>> Funding for NJ Spotlight News, provided by -- >> The members of the New Jersey Education Association.

Making public schools great for every child.

And, RWJ Barnabas Health, let's be healthy together.

♪ JOANNA: Tonight on "NJ Spotlight News, " One billion-dollar budget.

The Port Authority approving billions to upgrade our tunnels, terminals, and, yes, it will increase our tolls.

Also, abortion-rights takes centerstage once again, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take up the debate over abortion pill access.

>> So the question is do we want to trust the experts, or do we want the Supreme Court to tell us this is what medication is safe, or this is the kind of regulation that an agency should be able to promulgate?

BRIANNA: Plus, for the first time, Russian President Vladimir Putin talks about the possible return of New Jersey native and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, despite courts denying his release.

>> There have been in negotiations, and from our side there have been proposals that he spoke something is happening on the front.

BRIANNA: You can still light out while rolling the dice in Atlantic City.

A vote to stop smoking in casinos was tabled.

>> Prefer preferred casinos and restaurants to be non-smoking.

That's the way it should be.

But there are other things at play here.

BRIANNA: "NJSpotlightNews" begins right now.

♪ ANNOUNCER: from NJPBS Studios, this is "NJSpotlightNews" with Brianna Vannozzi.

BRIANNA: good evening and thanks for joining us on this Thursday night.

I Brianna Vannozzi.

amThe Port Authority has a massive new budget.

The Board of commissioners to date voting to approve a $9.3 billion annual spending plan that will tackle projects of the region's airports, a new train at Newark Airport, and kickstart construction of a new bus terminal.

The budget is $1 billion higher than last year's, as the agency as a return to pre-pandemic spending.

But that extra cash has to come from somewhere, and as Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports, part of the plan is to raise tolls and transit tickets to pay for it.

>> The item is approved.

BRENDA: With a unanimous vote, the bistate Port Authority launched the years budget.

It will boost spending by one billion bucks, raise tools to help pay for it, and try to improve some of the mass transit sore spots that routinely drive travelers' souls, like jampacked trains, and the obsolete, overcrowded bus terminal.

As one supporter commented we click the infrastructure commitment made today will benefit New Jersey in the region for the remainder of the 21st century.

BRENDA: Here is the basics.

The $9.3 billion plan spends a billion dollars more than last year, and almost four billions will keep the trains running and the planes flying.

It will fund transit projects.

The rest mostly pays debt.

Travelers tired of delays, the capital spending plan tackles constructing a better Newark train, a new terminal, and buying similar to a new path train cars so the system can handle a rapid growth in ridership.

Riders have asked for more path service, the agency reported.

>>.

>> 110 of the comments were requesting consideration of expanded path service on the nights on the weekends as path ridership continues its steady recovery.

And we have seen the recovery levels higher in those periods.

BRENDA: Pat has also installed a new pay system at its turnstiles.

The new air train will involve cable send a new will house.

>> It is a cable-drawing vehicle so it is electric powered.

The initial buildout consists of five cars on each train and we expect the surveys to coming in 2029.

BRENDA: The budget also includes toll hikes at the six bridges and tunnels where it will cost an extra $0.63 next year, a 3.7% increase tied to the consumer price index.

That will push peak ezpass tolls, well over 15 bucks a car , off peak to more than $13, and mail-ins to a night watering $17.63.

The agency can't yet estimate how congestion pricing will impact revenues, but says it needs the toll hikes.

>> They are important and necessary to provide the support for us to pay for our increased expenses as a result of inflation, as well as to support the capital program.

BRANDI: the budget includes millions to fix wear and tear on existing structures like the George Washington Bridge and the Holland Tunnel.

It will repair damage done by superstorm Sandy.

And it aims to improve , resilience to climate change growing complication for , a transportation systems worldwide.

I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

BRIANNA: today marks the two year anniversary of the state's launch of the Arrive Together program pairing police officers , with mental health professionals when responding to nine 11 calls involving mental health crises.

The program began as a pilot in Cumberland County but is now serving one-third of the state's population, according to Attorney General Matt Platkin, who today with Governor Murphy announced the program hit another milestone, operating in all 21 Counties.

As state leaders celebrated a victory lap, community organizers told Melissa Rose Cooper there's still a lot of work to be done.

>> The truth is Arrive Together is making a difference.

It's changing lives and it is saving lives.

MELISSA: a strong message to New Jersey -- that New Jersey leaders, law enforcement, mental health experts and other leaders are sharing as they celebrate the two-year anniversary of Arrive Together.

The program is an alternative way to effectively handle mental health emergencies through a partnership of resources.

>> When we think about 2000 interactions through this program across the state, across 21 of our counties, we don't know.

We don't know which one of those 2000 could have become that tragedy.

But for the interventions that we are putting into place.

MELISSA: is an idea Attorney General Matt Platkin says he started thinking about before stepping into office.

>> Before I became attorney general, it was in between stints in government.

I had watched too many and still watch too many videos of fatal police encounters.

And one thing that was clear to me in so many of them was, even if it is a justified incident, there were things we could have done to prevent it from getting to that point.

And I started working in private capacity on an alternative response program.

MELISSA: Now in all 21 counties across the state, Arrive Together is the first of its kind to partner law enforcement with mental health professionals when responding to mental health emergencies.

In a report published earlier this year by the Brookings Institution, data showed force wasn't used in 97% of cases during an Arrive Together call, and 98% of calls did not result in an arrest.

>> The fact that police officers are calling for the teens, whether working within their towns, or as a shared resource, it tells us that they are recognizing when a person is in the mental crisis.

And they are recognizing that they need another level of care.

>> I think it's a step forward of recognizing that police officers cannot solve a lot of social issues or any social issues that we have in this country.

But, they are still too reliant on police officers to be involved in the process when they shouldn't be involved in the process at all.

MELISSA: This member of Black Lives Matter Paterson says Community members have continuously expressed their concerns.

About arrived together to the Attorney General's office, especially after the police shooting death of Najee Seabrooks.

>> For almost a year, we have been really adamant that these are the models to incorporate in order to save lives.

This is not about hating police officers, it's about recognizing that police officers cannot solve all the problems in our community.

They should not have to, and they can't.

We recognize that, and instead, we are trying to propose an alternative.

A win-win for all parties.

It is a win for police officers who are not equipped to do this.

And it's a win for the community members, especially our most vulnerable, to keep them safe in their times of need.

MELISSA: Attorney General Matt Platkin said the Arrive Together program will be tailored specifically to handle the needs of every community, all with the goal of keeping everyone safe.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Melissa Rose Cooper.

BRIANNA: A high-stakes legal battle is playing out in the U.S. Supreme Court as a Biden administration defense federal approval of the abortion pill Mifepristone, and a recent move to make it more widely available by mail.

This is the first case involving abortion for the high court since it overturned Roe V. Wade last year.

And justices are considering whether to reverse a lower court ruling that would put restrictions on the drug, which is the most common method of terminating a pregnancy in the United States, and cut off access through telehealth.

The court will hear oral arguments early next year, with the ruling due by the end of June, smack in the middle of the presidential election.

For more on what this major ruling will mean even in a state like New Jersey where abortion is legal, I am joined by Rutgers-Camden law professor.

Kim, set this up for me.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear this case.

What is at stake?

Guest: basically what is at stake is the rules by which Mifepristone can be dispensed.

There was initial approval in 2000 and there was a bunch of requirements that the FDA created at that point.

Then they made changes in 2016 and then again in 2021.

So what the Supreme Court has said is that we are not going to go back to that 2000 approval.

That is done.

There is no question here about whether Mifepristone is just going to be pulled off the market altogether.

The question is whether the changes that were made in 2016 and 2021 are going to be able to stand.

Those changes were things like how many visits people had to make to the office, changes that allowed people other than physicians to prescribe -- other people with prescribing authority -- extended the period, the gestational age at which mitigation of abortion was available.

Some really big changes were made and the Supreme Court in deciding whether those changes were OK. BRIANNA: The gestational period would go from 10 weeks up to seven, asking people to do three doctors visits when previously they didn't need to.

What does it all mean for access to this pill which is more widely used?

Guest: One thing I want to be clear on is absolutely nothing has changed right now, right, we are just waiting, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the spring and will have an exciting summer as we await big decisions from the Supreme Court.

So it means nothing now.

What it would mean if they decided they were going to roll back the clock, is that it would be much difficult to access medication abortion, even in states where abortion is not banned.

So the difference between being able to, say, do an abortion or get your medication through telehealth, right, so you are at home, you don't have to go to a doctor's office or take time off of work or find somebody to watch the kids you already have at home.

We know that most people who have abortions already have children.

So suddenly, he would have to make three different doctors' visits.

You would have to know earlier about your pregnancy, because it would no longer go up to 10 weeks.

Only a physician would be able to prescribe that medication for you.

So there are lots of things that would change if the Supreme court decides that it is going to go with what the Fifth Circuit decided.

BRIANNA: BRIANNA: Does this set up a larger battle for the Super Court industry if the Supreme Court is able to make a decision about this about a drug that the FDA has effectively said it's safe for the last few decades?

Guest: Yeah.

So it actually sets up issues for pharmaceutical companies, because this is being decided in the context of medication.

But it really sets up a much broader fight which is trying to understand when will the Supreme Court give deference to federal agencies?

The FDA is one of many, many federal agencies that have a lot of people on staff who are experts in your field, who spend enormous amount of time thinking about problems and coming up with regulations related to those problems.

And so the question is, do we want to trust the experts or do we want the Supreme Court to tell us this is what a medication is safe or this is the kind of regulation that an agency should be able to promulgate?

BRIANNA: Kim matter sign is a professor of law at Rutgers-Camden.

Kim, thank you so much.

Guest: It's great to talk to you.

BRIANNA: a community healthcare center serving some of the state's most disadvantaged patients is getting an upgrade.

Zufall Health will soon be welcoming people at a new location in West Orange.

The operators say it will help them better care for their roughly 45,000 medical and dental patients.

As Ted Goldberg reports, the expanded new space is highlighting the critical role of nonprofit medical centers at a time when federal funding for them hangs in the balance.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] >> Good job.

Unbelievable!

Exceeds my wildest expectations!

TED: Dr. Robert Lesslie for -- Dr. Robert ZUFALL is amazed.

>> I can't believe it.

Blown away is the phrase I would use.

TED: the former president says the new building will help doctors take better care of their patients, more than half of whom don't have insurance.

Most of them are either on Medicaid, Medicare or NJ family care.

>> That is what we really over his want to convey to our patients, is, you may not have insurance, you may be treated disrespectfully in many other areas of your life, but you will always be treated respectfully here.

TED: The new building is a better fit for Zufall's 45,000 patients.

>> Our first year it was seven years ago.

We did 1900 patients at 5000 visits.

This year we've had 5000 visitors -- 5000 patients and 17,000 visits.

>> Those numbers are coming out of that space.

Can you imagine Dr. Zufall's mission will continue in this glorious space?

TED: Dr. Zufall says the $10 million project in West Orange is a far cry from the first office.

>> In a single room with a curtain where you could put the patient on the other side of the curtain.

TED: so this is a little brighter, would you say?

>> vastly, vastly.

Oh,TED: The building is about one month away from accepting patients, but Zufall Health is ready to move out of its old digs, which employees say wasn't that much better than Dr. Zufall's old office.

>> We suffered through a couple of years then we will have the new building somewhere else.

We will be fine.

Then we got the funding.

TED: The space is more than just bright and shiny.

Dental suites are just about finished, and the rest of the health center isn't far behind.

>> To have something beautiful and new and everything is state-of-the-art, a building that is sunny and happy and welcoming.

>> This facility will allow us to double our medical capacity.

It will triple our dental capacity.

And it will bring all of our West Orange -- we actually have multiple locations in West Orange -- all under one roof which will be really great for the team.

TED: While Zufall Health had a lot of people to think, they also have knowledge some of the of the group that led to long delays for the billing to open.

>> I have a note of thanks to bureaucracy.

[LAUGHTER] And the pandemic, for helping this delay -- this process, making it much more costly than we originally had planned.

But we have gotten over those hurdles, and we are better off for it.

TED:ZUFALL expects the building to lead to more patients.

They project a 48% increase for year one.

In West Orange, I Ted Goldberg, am NJ Spotlight News.

BRIANNA: In his first major news conference since the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Putin today offered a glimmer of hope for the family of detained Wall Street Journal reporter and New Jersey native, Evan Gershkovich.

Saint," Russians wants to reach an agreement on Gershkovich's return."

The journalist has been in Russian custody since March on charges of espionage that.

-- that he and the Wall Street Journal, and the U.S. government agreement leading night.

Put enclosed treatment comes as Moscow rejected Gershkovich's latest appeal for release and after Putin told the world there will be no peace in Ukraine until the Kremlin achieves its goals, which includes the demilitarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine.

For more on that, and a possible deal on Evan's release, I am joined by, U.S.

Ambassador to Russia, Michael McCaul.

Ambassador Mcfaul, thanks so much for joining the show.

President Putin made these remarks about a potential agreement to release Evan Gershkovich on the heels of some very aggressive language around the war itself.

Do you believe that the circumstances around where the war is right now is nothing of the word and more verbal -- favorable negotiation for his release?

Guest: it's a hard question.

I don't know the answer to that question.

I think it is interesting and different Putin himself did talk about a possible swap, that was the biggest news as far as I'm concerned for the entire press conference.

He didn't give details, but the fact that he himself is talking about it suggests that, one, there have been negotiations and from what I have heard from our side, there have been proposals.

And he spoke favorably about them.

It suggests something is happening on that front.

BRIANNA: Based off your experience, can you take us inside what those discussions might look like the smoke he also mentioned U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.

Guest: You mentioned those two, and there are two others that are detained.

But only mentioned those two.

If I were guessing, thinking about previous cases like this, Russians want to get criminals out of jail and maybe they want to get one of their most horrible criminals who is in Germany right now -- so that complicate the issue even more where it is not just people that the United States might be holding, but in particular, this killer in Germany that they have been talking about for years trying to get out -- I want to be clear about that, I am guessing, but in previous cases, that is what happened.

There was a swap.

They got out people that they really wanted.

That's the kind of hard game they play in these prisoner swap's.

BRIANNA: How long can we expect this to drag on, based on your experience?

Guest: Tragically, for a long time.

The family of Paul Whelan knows that more than anybody.

So, you know, we get these glimmers of hope and most certainly I jumped on that when I heard that today that and then sometimes they go many, many years without a resolution.

That said, the fact that Putin chose to answer the question the way he did, that suggest that there is movement years.

And it suggests to me that these things are not related to the war in UkraineP sometimes we think, well, the war is going on there so there is no cooperation.

That is not the case.

These things happen untangled from each other, and if the deal is that enough and right enough for Putin, a he will take it.

BRIANNA: that me asking about the war.

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy within the White House living these.

It appears Republican support is winning exponentially -- waning exponentially.

What would happen if the U.S. doesn't provide aid -- weapons, munitions for Ukraine?

Guest: The fact that Putin had his press conference today is a signal that he is more confident that he was a year ago.

Used to be an annual event -- he canceled last year because the war was going so bad.

But today, tragically, his forces are really dug in.

We should have helped the Ukrainians push them out when the wind so dug in.

But they are dug in now and he's playing for time.

He thinks time is on his side and he his happy.

I hope that the Senate and members of Congress after that we'll get this deal done because otherwise they are giving a gift to Putin for the holidays, not a gift to the Ukrainian soldiers that are literally in trenches today.

Not firing as many shells as they would like because their supplies are needed right now.

BRIANNA: Michael McFaul was U.S.

Ambassador to Russia 2012 to 2014.

Michael, thank you so much.

Guest: Thank you for having me.

BRIANNA: In Ella Spotlight on Business Report tonight, thousands of workers who clean commercial buildings in New Jersey are ready to walk off the job.

6500 workers represented by 32 BJ SEIU have voted to authorize a strike if a contract agreement isn't reached by the end of the month.

Union members gathered at Essex County Community College for the vote on Wednesday.

And then staged a March to military park.

The union's top priorities are securing higher pay, expanding health care benefits, paid time off and retirement plans, as well as anti discrimination language to better protect workers who are immigrants and people of color the union is combining contract agreement for 15,000 workers not just in Jersey, but also in the Hudson Valley, Long Island, and Fairfield County in Connecticut.

Workers and clean office buildings, malls and arenas could walk off the job anytime after midnight on December 31.

The bill to ban smoking in Atlantic City casinos is dead , again,.

For the second time in as many months, it failed to get support from casino workers who say the secondhand smoke they deal with on the job is a health hazard.

The bill would have closed a loophole in the state's stop smoking law, allowing guests to light up on about 20% of a casino floor.

But the industry lobbied hard against the bill, saying they lose customers at a time when casinos are still rebounding from the pandemic.

Senator Palestrina, who represents Atlantic City, said he is working on a compromise bill that would phase out smoking on casino floors by 2025, but also create separate smoking rooms employees would have to agree to work in the .

The union which represents thousands of casino workers has called those rooms, quote, "preposterous."

The full ban doesn't have support.

I think a lot of people want to see something done.

I think once we get back there next year, we will build the support necessary, because I think a lot of people are of the mindset that we have to stop smoking on the casino floor, and stop employees who don't want to be impacted by secondhand smoke from being infected.

BRIANNA: On Wall Street, the stock rally continued as investors welcomed the Fed's final forecast of the year.

Here is how the markets closed today.

ANNOUNCER: support for the Business Report is provided by Newark Alliance, which curates the Newark Holiday Festival, a collaborative calendar of holiday events in Newark's arts and education district.

More details available at newarkholidayfestival.com.

BRIANNA: tuning this weekend to NJ BusinessWeek with Raven Santana.

She talks to state business leaders about the economic outlook for New Jersey in 2024 and the legislative priorities for business owners next year.

Watch it on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel Saturday at 10:00 a.m. ♪ BRIANNA: And that is going to do it for us tonight.

But make sure you catch Reporters Roundtable with David Cruz tomorrow.

From elections to indictments , who won the year in New Jersey politics?

A comedian and host of the popular podcast "New Jersey is the world" makes his case, then a panel of reporters breakdown this week's political headlines.

Watch Roundtable tomorrow at noon on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel.

I am Breanna Vannozzi.

For the entire NJSpotlightNews team, thanks for being here.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

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

And by the PSEG Foundation.

♪