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>> Breaking news.

New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell has died.

He spent 28 years serving in our nation's capital and a lifetime serving his hometown of Patterson.

Plus, breaking down night two of the Democratic national convention as the Obamas takes center stage and the Jersey delegation cast their votes for the Harris/Walls ticket.

>> You are seeing energy.

There is excitement here.

I think it is far different than it would have been a month ago.

>> Also, medical debt relief.

>> It really shakes you, you know?

You start to wonder -- is this what my life is worth?

Is this the price tag?

>> Millions of dollars are now available for your mounting medical bills.

In former NFL player Ray Lucas is looking to knock out opioids, speaking to high school student athletes about the dangers of prescription opioid addiction.

>> My message is, I am a survivor.

If I can do it, any of you can.

>> NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

♪ >> From NJPBS Studios, this is NJ Spotlight News.

Breanna -- Briana: I'm Briana Vannozzi.

We begin with breaking news.

New Jersey Congressman Bill press Carol -- Bill Pascrell has died.

The tough talking Democrat from Patterson spent 14 terms in Congress.

Pascrell had been hospitalized in July for a respiratory infection, and was moved to a rehabilitation facility earlier this month, but was rushed back to the hospital days later.

In a statement today, his family said in part, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved.

Bill lived his entire life in Patterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served.

He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation, America.

For joining Congress in 1997, he served as Patterson mayor and in the state assembly.

He was widely known for his sharp criticisms of Donald Trump, but was also a fierce advocate for first responders, and led the successful fight in getting Patterson's Great Falls included in the National Park system.

Governor Murphy called Pascrell a giant of New Jersey and a lifelong champion of our most vulnerable neighbors.

I'm joined now by someone who spent considerable time working with the Congressman, a simile woman Siobhan Sumter, who joins us from Chicago.

Thank you so much and our condolences.

>> Thank you so much, NJ Spotlight, for taking time to remember one of our greatest fighters, our Congressman, Bill Pascrell.

He was a mentor and a end.

He really loved fighting for the least of those.

He is going to be missed.

Here at the convention, we are all talking about the writer that he was.

He was ready to jump in their and make sure he protected the least of those, and that kind of fighter does not show up every day.

He did it like Frank Sinatra.

He did it his way.

Briana: He was unabashed in that way and definitely was known to deliver some solid one-liners.

I wonder what kind of stories you all are sharing, given the chance that you happen to all be together today.

>> We have been sharing stories from when -- a staffer, Michelle, is here, so we shared a tearful moment outside.

You kind of have to wrap your mind around these things.

None of us ever thought he would not come back and do what he does for us.

We were talking about the work he did to highlight firefighters, the first responders and our police officers.

This man really just leaned in for the service workers.

The work he did in infrastructure.

We are hitting at all.

We are hitting at all, just remembering a great legislator is someone who puts themselves second.

And we are sort of remembering that he was selfless in this political world and put people first.

Briana: I wonder if there were any words of wisdom he left you, or paths he helped you down along your career.

>> Absolutely.

He was the first mayor that I knew, growing up in the city of Patterson.

He was also an assemblyman and of course ascended to the Congress.

I got to work with him closely on the revitalization of the stadium, the naming of a National Park, and he loved to work on Patterson and just taking care of our servicemen and women and making sure that mental health was a priority, benefits were a priority to him.

His legislative career is something that I admire and that I aspire to match in service first and the work I do in the assembly.

Briana: Very quickly, out of respect for the Congressman, we are not going to talk about the jockeying for a seat, but you did consider a primary against him.

You have made it known that seeking federal office is something that is in your sites.

Will you put your name out there to be considered for someone who might be the nominee now?

>> At this time, we are sending love to his family.

During the early part of the year, I raised my hand to show I was interested in the seat, should it become available.

I respected the Congressman's interest in continuing the term.

We will deal with those things as they come up.

Right now, we are sending love to the family.

Briana: Of course.

Thank you so much.

Governor Murphy and the Democratic leaders now need to decide whether they will hold a special election to fill Pascrell's vacant seat for the few months remaining in the term, or leave it open until after November 5.

That is one of many conversations taking place among insiders who are at the Democratic national convention in Chicago this week, where Vice President shall nominee Tim Walz is headlining tonight's big speeches.

The Obamas led an impassioned call to American voters on Tuesday night, pledging to help the Harris campaign in the final 11 weeks until the election, and called on all Democrats to do the same.

Reaching back to former President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign theme, saying hope is making a comeback, while also diverting from their typical remarks to directly attack Donald Trump.

For more on how the convention is translating for voters watching at home, I'm joined by veteran GOP strategist Chris Russell and Democratic strategist Dan Brian, who is at the convention in Chicago.

Chris and Dan, thanks so much for joining me.

As we come on the air, I would like to get your thoughts about Bill Pascrell.

Dan, I will start with you, a stalwart of the Democrat party.

Dan: it is a really sad day.

Anyone that followed Bill Pascrell, he was not only a New Jersey treasure -- he was an American treasure.

He was a character.

He cared deeply about not only our state that his community in Patterson.

He had great stories.

They don't make them like Bill Pascrell anymore.

He was incredibly effective.

He was incredibly -- he truly cared about the job and about the people.

He is going to be greatly missed not only on a personal level, but on a professional level here in New Jersey.

Briana: Bill also had some cross party appeal and I like to think about his work with a lot of the first responders, and especially post 9/11.

What we remember about him?

Chris: This was an old-school politician, right?

Someone who knew how to throw a punch, knew how to take a punch, and really had a career in public service in his home city of Patterson, which he was so committed to.

He did have relationships with both sides of the aisle, despite the fact he had really sharp elbows.

You are not going to see guys like Bill Pascrell a lot anymore.

I think politics is changing and he represents an old guard, but one that I think will be missed.

Briana: He was not afraid to go there.

That is for sure.

Chris: No, he was not.

Briana: Let me shift gears to the topic at hand, which is the convention.

Dan, you are in Chicago.

Last night, folks got not just one but two Obama's.

Do you see that enthusiasm translating into votes?

Michelle Obama essentially called on people to do something and get out there and work for this campaign.

Dan: Yeah, I mean I will start here.

I was not at the convention in 2000 eight in Denver when Barack Obama was first nominated, but everyone here in Chicago is comparing this convention in the amount of energy and enthusiasm you are seeing to that one.

Obviously, both Michelle and Barack Obama were phenomenal, incredible last night.

It is going to be tough to top.

But it has been a really successful first two days.

But you are right.

You put on a show and there are going to be viewers.

It has got to translate to votes.

Even writing the crowds we have seen, Kamala Harris is still pretty much 50/50 when you look at the weighted averages right now.

So not only do they have to stay where they are -- they have got to keep Eldon, especially in the typical -- the critical blue all swing states.

Briana: How do Republicans see this playing?

Chris: The Obamas are both great speakers.

Michelle Obama almost made reference to the fact that since Barack left the White House, we have been in a dark place.

Joe Biden has been president for the last four years and Kamala Harris has been the vice president.

That is the issue they are trying to move away from and that Republicans need to get back to.

This is about an administration that is not very popular.

Do not let Kamala Harris walk away from that.

Briana: Is there concern about the momentum building or that she is invoking the same excitement that Obama did in his 2008 run?

Chris: I was old enough to remember that a month ago Republicans had this great convention with all this excitement and momentum.

Things Avenue and flow in politics.

I think both parties will have these kind of spikes.

I think the 24/seven news cycle adds to that.

I think this race settles after Labor Day and you are going to have 55 days to sprint to the finish.

That is where the race will be decided.

To your point and Dan's point, the pulls her close.

The battleground states are all within the margin of error in the race still has to be decided.

I think the key for President Trump and Republicans is to get back on the issues that were working before the switch, which is talk about the economy, talk about immigration, talk about crime.

Focus there and make this about Kamala Harris's record, which is Joe Biden's record.

That is something Democrats are desperately trying to get away from.

Briana: Does it feel different?

I remember talking to folks leading up to the convention prior to when Biden dropped out, that some were seeing this as maybe it would be more of a somber event.

Maybe folks were not going to show up.

That certainly is not the case, at least from our vantage point here.

It seems like quite the party.

Does it feel different than it would have?

Dan: I can tell you that we had plenty of credentials about a month ago, and now you cannot find them.

It is definitely a lot of energy and enthusiasm.

Joe Biden has been a phenomenal president.

The polls never showed that.

People wanted new leadership.

To his credit, he put party and country above himself and stepped aside for Kamala Harris.

There is absolutely no question that you are seeing incredible momentum, enthusiasm, and energy.

There is excitement here.

I think it is far different than it would have been a month ago.

The current president has done an unbelievable job, but people are ready for a new candidate, and they are getting it.

Briana: Are they focusing on the issues question mark as Chris says, so much of what folks are talking about is economy and kitchen table issues.

Have Democrats steered too far away from that at this point?

Dan: Listen, if you were watching the program, here talked about affordability.

You hear about health care.

You are hearing about abortion.

You are hearing about things that are top of people's minds.

These are the kitchen table issues, especially in a place like New Jersey, but around the country as well.

Affordability is top of mind with inflation.

They have been pretty laser focused on their messaging, I would say.

They put affordability number one and they know what motivates people to turn out, which is reproductive rights and everything else the Democrats stand for.

But they put affordability number one in almost all their speeches.

Briana: Democrats reached out and brought in a few former comps supporters, Republicans, to speak out and sort of offer and indictment of him.

How successful was that, in your eyes, from watching this convention?

Chris: I don't think successful.

I think all of that stuff is baked in the cake.

The Republicans had the president of the Teamsters speak at their convention.

We have gone through this metamorphosis we are still going through in our politics and our partisanship, where there are people who are changing sides.

I don't think that stuff impacts Donald Trump.

You look at the Obamas last night, one thing that struck me was how negative their speeches were.

That was not a hallmark of either of them.

Remember if they go low, we go high?

It was they go low, we go lower.

I think I am struck by how negative their convention has been in that regard.

I think they realize they still have to take down Donald Trump.

Things like having former Republicans come up and speak, I don't think the average person at home is moved by that stuff.

Briana: Thanks to you both.

Appreciate it.

Here are some other key stories we are following tonight.

The state is making major changes to how it handles sexual assault cases.

The Attorney General is now mandating that all sexual assault forensic exam kits, also known as rape or safe kits, are tested.

Once the victim releases the kit to law enforcement.

The directive also covers all previously untested kits, dating back to 2019, and states every kit, regardless of how old, will have to be tested by the end of 2025.

According to the Attorney General's office, this is part of a larger effort to improve her sexual assault survivors are treated.

But it will also clear a backlog of some 1200 untested rape kits estimated to have been in law enforcement's position between 2018 through 2020.

That data is according to a nonprofit organization called into the backlog -- end the backlog, which tracks these reforms nationwide.

New Jersey was one of roughly a dozen states that allow prosecutors to override survivor request for a kit to be tested.

Lawmakers are also considering a bill that would codify this mandate into state law.

Another story we have been following all summer -- the delays and disruptions that have plagued New Jersey transit writers for the past few months.

The root cause is still being determined, but Amtrak and NJ transit this week issued the first in a series of progress reports, detailing their efforts to improve rail service.

We now know the agencies meet at least twice a week to review all delays that last longer than six minutes.

They talk about ways to fix it, which include the possibility of expanding overnight work to speed up the pace of repairs.

The agencies also say they are inspecting equipment like the wire systems that run above trains, which are a known pain point for delays.

>> the long and short is that trains are not a priority in America.

They have never in modern times prioritize trains or rail travel at the national level or the state level, and that has carried on through New Jersey.

If lawmakers in the state thought that NJ transit was a priority, they could certainly provide a dedicated fee, and they did that sort of in the latest budget deal.

There is a dedicated fee for the first time.

That is coming from a tax on businesses.

But that is not set in stone.

Briana: Anyone who has faced a serious health condition knows that medical bills can be crushing.

This week, state leaders announce they are using leftover federal money from the American rescue plan to help erase roughly $100 million in medical debt for residents.

The move is expected to help upwards of 50,000 people who live here.

Our correspondent reports this may be just the start.

>> It felt like a huge sword above my head.

>> Amanda is still struggling to pay for costly medical treatment after a stage for leukemia diagnosis.

She is hoping to be among the almost 50,000 Jersey residents who could get $100 million in medical debts forgiven after a partnership with a medical nonprofit.

It will use federal funds to buy and then erase the Bergeson bills they could never -- burdensome bills they could never pay.

>> It really shakes you.

You start to wonder, is this what my life is worth?

Is this the price tag?

>> You go directly to those hospitals and by their bad debt for pennies on the dollar.

A thousand dollar debt could be bought for $10 or less.

>> Allison Sasso says they have signed a contract with New Jersey to eventually spend $10.5 million in federal aid to buy medical debts at deep discounts.

What happens next?

>> Once we get our hands on the debt, unlike a for-profit debt buyer, we erase it.

Individuals take no action on their own.

They get a surprise letter in the mail that says we are a nonprofit organization and we partner with XYZ donor or government entity, and we have relieved your debt, and you no longer owe it, and there is no tax consequences because we are a disinterested third party.

>> The first round spent $550,000 to relieve more than $62 million in medical debts from almost 18,000 residents from prime health care.

Another 32,000 folks will see $38 million in debt relief.

And it is just the beginning of millions more in leveraged buyout's.

Governor Murphy stated with this strategic investment in our partnership with undo, we are wiping the slate clean for thousands of New Jersey families, eliminating their debt and making a real tangible impact on their lives.

>> We got rid of $13 billion in medical debt today, and we have done it in all 50 states.

>> To qualify, undo requires you to earn four times the federal poverty rate.

>> 400% of poverty for a family of three is making over $100,000 a year, so that is middle-class, working-class families that we are targeting.

>> Governor Murphy last month signed a bill that immediately barred creditors from reporting most debts to rating agencies.

It will also cap interest on those debts at 3%, require payment plans with grace periods and Bana ineligible residents.

New Jersey citizen actions Laura says some people ration health care.

>> They don't want to add to the debt.

So they are not going to the doctor.

They are not buying the prescriptions that they may need.

>> I have a couple of medications that I cannot afford to take and I have not taken.

That has impacted my health.

I cannot see -- I don't have a PCP right now.

I go to an urgent care and I/O them some money.

So I can't go to them without paying.

>> She has beaten back the leukemia and she is looking for a job so far, she has paid $15,000 in medical bills, but owes another five, and says she hopes to get a letter from undo.

Briana: In our spotlight on business report tonight, stocks were higher today after minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting showed most officials favor a September rate cut if inflation continues to cool.

Here is how the markets closed.

Finally, targeting those most at risk for opioid abuse.

More and more research shows student athletes are far more likely to be prescribed opioids for pain, and at increased risk for misusing them.

As part of the knockout opioid abuse program, some high school kids in Jefferson Township got a chance to hear from a former NFL player and New Jersey native who made it big but nearly lost it all.

He now wants to help student have -- student athletes avoid the same mistakes.

Ted Goldberg reports.

>> My message is, I am a survivor.

If I can do it, anything -- anyone can do it.

Ted: He survived an opioid addiction that nearly killed him.

He is visiting 10 schools this year with partnership for a drug-free New Jersey.

>> Getting this message early, we think, is really crucial, because it gives them an opportunity to understand that if an injury does occur, there are alternatives to opioids that they should be looking at.

Ted: Lucas''s message is that addiction to opioids can happen to anyone at any age, including standout athletes.

>> It is not the guy on the street.

It is not the guy dancing.

It affects every single one.

It does not matter creed, religion.

Whoever you are, you probably have someone in your family who struggled with opioid addiction.

>> I think he has an ability to really connect with young people, having had the same experiences as many of these young people.

>> He makes it vital and real life.

He is someone you can look up to as learning from their experiences.

Exit to the forefront.

Having them in these kinds of settings makes it more real for them.

Ted: Lucas spoke at Jefferson Township high school this week.

The athletic director has seen the effects of addiction firsthand.

>> Roommates of mine had very similar stories to rate and unfortunately are no longer with us because of the struggles they had to deal with around addiction.

Ted: The visit was cohosted by prevention is key, and addiction treatment center in Mercer County.

They say injuries can lead young athletes to addiction.

>> I blew out my knee.

I tore all the ligaments in my knee.

Luckily, with my mom's help, she had experience with players she played with with opioid addiction and everything like that, so I stayed away from those.

>> I have had 33 surgeries so far.

Six and, 19 knee injuries, five right shoulder, to right elbow, to name a few.

I'm going in for another surgery.

Ted: Lucas hopes young people listen to his speeches and consider other ways to deal with pain.

>> What else can I take besides opioids?

If I would've known back then that you can do a nerve block -- I have hadn't surgeries, major, with a nerve block, and made it through with no opioids.

>> It is prescribed by a doctor.

I think they believe it is OK.

I do believe there are necessities and instances where they are needed, but when it turns into abuse and over prescribed medications, it can be misunderstood because not a lot of people talk about this topic.

Ted: Lucas is not shy on this topic -- or many others.

He says if one person is saved from opioid addiction, it will make his speeches worth it.

In Oak Ridge, I am Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: That does it for us tonight.

A reminder to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen to us anytime.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

For the entire team, thanks for being with us tonight.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

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♪