gotten in.

As that comes to pass, I think that will crystallize more and the Republican Party will have a choice to make.

On this case right now, I think the Democrats because they cannot resist going after Trump or they want him to be the nominee, this case is going to really supporters around him because of its weakness.

Briana: We saw already it was somewhere around $8 million was raised for Trump since the indictment.

It also boosted his numbers in polls nationally.

We have not had a recent one in New Jersey and of course New Jersey voters are a bit different than it'll America and nationally.

Does Chris have a point here?

Should Democrats be worried?

Julie: I don't see how this is a downside for Democrats.

The more Donald Trump take center stage, the more everybody else fades into the background, the more this becomes a referendum on Donald Trump and he cannot help himself.

A normal defendant would have kept his mouth shut under advice of counsel appeared would not be going out and holding rallies.

Would not be going out and demanding a show of fealty from supporters either Republican Party.

That is what Donald Trump is doing.

The more he does that come of the more he told -- the Republican Party Huston's wins, the more this becomes a referendum on Donald Trump shared what Chris has said is right.

Joe Biden does have his political struggles but again, more this is a referendum on Donald Trump this becomes a contest between the MAGA vision for the country and Joe Biden's vision for the country, the more this helps Democrats.

If I were the Republican Party I would think long and hard about how we got to a place where they enabled and enabled a man who is holding the rest of them hostage.

Briana: Chris, you work on a number of campaigns paid are you concerned about conversations shifting from crime, inflation, Joe Biden's record to Trump's legal issues?

Chris: I think Republicans do well when the issues are forefront.

Not personalities.

As a Republican I went to CS get back to the economy, record inflation, crime, foreign policy which is erratic at best.

I would love to see us get back to those issues.

An election where we come to a Donald Trump Joe Biden rerun that becomes a code of personality election P I don't like that for us and for the country.

Briana: Thank you so much.

Governor Murphy on Monday quietly signed a controversial bill.

The elections transparency act overhauls New Jersey's campaign finance laws.

Among other things it also allows companies and individuals to donate higher amounts to campaigns, sheds light on so-called dark money but also gives the governor power to reshape the state's campaign-finance watchdog Senior political correspondent David Cruz reports.

>> There were no commemorative pens handed out at the signing ceremony for the elections transparency act.

Mostly because there was not a signing ceremony.

The bill got the auto pen treatment reserved for minor legislation and bills that no one really wants to brag about.

Not even the governor who has brought -- whose broad powers are expanded by it.

>> Why do you need unchecked authority to appoint commissioners?

>> I have no comment beyond what I have set on that but thank you for asking.

>> It is called the elections transparency act.

It should be called the public corruption authorization act.

That would be a more appropriate title for this bill.

It is horrible.

>> Republican a semirural Brian Bergen found himself aligned with many other good government groups and progressives in questioning everything from the timing to the motive for the bill.

>> They cannot possibly investigate all the violations that are there.

They're not even going to be able to do their job effectively to please the process.

>> Beyond the headlines of the governor's seemingly targeted you liked Executive Director Jeff Brindle, the bill provides for doubling campaign contribution limits, mix pay to play laws a state function and slices the statute of limitations for investigations from 10 years to two.

Before he resigned from the commission last week, Stephen Holden was sounding the alarm on that.

>> Two years would be a problem and also some of the decisions we have made in the last couple of months because there is a retroactivity provision in that, some of the decisions we have made the last couple of months -- they were more than two years old.

>> Like the complaints announced earlier this year against the Democratic and Republican State committee as well as two other state Democratic Party packs dating back to 2017.

Those are the big ones but there are literally hundreds of complaints.

Some finalized.

Others still pending in small towns and local races you did not even hear about.

>> What is of concern is we have a slate of announcements of investigations into major campaigns.

Democratic and Republican alike.

Not even two months later this provision added to the bill that would kill those investigations.

That is not transparent.

>> Add to that all the other provisions including one that brings back the so-called housekeeping allowance.

A fund that campaigns once used as a popular vehicle for classic off the books abuses hidden as office expenses and you could forgive voters for scoffing when they hear things like -- >> This is more transparency than New Jersey has he before when it comes to election will campaign-finance reform.

>> Voters are ground down.

And they see accountability and the institutions supposed to hold people accountable not working.

Unfounded attacks on election results and misinformation.

>> The one provision everyone seemed to like in this bill making secret big-money donors to dark money groups reveal themselves as the one provision that has already been rejected by courts.

Proving that no bill, even one with the stated goal of election transparency is perfect.

I'm David Cruz.

NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: New Jersey is now a safe haven for transgender people.

Governor Murphy making it official this week by way of Executive Order directing all state departments to protect adults and minors including health care professionals and patients from punishment for seeking, receiving or providing gender affirming health care.

Even if they travel here from out-of-state.

State agencies will also be barred from cooperating with another states investigation and it will stop extradition of patients to other states in those instances.

New Jersey is estimated to be home to roughly 30,000 transgender and non-binary residents.

The move comes as more than a dozen other Republican-controlled states have restricted transgender rights.

It is truly the end of the line for the state's oldest private bus company.

The camps computer bus service announced earlier this month it has struggled to retain ridership since the start of the pandemic and now after 150 three years of shuttling riders in suburban North Jersey to New York City, it is closing down that part of the business.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan has the story.

>> The cap bus lines making its final commuter runs between the Jersey suburbs in New York City this week.

Historic company says with a ridership averaging just Tony percent or less of pre-pandemic levels, it finally had to pull the emergency stop record.

>> Certainly seen the ridership drop off due to the work from home hybrid situation.

It is a new era.

Unfortunately they made business decisions.

They have to cut the service pin >> It has been running since I was a tiny kid.

A lot of people are disappointed.

>> We have the train as well as the bus in town so you can use the train.

What it is not as convenient for me.

The bus is closer so I do prefer the bus.

>> It has operated for generations but will cease all commuter operations April 7 making an emergency pivot.

NJ transit will pick up some of the bus routes.

The 33, 66 and 44 providing morning and evening rush hour service Monday through Friday only.

>> It made us extremely happy that -- our main goal is to make sure residents have access to New York City.

>> The Bloomfield mayor says he asked the transit agency to take over the bus routes and would offer a town shuttle service if NJ transits effort falls short.

>> I know funding is always an issue.

There is a little bit of a bus driver shortage right now.

We are going to make sure we reach out to the governor's office and make sure our legislators do what they need to do to keep the money that NJ transit needs to provide proper service.

>> NJ transit is not the only agency stepping up.

A bus company called boxcar is also going to start offering rides along the route.

>> We have had 1200 people show interest so far.

We have already had 140 make reservations and that is a lot.

>> The CEO gauging ridership along the route.

Boxcar will pick up on its new Ethics express run from West Caldwell through Bloomfield and Montclair to Lyndhurst.

Boxcar will make fewer stops and membership costs 30 bucks a month.

Tickets run nine dollars a ride.

>> We are reservation-based service so you have to have a ticket for the exact time of the bus.

>> DeCamp overturn NJ transit equipment used to provide equipment runs and focus on providing charter services and casino shuttles.

It is one of many private bus companies hired by NJ transit and that raises red flags as tri-state transportations.

>> The approach to solving this is not playing whack a mole.

How do we provide sustainable service so that this never happens again, so that this is not the first domino to fall with other companies coming after?

>> Jonathan DeCamp told us the private carriers were left without a lifeline during the pandemic and any new aid would probably come too late to salvage commuter routes.

He will have to lay off more than half his 160 workers.

NJ transit and boxcar will pick up select DeCamp a route starting Monday, April 10.

Briana: Drivers in the state have been alerted to the upticks in car thefts and while progress has been made on that front, organize crime rings are still getting away with swiping cars from the streets and shipping them overseas right through the port of Newark.

Aztec gold Buddha reports -- Ted Goldberg reports, federal leaders and -- More than 15,000 vehicles reported stolen.

An increase compared to the same time in 2021.

20% increase year-over-year.

>> If your star is stolen in New Jersey, investigators say there is a good chance it passes through one of the state's ports and leaves the country.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer says law enforcement in New Jersey is working to turn the tide.

He visited Port Newark today and went about the progress made toward stopping people who still cars.

>> Thanks to DHS's work and the states were, the numbers are coming down.

We are down about 20% year-over-year or more.

The bad news is the numbers are still unacceptably high.

>> Law enforcement leaders, local, state, county and federal convened today to address this flaking problem with auto theft.

It is a multipronged attack.

Law enforcement trying to stop the acts from occurring.

And to educate our residents.

>> Police chief chamberlain says education is a big part of preventing car theft and that people who don't keep their cars locked or more likely to lose them.

>> It is a lucrative business and we make it easy for them.

>> Congressman got home or says fewer cars have been stolen because law enforcement agencies have gotten better at coordinating with each other and sharing information.

>>>> It is difficult in many cases to detect all the vehicles.

With Intel there be -- they are doing a much better job of cracking down on the vehicles before they get sent overseas but it is like a needle in haystack.

>> He highlighted a major bust last month at Port Newark were 23 stolen vehicles were recovered before being shipped to Africa.

He said creative criminals were stopped because agencies did a good job of working together pin >> When agents open the containers, they found the vehicles were hidden behind mattresses and stacked on top of one another.

The Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Commerce, New Jersey State police, NYPD, Hudson County Sheriff's office, National insurance crime Bureau to make a $1.3 million bust.

The shows when you coordinate at all levels what can be done to >> He says Kia and Hyundai can help the cause if they issue a recall for certain models made over the last eight years.

After someone learned how to hotwire some of their recent cars with a screwdriver and shared it on TikTok, thefts of both cars have jumped in New Jersey.

There has been a 19% increase in stolen key is in Hyundai's during the first six month of last years to the final six months.

If you compare last January and February 2 this January and February there is an 82% spike.

>> We know there is a hole and they should fill it.

We know where the problems are.

We should try to get ahead of it instead of making it easier for thieves.

>> Kia and Hyundai have offered software patches you have to get at dealerships.

They will focus on people who manage car theft rings.

Not individual people who still cars.

>> Until we cut off the head internationally, the demand will be there and they will find more people on the ground to provide the supplies.

We have to get to the ringleaders.

That is done by DHS, internationally with the FBI and others in the intelligence community.

♪ Briana: In our spotlight on business tonight, New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay nearly $9 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits claiming it's Calc products including baby powder cause cancer.

That is about four times the amount the pharmaceutical company originally agreed to.

J&J says it will pay it by once again trying to file for bankruptcy.

A previous attempt to use Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to resolve the lawsuits was rejected by an appellate court and met with sharp criticism from attorneys for the patients.

This time, this settlement amount would be transferred to a subsidiary and payable over the next 25 years.

Although it stop global production of the products J&J is still pushing back on the allegations saying a settlement does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing.

An update to a story we brought you in October.

The Virtua health proton therapy Center, the first of its kind in South Jersey is officially open.

It took three years and roughly $45 million to build.

It is giving cancer patients and access to advanced treatment closer to home.

Unlike additional forms of radiation where treatment can damage tissue surrounding the tumor, proton therapy pinpoints the exact location therapy is needed.

Doctors say that is a sniffing option for patients with tumors in sensitive areas like the brain but will also be beneficial for patients with certain spinal, head, neck and esophageal cancers.

There are 50 facilities like it throughout the country.

On Wall Street, here is a look at today's closing trading numbers.

♪ >> Support for The Business report provided by IBEW.

Local 102 letting the path, leading the way.

♪ Briana: From shampoo to lipstick, for the first time in more than 80 years, consumers will finally know more about what is in the makeup and other personal care products they use.

A lull champion by Congressman Frank Pallone is about to shake up and some say potentially revolutionize the cosmetic industry.

>> Any kind of lotion, shampoo, makeup, deodorant, baby powder, toothpaste, tanning lotion, all these things are cosmetics but I think most people think that when they use any of those products somehow they have been approved as safe or the representation about their use has been tested in some way by the FDA.

That was simply not true.

>> That is why Congressman Frank Pallone is for liberty and passage of a new law aimed at protecting consumer health.

Modernization of cosmetics regulation act allows the FDA to regulate cosmetic and personal products.

Companies are required to register product ingredients with the FDA.

The agency can also require specific testing standards and issue recalls.

>> The idea is if these ingredients are known, make sure the FDA can enforce it.

Then you have the ability because you have the right to know what is in it.

In other words it is like self-enforcement.

The public has the information so the public knows and can take action.

>> The law is being touted as a huge win for workers in the cosmetology field should Deborah teaches classes inside the cast -- the Piscataway magnet school and is excited about what it means for the future of her students.

>> We are constantly breathing in and absorbing thrice skin and hair of toxic chemicals from acrylics to formaldehyde that are harmful to not only the environment but to our health.

In my class I enforce the use of gloves in face masks whenever possible to prevent exposure and truthfully we have yet to understand the full effects of these chemicals on our bodies.

That is why the law will be a game changer.

It means healthier school environment for my students and instructors.

It ensures the safety comes first and foremost which translates to a healthier life for them as well as our future clients.

>> As the first County vocational school in the nation how are magnet schools have set a standard for excellence in both academics and professional training.

And we take tremendous pride in that.

Our cosmetology program is no exception.

A new right -- the new regulations required under this legislation will be incorporated into the curriculum so that every student who graduates from this program is prepared to uphold these new safety standards.

>> The legislation as part of a federal spending bill passed last year that is the first update to cosmetic safety wells in the U.S. in more than 80 years.

>> Now FDA will know where companies are, what is in products.

Companies will have an obligation to ensure these products are produced in a safe manner.

Companies will not just have to substantiate the safety of their products as Congressman Pallone said but FDA can look at their safety records which they could not do until December which is remarkable.

>> Congressman Pallone says he hopes the new law will help ease the minds of consumers knowing the products thereby are safe.

Briana: That is going to do it for us tonight but a reminder, you can listen to NJ Spotlight News anytime via podcast.

Make sure you download it and check us out.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

For the entire NJ spotlight news team, we are wishing those who celebrate a happy first night of Passover.

We will see you tomorrow.

>> NJM Insurance Group, serving insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

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More information is online at NJRealtor.com.

And By the PSNJ foundation.

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Whether it is helping a family find their perfect home or securing a base for small business owners, New Jersey realtors have in helping clients achieve their dreams for more than a century.

There is a New Jersey realtor for you.

Find your realtor at NJRealtor/find.

♪