>> Funding for NJ Spotlight News is brought to you by members of the New Jersey education Association, making public schools great for every child.

Briana: The Democratic presidential ticket is a done deal.

Vice President Harris picks Tim Walz as her running mate.

>> You have someone Kamala Harris has picked who is confident and could take over if someone -- if something happens to her as president.

Briana: Plus, Republicans for heroes.

Former New Jersey governor Whitman is lending her name to back Harris for president.

>> I hope it sends a message that it is OK to support Kamala Harris, whether you agree with all her positions or not.

Briana: Also, a massive crash in the market yesterday sent investors scrambling, but experts say don't touch your 401(k).

>> I would tell everybody to take a deep breath, exhale, relax.

The sky is not falling.

Briana: And the state unveils new regulations on coastal development to protect communities from rising sea levels.

>> The first rule of holes is that when you are in one, stop digging.

These rules adopt that philosophy.

Briana: NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

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

Briana: Kid evening and thanks for joining us on this Tuesday night.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

The 2024 Democratic presidential ticket is official.

Vice President Kamala Harris has tapped Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to serve as her running mate, a candidate with Midwestern appeal whose plainspoken attacks against Former President Donald Trump catapulted him ahead of other perhaps more lively vice presidential contenders.

Harris called Walz a battle tested leader in an email blast after making the announcement public on social media.

Walz called it an honor of a lifetime to be selected.

The 60-year-old former teacher and Army National Guard veteran currently chairs the Democratic Governors Association and served for 12 years in Congress.

As David Cruz reports, Democrats have been quick to rally around Walz and the progressive policies he has championed.

Reporter: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is getting hugs from kids after signing a school nutrition bill in 2023.

Aww shucks is right, but this is also Tim Walz talking about Republicans and launching the weird name.

Governor Walz: These are weird people on the underside.

They want to take books away, be in your exam room.

These are weird ideas.

Reporter: They announce these things nowadays by weight used to be called tweets.

First Harris making her choice known and then Walz accepting and reposting.

The pair were scheduled to appear jointly at a rally in Philadelphia today.

Reaction among Democrats was pretty positive.

One convention delegate says Walz checks all the boxes on progressive policies -- reproductive rights, health care, gun regulations, etc., but his resume, Army reservist, schoolteacher, Governor, Congressman, is what she thinks sets him apart.

>> Those are things people can gravitate to and say this guy knows how to govern.

I think the difference between Kamala Harris's choice and Trump's choice is Trump chosen someone who to me is not necessarily fit to be president if something were to happen to Donald Trump.

Yet you have someone who Kamala Harris has picked who is clearly someone competent and could actually take over if something happened to her as president.

David: A Democratic insider in the room says Walz was not her first choice but agrees he is a good one with a demeanor she hopes appeals to moderate voters.

>> She has got to be the far-right's biggest nightmare because so far she is doing everything right.

I am thrilled.

I am absolutely thrilled, and I am ready to take a leave or something to get on the campaign trail for a couple months.

David: J.D.

Vance, Walz's Republik and counterpart, was ready with a quit as he boarded a plane to Philadelphia for what we assume is a separate event.

Sen. Vance: they make an interesting tagteam because Tim Walz allowed rioters to burn down Minneapolis in the summer of 2020 and Kamala Harris helped nail him out of jail -- and when they got caught, Kamala Harris helped bail them out of jail.

David: he says in that regard, Walz played the last few weeks perfectly.

>> I think he won the audition.

For the last few weeks, he has been all over TV, all over cable.

He has proved himself to be very effective on the stump, an ethic that had a lot to do with him sort of coming out of nowhere for a lot of people and becoming a lot of people's favorite, because he was so good out there.

He may Democrats feel good.

David: Feeling good about the ticket is something Democrats need, after a biting candidacy that could have proven disastrous.

The center of the campaign has shifted, and Harris has shown that she has chosen a running mate who his just middle-of-the-road enough to do no harm and maybe do some good.

I'm David Cruz, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: It is not just Democrats backing the ticket.

Former New Jersey Governor Christie Todd Whitman is one of roughly two dozen Republicans who officially endorsed Kamala Harris for president this weekend, helping to launch the Republicans for Harris group with support from governors and other blue states like Illinois and Massachusetts as part of a nationwide effort to win over anti-Trump voters.

They are doing it by directly from hearing from other Republicans who are making the same choice.

She joins me now.

Governor, thank you so much for letting us a few minutes of your time this evening.

Let me ask you first about your take on the vice president's vice presidential choice.

Mr. Tim Walz.

>> I think it is a good choice for her.

I am delighted she did pick a governor, because it is nice to know you have someone in that second position who understands how to make government work.

He has also been in Congress.

He has been a high school football coach and a teacher and has bit in the military, so he checks a lot of the boxes.

He is down to earth, very popular.

I think it is going to stand her in good stead.

Briana: Although he is quite progressive and some may see this as her doubling down on the progressive base, I am curious if you think that is the right move.

Ms. Whitman: If you listen to what she has been saying recently, I think she has been moving more to the center, and the vice president will do what he tells them to do.

He has passed laws to protect a woman's rights to have an aortion.

He believes in a working family.

I can't disagree with those things.

I have my cautions about it.

I am not as liberal as the people who are objecting to him would say he was.

I don't agree with all the more extreme positions.

I worry about the budget, about some of the social positions that could be taken by the Congress as far as as paying for everything.

that is fine, I would love it.

In a perfect world, that would be great, but we have to watch spending at the same time.

Briana: You have made no bones about the fact that you are not a fan of Former President Donald Trump and that under no circumstance would support him, so you have thrown your support behind this new group, Republicans for Harris.

What is your involvement with that apparatus?

Ms. Whitman: Right now my focus is really not with that.

I have learned him my name because I believe that she is a better choice for our country than the ex-president is.

The Republican party as I knew it, that when I grew up in here it -- the one I grew up in here in New Jersey, believed in the rule of law, would never have accepted January 6 or excused it, believed in the fact that you have a transfer of power after an election, once an election was over, it was over.

It was not misogynist, not racist.

These are things we have seen from Donald Trump over the years.

I do not believe he has what it takes or what we want to have in our presidency.

I believe there are many Republicans who are uncomfortable with him, and I don't know if they will go with Governor Walz's "weird," but it is certainly not the kind of approach to governance with which we are comfortable.

That is why I think it is important to support that, but the forward party is not involved in the presidential.

We are focusing solely on state and local, and we support Republicans, Democrats, independents as long as we check them out to make sure they are credible, but as long as they sign our pledge of principles, they have to do that publicly, and those principles are pretty darn simple.

They agree to respect the rule of law, work with anyone to solve problems, create a safe space to discuss controversial issues, and work to open the process so anyone who is legally able to vote can vote, and we believe it is up to the state or the candidate to decide what the issues are that are most important to that state.

What do the candidates believe and what do their constituents want?

Not what some party in Washington tells them to do.

Briana: Governor, are you concerned that the forward party -- this is the third party you have cochaired along with Andrew Yang -- is getting muddled in the shuffle of all of this?

Am I to understand that we will not see you at any rallies for the vice president?

Ms. Whitman: No, the forward party is not taking a position.

Individually we can, but the forward party is not that.

The forward party is looking at your local races, statewide races.

We have endorsed a couple of congressional and senatorial candidates, but generally we are strictly state and local.

Those are the positions that make the decisions that most immediately impact your daily life.

They most immediately impact your daily life.

Also, no matter who wins this election, we know there are going to be lawsuits after them, so you want to have people in the positions that oversee the outcomes of elections who have agreed that they will uphold the rule of law with respect to the Constitution.

Briana: So by lending your name separate from the Forward Party, what are you hoping to achieve with perhaps other like-minded Republicans or others who are not yet swayed?

Ms. Whitman: I hope it sends a message that it is OK to do this.

It is OK to support Kamala Harris, whether you agree with all her positions or not.

I don't agree with all of her positions.

but it is OK in this cycle because it is so important to keep someone from the White House who has clearly said they are going to weaponize the Justice Department, go after their enemies.

Anybody that has crossed paths with him who has not knelt down and said yes, yes, whatever you say it going to be attacked.

This is not our country.

I want Republicans to understand you don't have to do it every election, but this election is so important because of the dramatic change to our status in the world, to our status as a democracy, should Donald Trump get into the White House.

Briana: Former Governor Christine Todd Whitman, who has decided to back Kamala Harris in her bid for presidency.

Thank you so much, Governor.

Ms. Whitman: Good to be with you.

Take care.

Briana: The parental rights group Moms for Liberty is gaining ground ahead of the November election with slates of school board members will also be on the ballot.

The national organization, which was founded just three years ago, has quickly become a central figure in ongoing battles over how sexuality, gender, and racism are taught in schools.

Now organizers say membership in New Jersey is booming and new chapters are forming across the state, so what is driving the interest?

Our education and child welfare writer Hannah Gross is with me in the studio to explain.

Good to see you.

Membership is doubling in some cases.

Why is that?

Hannah: The Bergen County membership doubled to what seems like more than 1000 members, according to the chapter chair.

A lot of this increase has been tied to recent Biden administration changes to title IX, which expands protections for transgender students.

Briana: Why is Moms for Liberty getting involved, and what are they doing?

Hannah: In one lawsuit out of Kansas, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit party federal Department of Education cannot enforce the changes in groups belonging to the plaintiffs, so that's four states, schools attended by Moms for Liberty's children.

Moms for Liberty is putting at a rallying cry and saying join our group, get your child's school on this list, so the department of education will not be able to enforce the changes.

Briana: So come join us, we are a part of this national movement that has caused a lot of polarizing action in schools, but in New Jersey we have a law against discrimination, so does it change anything for school districts here?

Hannah: Schools should not expect to see any changes except for maybe procedural ones about how title IX complaints are handled.

We have pretty strong antidiscrimination and anti-harassment, intimidation, and bullying laws here, and districts are still expected to comply.

Briana: But if there are schools in New Jersey who are eliminated from having to enforce title IX, how many of them exist, and do we expect to see more as the chapters grow?

Hannah: There are close to 40 schools on the list, and it is expected the list will continue to grow because Moms for Liberty will keep adding to it with their members who have added to it about every two weeks in court filings, but those districts still have to comply with state laws against discrimination.

The biggest difference is that the federal Department of education cannot enforce the title IX changes, but school officials still have to protect all of their LGBTQ students.

Briana: Let's zoom out to the bigger picture.

The influence here has been with the school board election is -- school board elections electing members who are of the same mind as Moms for Liberty, who are members of Moms for Liberty.

Do we expect the same firestorm this election cycle that we saw in the past few?

Hannah: It is a bit early to tell.

The filing deadline for school board candidates was at the end of July, and I am just beginning to sort through those lists.

Briana: I heard you on the phone earlier requesting a few.

What are you finding?

Hannah: I am getting the list of candidates.

There are some contested candidates, some seeds.

There is no one running for an open seat, so I do not know how strong it is going to be in November yet.

Briana: So ostensibly, membership is growing.

Chapters are forming.

I would assume there is more money behind this group and more money to get folks elected.

Have you been able to uncover anything in terms of financing?

Hannah: Voting members do pay dues so of funds are increasing, the organization is presumably going to have more money.

They are also encouraging their members to run for school board.

There is more reporting to be done, for sure.

Briana: We know you will stay on it.

Hannah, thanks so much.

The group of New Jersey parents are back in court with an updated lawsuit challenging the state's policy to store blood drawn from every baby born here without first getting parental consent.

The practice is used to screen newborns for diseases, but several parents last year filed a federal class-action lawsuit when it was made public that the blood spots were used by the state for other purposes and sometimes stored for decades.

The amended complaint comes after several -- after settlement negotiations broke down between the state and the plaintiffs, and after Attorney General Matlack and announced in June New Jersey will only store samples for two to 10 years now along with restrictions to their use.

An attorney for the plaintiffs says the changes failed to get informed consent to hold onto the samples beyond that initial screening, and parents who are a part of the suit argue changes are not ironclad.

>> Information is unique to them.

What can be done with this information now is different than what could be done a few years from now.

That could all be an informed decision that someone intentionally makes.

Briana: The state this week published long-awaited changes to land use rules that will strengthen resilience to sea level rise and flooding by putting regulations on development in New Jersey's coastal communities.

Advocates argue the goal is to protect those neighborhoods along with infrastructure in and around them, while business groups say the guidelines dubbed real rules is a regulatory overreach.

Senior correspondent Joanna Gagis has the story.

>> The first rule of holes is that when you are in one, stop digging.

These rules adopt that philosophy.

Joanna: A group of environmentalists gathered today to celebrate the Department of Environmental Protection publishing a new set of guidelines for developing around the shore.

>> It is the first in the country to integrate climate change impacts into land-use regulations, and these will make us safer.

Joanna: Called REAL, the DEP says it will make New Jersey homes and businesses more resilient as the state deals with sea level rise.

>> Current projections indicate as much as 5.1 feet of sea level rise is likely by 2100 here in New Jersey, and nearly 2/3 of New Jersey's coastline is at high or very high risk of coastal erosion.

Joanna: These rules, as Hurricane Debbie is making its way up the coast, and NOAA, the National oceanic and atmospheric Association, projects New Jersey will see four to seven major storms this year alone, a category two or higher.

>> This rule is trying to anticipate where sea level rise due to climate change will bring those flood elevations.

It creates zones in which a new set of standards apply.

In that area, new housing and redevelopment will have to be built five feet above the base flood elevation.

Joanna: That is an increase from the three foot building rule set by Governor Chris Christie in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

It will also include guidelines around stormwater runoff and these coastal inundation zones will apply to redevelopment as well, which was previously exempt from state guidance.

>> Canoe rules say when you are redeveloping a site, A, you have to address the stormwater runoff -- that's brand-new -- and B, if you are adjacent to a wetland, you've got to roll the impervious surfaces, I believe it is 25 feet.

We need to allow the healing of the wetlands that are so critical to protect us from flooding.

Joanna: Business and industry advocates say the rules are too onerous and will drive people away from the shore.

They will no doubt appeal to the state for rollbacks during this 90 day open comment period.

A city engineer would like to see exemptions made for residential development.

>> I think for residential construction, a shorter-term approach, cutting that number in half was two or three feet of sea level rise to accommodate residential construction is probably more appropriate for our communities.

Joanna: And more affordable.

Plus, he says it will impact the overall economy.

>> Was in him is not just our local economy, but it comes out of the -- tourism is not just our local economy, but it comes out of the state economy.

There is going to be an impact.

It is going to raise cost on building and doing things.

Joanna: But Lucia Osborne says if we are talking costs, look at what it takes to recover costs.

>> We have already spent billions in federal funding to help rebuild properties lost from flood damage.

Then when you factor in the cost of wages lost, business closures, and other related losses, we have spent over $50 billion in the state alone from climate change.

Joanna: And there was the devastating loss of life.

The city will take comment on the proposed rules until early November.

In Asbury Park, I'm Joanna Gagis , NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: A massive blow to Google tops our spotlight on business report tonight.

In a stunning move on Monday, a federal court ruled the tech giant violated U.S. antitrust law with its search engine, and in doing so created an illegal monopoly by paying companies like Apple and Samsung billions of dollars a year to install Google as the default search engine on smartphones and web browsers.

According to a U.S. District Judge, it is no accident the term "Google it" has become synonymous with Internet searching.

The ruling claims the company abused its dominance on the market to stifle competition, but it does not include remedies.

This will be decided separately after Google appearance, which could take years, so that means no changes for users in the short-term, but eventually this case could reshape the search and mobile web industries.

Turning to Wall Street, stocks bounced back in a major way today following a three-day global selloff that wiped out a big chunk of gains made throughout 2024.

Investors were apparently fearful of recession on the horizon after a disappointing jobs report was released last Friday showing hiring slowed in the U.S. last month, just around the same time the Federal Reserve decided again not to cut interest rates.

It is part of a years long battle to tamp down on spending and borrowing in order to slow inflation.

On Monday, the index shed a colossal $1.3 trillion in value.

The S&P had its worst day in two years and cap its worst start to any month since 2002.

Analysts say you should not stress, you can tell that to your 401(k).

They slowdown was inevitable.

A professor of finance at Stockton University agrees.

>> Some people are saying all this signals we are heading for a recession.

The economic data does not indicate that yet, although it shows the economy slowing down significantly.

To be in a recession -- we are not in a recession -- we likely our slowing down, and we could see a recession perhaps as early as the fourth quarter or going into next year.

I would tell everybody take a deep breath, exhale, relax.

The sky is not falling.

Briana: There's also a good chance the Fed will cut interest rates quite a bit come September.

Here is a look at how the markets closed after today's big rally.

Briana: That's going to do it for us tonight, but before you go, a reminder to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen to us anytime.

I'm Rhianna Vannozzi.

For the entire team here, thanks for joining us.

Have a great night.

I will see you back here tomorrow.

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

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

And by the PSEG foundation.

>> Look at these kids.

What do you see?

I see myself.

I became an ESL teacher to give my students what I wanted when I came to this country.

The opportunity to learn, to dream, to achieve, a chance to belong and to be an American.

My name is Julia, and I am proud to be an NJEA member.

♪