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Briana: Tonight on "NJ Spotlight News" -- Hostage, freed.

A woman with New Jersey ties is released by Hamas in this week's prisoner exchange.

Her father shares his seven-week horror, not knowing if she was dead or alive.

>> There are so many people hanging between the sky and the ground.

My heart goes out to them.

Briana: Also New York Representative George Santos is expelled from Congress.

>> The very fine line Republicans are walking already with their majority gets even thinner.

Briana: Two political analysts break down this historic event and all the other New Jersey political news of the week.

Plus a tentative deal after 120 days, our hospital finally reaches an agreement with its 1700 striking nurses.

And a life of resiliency.

The final episode of our "21" film series profiles Kashinda Marche.

>> I owe it to them to be an example, you are worthy, you are enough, you are beautiful.

Briana: "NJ Spotlight News" begins right now.

♪ >> From NJ PBS Studios, this is NJ Spotlight news with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: Good evening and thanks for joining us on this Friday night.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

The blood a between Israel and Hamas has resumed after the collapse of a seven-day truce with each side blaming the other.

The Israeli military restarted strikes on Gaza, accusing Hamas of violating the cease-fire agreement by firing a rocket at Israel just before the deal expired.

Hamas denies those claims.

The temporary pause infighting allowed for the release of more than 105 hostages being held in the Gaza Strip and 240 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Israel.

International mediators say the fresh combat complicates mediation efforts, but that negotiations are continuing, with the aim of returning to a pause.

Still, Israel's immediate bombing of Gaza has already killed another estimated 100 Palestinians, in addition to more than 13,000 total in the war, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Israeli Defense forces estimate 100 people were killed in the October 7 Hamas attack, and around 140 people are still being held captive.

Those on the ground say they are bracing in agony for this next round of war, including Israeli American -- an is really American hotels are correspondent Brenda Flanagan his daughter was amongst the most recent hostages released, she is safe now at home but his son-in-law is not.

>> one his back and one is that.

Reporter: A grueling wait and joy and grief.

His daughter was taken hostage during the October 7 terror attack.

Their family spent more than 50 days hoping for news, watching each hostage released.

Hamas finally let her go in the second to last exchange.

>> Without a doubt, this has been one hell of a roller coaster ride, on the one hand, our daughter was released from captivity in Gaza.

Reporter: But the f amily's joy lasted less than 24 hours -- family's joy lasted less than 24 hours, when they got a phone call about Aviv .

>> Up until yesterday, my sons body was still being held in Hamas.

Reporter: They are spread out but close knit.

He attended Rutgers.

>> Is from New Jersey -- He's from New Jersey.

Reporter: His daughters have dual citizenship.

His daughter lives in Oregon.

They often vacationed in the U.S. together.

Now they have gathered to plan his funeral.

>> We will mourn and rejoice together, as strange and difficult as that is.

Reporter: He calls his daughter very strong.

The 49-year-old has got three kids aged 18 to 22.

She has a high school teacher and a guide at Israel's Holocaust Museum.

Her family advocated with diplomats for her release.

She says -- He says she was fortunate.

>> She was being held by a civilian employee of Hamas, something like that.

So the people who were holding her are being paid to hang onto her -- were being paid to hang onto her.

She was held in relatively good conditions that in no way reflects the situation further hostages.

Reporter: Now that the week long cease-fire has come to a sudden end and the hostage exchange is paused, his thoughts turned to the other families.

>> They are all terrified of the ramifications of what renewed fighting means.

Reporter: He tried to describe the feeling of waiting without word of hearing of a loved one in captivity.

>> My family's personal tragedy aside, there are so many people hanging between the sky and the ground, in mid air, and my heart goes out to them.

Reporter: He is critical of the Red Cross for not doing more to help the hostages, but the agency says it was denied access to them.

He prays the Biden administration's negotiations and spoke with him in a phone call.

He hopes the government will face a reckoning after the fighting stops.

After that -- >> The only thing left to do here is to figure out how to live together.

Reporter: He admits that could take generations.

I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight news.

Briana: Meanwhile that was a historic day for Congress, the house today, voting to expel embattled New Yorker presented of George Santos.

All 12 of New Jersey's congressional members voted for his ousting.

It is the sixth time in U.S. history the chamber has kicked a member out, and it hasn't happened in more than 20 years.

Here to talk about this and other political headlines of the week are Chris Russell and Dan Brian.

Dan and Chris, thanks so much.

I want to start with the news of the day.

It's a pretty big moment in Congress.

George Santos has been expelled from the chamber.

This is only the third time since the Civil War, according to just about every historian.

And yet, this is a saga that has been going on now since right after he got elected, why were Republicans hesitant to vote for his exposure -- his explosion, Chris?

>> I don't think all Republicans were, a lot of Republicans including this one think he is a pretty and sensible human being, a lot of the things he said and did were dealt with in a court of law -- were dealt with in a court of law, there is a process to these things in Congress, nothing moves quickly, certainly when it is something historic like this, expelling a member from the chamber, it is a somber thing, frankly, that someone is in there that should be expelled, but I think it was the right choice.

I think it was something that there is broad bipartisan agreement on.

Briana: The world course charges that he stole money from his own campaign, lied about his family and career.

But Dan, what will this mean for Democrats now, in terms of the razor thin majority that exists in the house?

>> The very fine line Republicans are walking already with their majority gets even thinner.

I think that this is obviously a very extreme case with Congressman Santos -- former Congressman Santos, given how crazy the whole situation was, clearly Republicans didn't want to be with him, trying to keep and expend the majority.

Is not going to stop the Democrats -- It's not going to stop the Democrats.

It took a year to deal with this.

Clearly it's a conversation Democrats would love to have and they will keep having it, despite this happening today.

Briana: Congestion pricing, everyone's talking about this, whether you want used to use -- what folks to use mass transit.

It is a lot of money, what are the political ramifications of this?

We know a lot of elected officials on the state have been railing against it.

>> I think when you see Governor Murphy and the congressman on the side of the river and other people on the other side of the break were like the Republican -- the river like Republican congressmen and others against congestion pricing and against this commuter tax is really what it is, you know that it's bad for people who have to drive in and out of the city all the time.

I think we all would like to see certainly good things for the environment.

But hammering the people who already pay the highest taxes and the highest cost of living in the country with yet another -- frankly yet another tax is just out of the question.

I think there's broad bipartisan support on both sides of the river for this for people who don't live in the city.

Briana: This was an issue that came up while you were in the administration working under the governor, Dan, what do you suppose the conversations are now?

>> The biggest issue Governor Murphy has had with the congestion pricing scheme was less the policy in theory, it was more in practice, this was done without input from New Jersey, in a way that unfairly impacts New Jersey commuters.

So I think there's a way this could have been done to gain everyone's support, including from this side of the river.

The way it was done -- jammed down New Jersey's, it impacts New Jersey commuters.

It is an unfair tax.

I think there is a long way to go to make sure this is successful from their point of view and there no doubt Governor Murphy and others continue to work on this 24/7.

Briana: Safe to say you are working on a Senate campaign?

>> Yes.

Briana: Research came out from a Rutgers professor looking into the party line, we all know what this is, the First Lady got a number of additional endorsements this week, not to mention Essex County executive Joe D., a number of black ministers and activists, is it an unfair positioning for folks who have this political cloud -- do you agree with that assessment or disagree?

>> The county line was there before Tammy Murphy and before Governor Murphy got involved in New Jersey politics.

I would think it's going to be there afterwards as well.

I think it is unfair and a bit cynical to pin the entire system on her right now.

The most important thing for her is delivering for working families and continuing to make the changes she's been able to make over the last six years.

I think the play coming out of others in this campaign are a bit cynical especially those who have been elected on the county line before multiple times.

All of a sudden this is -- They are trying to put it at Tammy's feet.

What she is focused on right now, one of the reasons she's been able to build the support she has a bent on the state -- she's been there.

-- she has been up and down the state, she's been there.

She's developed close relationships with people with faith leaders, community leaders, advocates, a lot of those folks and those voices have come out to support her as well.

Is a bit of an outsize focus on her here.

To the extent people want to have a conversation, they can have that, but that should be divorced from this current primary.

Briana: Chris, your response?

>> I respect Dan.

He is right that it should be laid at her feet exclusively.

She's benefited from them.

But it's crazy to say she is not benefiting from being the governor's wife, having that clout and being able to maneuver people to support her thoughts on the line.

The line is an advantage.

That's what people were so hard to win these conventions and win the support of certain stakeholders across the state.

I would say however I think it is a fantastic talking point and I think he will use it with great effect.

The one thing I don't think we've seen in the state in a while is someone who has been completely shut out of the line, which appears he will be or close to it, being able to mount that campaign with the resources and organizational skills he has come I worked against the guy in 2018 lost a very narrow risk but I gained respect for him in that regard.

He is not to be taken lightly.

If they do, they could rue the day they did.

I think it's a great talking point for him.

Briana: Chris Brussel -- Chris Russell and then Brian, thank you so much.

After nearly four months on the picket line, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and its striking nurses have reached an agreement.

Hospital leaders today said they have worked out terms for a new contract, 120 days after the hospital's 1700 nurses first walked off the job.

Details are not being revealed, but the head of the nurses Union said in a statement today that the contract includes enforceable safe staffing standards for the very first time.

That was a sticking point in the negotiations.

But it is still not a done deal.

The nurses who are represented by United Steelworkers for 200 have to ratify the agreement which could happen as early as next week.

And both sides have been here before.

Reaching a contract agreement back in July that was rejected by union members leading to the strike.

Since then the hospital says it spent more than $120 million on replacement nurses to keep the facility running, while nurses have been without paychecks and health benefits.

A spokesperson for the hospital today said this latest contract agreement "reflects our shared goals of providig high-quality -- the highest quality patient care and providing a safe and supportive working environment for our nurses."

In our spotlight on business report, the state of New Jersey will have to cough up 26 million dollars in tax incentives for HOLTEC International.

An appeals court on Thursday ruled in favor of the energy technology company in its long legal battle with the New Jersey development Authority which accuses HOLTEC of misleading state officials when the company applied for a $260 million incentive package back in 2014.

The EDA accused HOLTEC of exaggerating a competing offer from South Carolina and found the company left out that it was disbarred from doing work in New Jersey for 60 days in 2010.

At that time, HOLTEC said the omission was an oversight, but the state in 2018 said it was a contract violation and withheld the tax credits after the program came under scrutiny.

The appeals court this week agreed with the lower court ruling that the application was confusing and the EDA was to blame.

Turning now to Wall Street, here's how the markets closed for the week.

♪ June and this weekend to "NJ business beat" with Raven Santana, talking about the growth of artificial intelligence as well as a wide range and uses for the technology, including security at schools and boardwalks.

Watch at Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. on NJ PBS.

♪ Briana: Tonight, we are posting the final episode in our "21" digital film series.

The project that examines the simple question of, does where you live in the state affect how you live?

"21" profiles one person in each of our 21 counties and looks at the social determinants that affect that person's life.

This last film introduces us to Union County's Kashinda Marche.

She is living with HIV, struggled with mental health issues, but along the way she discovered her authentic self.

This fueled her mission to combat the stigma and that night her passion for community outreach.

Empowering others through daily affirmations and self belief.

Proving that resiliency defines us, not always the challenges we face.

I had the pleasure of meeting her and hear her story.

You have left quite a life.

I'm so honored to talk to you.

How do you go from -- I've heard you describe it as being confused, scared, mad about the health issues that you have gone through, to becoming a voice of empowerment.

Kashinda: it was quite -- or is quite the journey, one that I never really could've imagined for my life.

There was a moment where I felt I had no future.

And so, that was a pretty dark place.

And so, to go from all the things that go along with living in such a dark place, because I could go on and on about that, but that transition, that moment when you begin to see yourself as were the -- as worthy, and you get to start believing in yourself, that you can be bigger, you can be better, you can do better.

And when you finally see yourself as being more than any diagnosis or any illness, or any stigma, when you can begin to see yourself as more than that, your whole world changes.

The whole world around you changes.

So, fr me -- So, for me, I feel like, to have experienced such a gift, even with all the bad things that have happened, I owe it to the next person that may be living in such a dark place, or not have that belief in themselves or feel like they are worthy to be loved.

I owe it to them to be an example that, no, you are worthy, you are enough, you are beautiful, you know?

You deserve love.

And you can be better.

Briana: Can you do that now for other women and girls, you give them these mental wellness tools, you call them, which I really like, mental wellness tools -- what do you do in the nonprofit that you created?

And how do you see that really giving this generation of folks who have challenges in front of them the ability to not just overcome but to live their best life?

>> Yes.

-- Kashinda: Yes.

First of all, you have to recognize the creation of "Kreative on Purpose" -- That's the name of the nonprofit.

Creative with a "k." "Kreative on Purpose."

We provide mental wellness tools.

Mental wellness is so much more than just your mental capacity.

It is the link to every other part of life.

And so, we feel like, by creatively offering different tools, that can help you build your self-esteem, learn about self-esteem, find your own voice.

Going down the road of self-discovery.

Self-awareness.

If we can help build your confidence and your strength in these areas, then you become unstoppable.

And so, affirmations are a part of it.

A big part of it is just leading by example.

Just kind of demonstrating and owning my story in a way to where I am not ashamed of it anymore.

Briana: Yeah.

Kashinda: And I think that is the best way to show people themselves.

It is life-changing for them.

That's the best thing that I can do and put forward, is just living the life that God has purposed me with.

There have been countless times where I have faced death.

So many occasions.

Briana: You were diagnosed with HIV as a new mom.

He went through multiple brain surgeries.

You lost your ability to walk.

You use a wheelchair now, for quite a few years.

Kashinda: Yeah, since 2019, it was official that my legs was totally, like, that's it -- Prior to that, had a slow walk, I was using mobility aids, a walker and a cane.

Net adjustment -- it just has been starting over, readjustment, realignment.

One after another after another.

Briana: A lot of people would've just been like, I'm down and out.

Kashinda: I've been there, I've been there multiple times.

But something deep inside of me cap lifting me up -- kept lifting me up.

Because I knew I didn't have the strength to do it.

I used to be one that spoke more than I listen to sometimes you can tell.

But I do, you know?

[LAUGHTER] And that's something that you give a person, like -- People that feel unheard, when you finally give them a moment to be heard, it is life-changing.

Briana: I have to ask then, how did growing up in Union County shape how you pursued your life to get to this point?

Kashinda: I received services from Union County.

There were times in my life where I had to live with my parents.

You know -- these health ups and downs.

There are so many resources and things available.

And I just appreciate -- For me, it's a blessing, when you get to experience different ways of life.

Not necessarily that one is better than the other, you know?

Just different ways of life.

Briana: Kashinda, you are a blessing, to everyone you have been able to help.

Thank you for sharing your story.

Thank you so much for being part of this "21" series.

Kashinda: thank you.

It's been a wonderful experience.

Thank you for having me.

.

Briana: You can see our full interview and Kashinda's piece of the "21" film series and other extraordinary New Jersey residents featured in the series at the website on your screen.

That's going to do it for us tonight.

This weekend, be sure to tune into "Reporters' Roundtable" with David Cruz.

They will discuss new research on the power of the party line and how it could affect the race for U.S. Senate.

and on Chat Box -- Frustrations on the roads, rails, and buses.

That is Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. on NJPBS.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

For all of us from "NJ Spotlight News," thanks for being here.

We will see you back here Monday.

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♪ ♪