>> funding for "NJ Spotlight News" provided by the members of the New Jersey education Association and RWJ Barnabas health.

Let's be healthy together.

>> Tonight on "NJ Spotlight News," the mayor of Hoboken is running for Congress officially launching a challenge to first Congressman Bob Menendez.

>> This race is not about political endorsements.

It is about the endorsement of the people who rose in June.

>> Plus, taking on gun companies.

New Jersey's AG claiming they are in violation of the state's public nuisance laws.

Also, a deeper look at free speech on college campuses after you pen's president is ousted -- after Upenn's president is ousted.

>> They could have explained anti-Semitism and what they are facing on campus and what they will be doing.

>> And Congressman Frank alone talks about the big issues facing the planet from this year's Global climate summit.

>> It is clear we are back and other countries are looking to us for leadership, which I think is a good thing.

>> "NJ Spotlight News" begins now.

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

>> good evening and thanks for joining us.

The political fallout from U.S.

Senator Bob Menendez's indictment is far from over.

Congressman Robert Menendez's -- Congressman Robert Menendez Junior is being challenged.

The showdown is largely seen as a test for the younger Menendez and to his -- if his career will be offended by his father's criminal.

It also sets up a messy situation for Hudson County Democrats who pulled support for Senator Menendez following his indictment but recently endorsed his son's reelection bid.

The second candidate to announce a run for the seat may have a leg up from his two terms in the mayor's office.

>> This is a story about a New Jersey kid who grew up not looking like all the other Jersey kids.

>> A bit of a Trail Blazer, not a lot of seats even running for office in New Jersey but the two-time mayor and Councilman has thrived politically in Hoboken, a town that can be tough on any newcomer, let alone one who wears a turban over the star, but his run for Congress will take him to a whole other place -- battling the vaunted Hudson County Democratic organization which is firmly behind incumbent Robert Menendez.

>> This race is not about political endorsement.

It's about the endorsement of the people who vote in June, and we intend to get our message directly out to voters of the district.

>> OK, but the political reality is that the eighth District based primarily in Hudson County is a party stronghold.

The party has come out in support of Menendez, the son of the embattled senator who has inherited his father's talent for pointed barbs, as evidenced by this tart retort to the announcement today.

"I welcome Robbie -- I welcome ravi to the race, especially since he can validate the work we have done on behalf of the folks in Hoboken.

It seems the only reason he is no basis because a week after losing the city Council, he sees no political future for himself in Hoboken."

Is he really intent on not uttering the words Robert Menendez or acknowledging that Robert Menendez even exists?

He is the incumbent.

What is it he has or has not done that moves you to want to challenge him in the primary?

>> It is no secret that he was anointed to the U.S. Congress with no prior history as an elected official, and he's only served for about 11 months in the U.S. Congress.

I think that draws a sharp contrast.

>> And his father -- well, you know, gold bars and the money, something he alludes to in his announcement video, but the fact is that organization support in the money and the boots on the ground that come with it will be hard to beat.

But some experts think he might be able to challenge that.

>> He's got $500,000 he has raised for this race in a short amount of time.

He has name recognition.

He has a town behind him or so he would help, right?

These are some of the ingredients it takes to really find out, is the line what it takes to make a difference or a well-financed and well organized challenge to the line?

We will see what the power of the line really is.

>> If the mayor were to pull this off and defeat the incumbent in a presidential year, at that point, you might as well like the line on fire and throw it at the garbage, so to speak.

If you cannot win with those kind of odds, I don't know what good the line is at that point.

>> the mild-mannered candidate who has been through his share of political battles will need to take the gloves off and get ready for a street fight against an opponent who is new to the game but intent on throwing haymaker's.

I'm David Cruz.

"NJ Spotlight News."

>> Attorney General Matt Plotkin says the student -- the state has a new way to combat gun violence, today announcing the first of two lawsuits being brought under a law allowing New Jersey to suit gun companies under public nuisance regulations.

The suit targets a store in Morris County over "reckless gun storage" and another location in Pennsylvania for selling ghost guns that ended up in the garden state.

>> New Jersey's newest legal broadside in its battle over gun control targets a firearm shop for allegedly creating a public nuisance.

The civil suit charges FSS Armory of Pine Brook hosted website photos showing firearms illegally stacked by a window, which attracted thieves, who broke in and easily stole unsecured weapons, later used to commit crimes according to the Attorney General.

>> Today, we say enough.

We are putting everyone else in the gun industry unnoticed -- if you break our laws, we are coming for you.

The days of allowing you to profit unlawfully off the violence in our communities are over, period.

>> The suit alleges a gang searching online and found FSS armory, drove there, broke the glass window, reached through, and stole 20 guns.

The burglars promptly traffic the guns.

Some have since been recovered in criminal investigations.

Others have been used in crimes or recovered an active crime scenes.

Most remain unaccounted for.

>> Selling firearms is a serious business.

Gun industry in New Jersey is regulated carefully.

When industry members failed to behave responsibly, the consequences are dire.

>> A second lawsuit over ghost guns charges they are aggressively advertised in New Jersey where they are illegal, by companies operating in Pennsylvania.

It alleges two vendors market and sell to New Jersey residents parts to make untraceable ghost guns without checking their purchaser's age, felony status, or qualifications to purchase or possess a firearm and without filtering out traffickers making multiple purchases.

>> Unsurprisingly, New Jersey law enforcement have arrested numerous individuals in possession of significant numbers of ghost guns purchase that gun shows, and gun shows that appear to have just the frames have been recovered in multiple crimes.

>> Plotkin said the number of ghost guns recovered from crime scenes in 2022 was 400% higher than two years prior.

Both complaints were brought by the Attorney General's new statewide affirmative firearms enforcement or safe office for a fourth year.

The public nuisance lawsuits offer novel legal leverage.

>> using robust civil enforcement tools to hold accountable those who break our laws and place profits ahead of public safety.

>> when we can make criminal cases, we do and we use civil enforcement tools to hold accountable those whom we cannot bring criminal cases against for whatever reason.

>> FSS armory had no comment.

The owner of Eagle shows and JSD supply which has also been sued by the Fed over ghost guns sales, could not be reached for comment, but gun rights groups have criticized the public nuisance law and other measures Governor Murphy signed, calling them harassment of an already strictly regulated firearms industry in the state.

In fact, the National shooting sports foundation has already promised a court challenge the moment New Jersey filed public nuisance lawsuits.

In the end, the courts will call the shots.

>> The backlash continues following last week's scathing congressional hearing on antisemitism where university presidents from three Ivy League schools came under fire after they appeared to evade questions about campus policies on antisemitism and if they discipline students who call for the genocide of Jews.

Congressman Mikey Cheryl on Monday sent a letter to the leadership of every higher Ed institution in New Jersey asking for concrete plans to address the rise of anti-Semitism being reported at colleges across the state.

This as Harvard's president today received unanimous backing of the University's board to keep her position despite growing calls for her ouster.

But UPenn President McGill was not as lucky and resigned in the wake of the controversy.

All of it has thrust politics of campus free speech into the spotlight.

To dive deeper, and joined by an expert on free expression and education at Pan American.

Thanks so much for joining me.

Let me ask you about the scrutiny that these college presidents have received.

Is it an appropriate response or is it a threat to open expression at colleges and universities?

>> Thank you for having me here today.

The answer is not so much and either/or, but there is a lot of complexity and a lot of things going on.

On one hand, there is absolutely things that the college presidents could have done better.

They were walking into a challenging situation, but they absolutely could have condemned antisemitism and explained the complexity of the issue and what they are facing on campuses and what they are going to be doing -- what they have been doing and what they will be doing to really help the climate on campuses, so I think in that light, there is scrutiny that I hope college presidents and campus communities overall will really take.

Campuses can do a lot to really help their community through education, through really understanding what the First Amendment protects, where speech or action again -- remember, context matters -- does cross the line, and also, they need to be doing a lot for their students and their campus community to uphold everyone's right to have speech but also to provide opportunities and resources for students who might be feeling like they are not safe, who need help with mental health resources.

They can also do a lot of education around what is freedom of expression, what is academic freedom, why does it matter historically to the University?

Why is it a value we are holding onto.

Private universities have different obligations, and while we recommend they hew closely to First Amendment protections, they also can be putting in place policies and articulating how those policies work across campus.

One of the key things is a lack of understanding for everyone on campus of what the policies are, how they are being implemented.

How are they being implemented fairly so that that communication, that clarity can really come through?

It is hard to do in times of crisis, but they can also be doing these things and should be proactively, consistently, and constantly throughout.

>> Ultimately, what threat if any is posed when you have bodies like this going before a political institution like Congress where intervention is, I guess, expected?

Is there a threat there?

>> What we look at and what we are concerned about is the fact that right now we are in a political climate where there certainly have been politician and legislation that has been put forth in the last year that has curtailed academic freedom on campuses, and we want to be mindful and aware that this current crisis could be used to embolden certain politicians to dive even further into their curtailing of higher education's autonomy and ability to do their job and do their jobs well.

Now is a real time when higher Ed can really demonstrate what they are doing to uphold free speech protections, uphold that value very strongly, and be doing many more things to support all of their students across campus.

>> Thank you so much.

>> Thank you for having me.

>> In our spotlight on business report, frustrated tenants at an Elizabeth apartment complex are taking matters into their own hands tonight, organizing a union among renters to fight what they say are unsafe living conditions and unlawful rent hikes.

As Ted Goldberg reports, the move comes after the landlord was hit for nearly 300 violations by the state but has yet to make repairs.

>> the conditions in this building are deplorable, and the landlord is raising the rent illegally in a rent-controlled building.

>> people who live here are fed up with their landlord and have organized a union to protest living conditions.

>> We are afraid that they are doing this in the building and letting it fall into disrepair to force us out and to replace us with tenants who will pay more.

>> We have seen that happen in Elizabeth and other cities across New Jersey.

That's why tenants are organizing here today because they want to stay in this building.

This is their home.

Many have lived here for 20 years.

They have raised their children here.

>> Sarah leads a nonprofit based in New Jersey.

>> Tenants want to stay in their building and want their landlord to make repairs before it is too late and before they are forced to condemn the building.

>> She says residents have a laundry list of issues that have not been addressed by the landlord.

>> These conditions are deplorable, and the tenants deserve, and under New Jersey law, the landlord must provide habitable conditions for the tenants.

>> Since I have moved into my apartment, I still don't have light in my living room.

When the pipe burst, the ceiling flooded and fell in, and the whole bathroom was lighted.

We made calls to the office and no one responded.

We did not have anywhere to go.

My daughter and I were suffering because of this flood.

There is water coming into the closet in my bedroom.

There's mold.

My belongings have been ruined because of the leak.

>> New Jersey's Department of community affairs got involved last summer and says the building had almost 300 violations ranging from nonfunctioning smoke alarms to busted plumbing in bathrooms.

They paid almost $4000 in fines after not fixing the problems.

>> The elevator has been broken for weeks.

Sometimes it breaks for three weeks on end, and I have to carry all of my groceries, all of my laundry up 4 flights of stairs.

>> Since that fine come out this summer, the landlord has made some repairs, but not nearly enough.

>> Representatives asked us to leave while we heard from tenants and declined our request for interview for this story.

>> On Wall Street, stocks open higher after a key inflation report showed prices are mostly holding steady ahead of the Fed's final policy meeting of the year.

Here is how markets closed.

>> Support for "the business report," his provided by North alliance, which curates the Newark holiday festival.

More details available at Newark holidayfestival.com.

♪ >> The annual United Nations climate Summit known as Cop28 has reached its final day, but tensions are flaring as talks remain divided over a draft climate agreement to the conference.

The global plan of action identifies ways for each country to limit climate change fast enough to avert more irreversible damage to the planet, but climate advocates attending the event in the United Arab Emirates, and oil-a country, are blasting the latest draft for not including the phasing out of fossil fuels -- the United Arab Emirates, an oil-rich country.

New Jersey Representative Frank alone is just back from attending Cop28 with other members of Congress and joins me now.

Thanks so much for joining me.

Before I get to what your input was during this summit, I want to come to what has been happening in the last 24 hours.

You have Al Gore putting on X that this entire summit is on the verge of collapse.

It appears that these nations cannot come to an agreement on the specific language -- on the specific language in this plan.

How do you see this playing out?

>> I'm much more optimistic about this conference.

First of all, from the very beginning, the American delegation, Secretary Kerry in particular, have shown a lot of leadership.

They got pleasures to triple renewables, to double energy efficiency, to fund the methane pledge.

A lot has already happened that it -- that is positive.

And I want the final draft to be as strong as possible, but I don't think there should be that much emphasis on the final draft because ultimately, what we want to do is to get a lot of these countries to agree to move towards renewable, to reduce emissions, certainly to phase out fossil fuels, but the bottom line is that America has shown tremendous leadership here.

I have been to these conferences for the last at least three or four times now, and it is clear that we are back, and the countries are looking to us for leadership, which I think is a good thing.

>> Is it aggressive enough, though?

I understand your point about the draft plan, but can you get behind it if it includes language like "could include phasing out fossil fuels" rather than "it must?"

>> It is important to phase out fossil fuels because I don't know how we can reach reducing emissions sufficiently over the next few years if we don't phase out fossil fuels, but I think it is important to have a consensus agreement.

We will see what the language actually is, and I'm not going to haggle at this point over what exactly it is because I do think that -- remember, this is a consensus.

What matters is what the countries do to reduce emissions and phase out fossil fuels on their own.

It is all consensus, right?

It is recommendations.

What we are seeing is that a lot of countries do want to phase out fossil fuels and are moving towards renewables and energy efficiency, and ultimately, I think that is what is important.

>> What were the conversations you were having while you are in Dubai?

What was your focus going in and now being back home?

>> I think the most important thing for me was American leadership.

Remember, I was there a few years ago when Trump was trying to pull us out of the agreement altogether.

We were there to try to say, look, we still believe very strongly in climate action, even though our president is trying to withdraw from the agreement.

The following year, we were able to come there, which was last year, and show leadership in the sense that we had passed the inflation reduction act.

We were taking action to move towards renewables, to reduce methane.

We were taking a leadership role, and that was I think finally recognized this year.

Methane is a perfect example, to reduce methane.

We passed big law in the inflation reduction act to reduce it at home.

The president had just announced more action on that -- >> I have to ask, is not that the responsibility of a nation like the United States, of a wealthy nation where we are producing most of these emissions that a lot of these other poorer countries, quite frankly, are suffering from?

>> Wright, and I think that is important.

Like Secretary Kerry made an agreement with China on this.

If you look at it, it is countries like China and the United states, the ones that are producing a lot of these emissions that need to show leadership, and we have.

So countries are looking to us, and that is the most important thing, I think.

>> Thank you so much for your time today.

>> Thank you.

>> That will do it for us tonight, but don't forget to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen any time.

For the entire "NJ Spotlight News" team, thanks for being with us.

Have a great evening.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

>> And Jake -- NJM insurance group 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.

I'm proud to be an NJAE member.

>> Our future relies on more than and energy.

It relies on the health and safety of our families and neighbors, of our schools and streets.

The PSEG foundation is committed to sustainability, equity, and economic empowerment, investing in parks, helping towns go green, supporting civic centers, scholarships, and workforce development that strengthen our community.

>> I'm very grateful that I'm still here.

>> That's me and my daughter.

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>> RWJ Barnabas health.

Let's be healthy together.

♪