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>> The fight for control of the Patterson Police Department.

A panel of judges orders the state to return control back to the city.

Plus, public officials offer explanations for drone sightings, but public concern has not lessened.

Is it just hysteria?

>> Whenever people are under stress or anxious, they are very quick to attribute theories to what is causing the problem.

In some way, that sort of binds the anxiety.

>> Deportation fears.

DACA recipients are in line to get renewals in early, before the Trump administration takes over.

>> We are here to stay and to be part of the American dream.

We have so many things that we want to do, that we want to complete, as dreamers.

>> And TikTok's last stand.

The Supreme Court will take on the case to decide the fate of the TikTok band, and business owners' bottom line.

>> 7 million small businesses are on TikTok right now and contributed $24 billion last year to the U.S. economy.

>> "NJ Spotlight News" starts right now.

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

Joanna: Thanks for joining us.

I'm Joanna Gagis, in for Briana Vannozzi.

We begin with top headlines.

A panel of state appellate judges has ordered the Attorney General's office to end its takeover of the Patterson Police Department and return control of the department to the city.

The appellate court found the AG's office did not have the authority to take over the Police Department, in a decision that raises questions over what authority the state does have to take control over local departments in the future.

The judges did make one exception, allowing the state takeover of Patterson's internal affairs division to continue.

The decision was touted as a major win for his city, saying in a statement it reaffirms our city's authority to manage its own Police Department, and sets up a precedent for Melissa polities -- municipalities across New Jersey.

Responsibility rests with officials elected by the people.

The order does not take effect immediately, and the Attorney General's office is taking the case to New Jersey Supreme Court, asking the High Court to pause the change while they appeal the case.

That Parkin said in a statement -- Matt Plakin said the state has spent millions since taking over, and touted a drop in crime, saying for decades super session is allowed both Attorneys General and County prosecutors to directly manage law enforcement agencies when the circumstances call for it, as they did in Patterson, when our office stepped in following a fundamental breakdown of community trust, adding we remain deeply committed to Patterson and the crucial work of making the city safer for all its people, including, as this wrongful decision is appealed.

It is that time of year again and I don't mean the holidays.

I mean the time when Covid cases starts searching.

There has been enough of a spike that RWJ burned was health, the largest -- RWJBarnabas health has instituted a mask requirement for all patients visiting medical centers.

They ask anyone planning a visit to the hospital to please stay away if you are presenting Covid symptoms or have had Covid.

There is no mandate for staff unless staffers are treating patients with respiratory illness, in which case staff have to mask up.

Patients can ask staff treating them to put on a mask, and they are urging everyone to please wash her hands with soap and water before entering, something we may all want to do as this germ season kicks off.

If you ever thought that flashing a PBA gold card or name dropping relatives can get you out of a traffic ticket, you are probably right.

A new investigation by the state comptroller's office found that route -- the troopers routinely gave a pass to drivers who touted their collection to law enforcement, even in cases of dangerous offenses like drunk driving.

Investigators examined more than 500 state police stops that ended with no enforcement action on a 10 day period in late 2022, and repeatedly showed motorists boldly showing courtesy cards and police connections, with troopers responding with some version of "your good."

the difference often came with inherent racial discrimination.

the drivers who flashedKevin Walsh,e comptroller, said the findings show a two-tiered system of justice that is unethical and fundamentally unfair.

Kevin: We released this report because we think it is important that the public, the governor, the Attorney General, and the kernel of the state police, as well as legislators who are responsible for making our laws, know just how much nepotism and favoritism play a role in policing in New Jersey.

This kind of preferential treatment is not just unfair.

It is dangerous.

It undermines the idea that everyone should be treated equally under the law, and puts everyone on the road at risk.

Joanna: On Monday, for federal agencies, the FBI, Department of Homeland security, Department of Homeland security, Department of Defense, and federal aviation administration put out a rare joint statement addressing drone sightings in New Jersey, saying the total 5000 reports of drones have led to 100 investigative leads for the agencies, and that no abnormal activity was detected, saying many of these sightings are law-enforcement, commercial, or hobbyist drones, and many of the sightings have been manned aircraft, helicopters, and even stars that were mistakenly reported as drones.

Even in the days since that report, questions and concerns have continued to swirl, including on our air, where we have been asking lots of questions of our lawmakers.

But some call it hysteria.

Dr. Gary small, chair of psychology at Hackensack health, has done extensive work on the topic of mass hysteria.

He is here now to offer his perspective.

After small, great to have you with us tonight.

We are at this critical moment where a lot of people have very low trust in the government.

There is low public trust, I would say.

For example, we heard reports of things the government withheld, information they withheld during COVID-19 and the pandemic.

And now these drones are introduced at a time when there is this distrust.

You call it hysteria.

What is your take on it?

Dr. Small: It is not exactly hysteria in the sense of mass hysteria as it is defined, where there is an outbreak of physical symptoms due to a psychological cause.

It is more mass panic or shared delusion because officials have looked into this.

They have taken the reports very seriously.

That there has been no evidence that there is any nefarious characters.

The explanations are piloted planes, or hobbyists with drones.

They have to keep looking at it because there is always a possibility that something bad is going on.

However, whenever people are under stress and they are anxious, it is -- they are very quick to attribute theories to what is causing the problem.

In some way, that sort of binds their anxiety.

Joanna: As someone who studies hysteria and mass hysteria, are there ways elected officials should be responding?

A lot of the first responses from the White House were, you are not seeing drones.

Perhaps that played into folks saying there is a cover-up because we know what we are seeing with our own eyes.

Are there ways that should be responding to quell those fears or quell the panic?

Dr. Small: Certainly, attacking the observers is not a good thing.

I have seen this.

I have investigated many outbreaks of mass hysteria, and people get quite defensive because they are very convinced what they are seeing and what they are experiencing.

It is important to be transparent, and for officials to let people know what they do know, and to assure them they are looking into it, taking it seriously, and telling them how they are looking into it, what they are doing.

Joanna: How do you respond when you see people turning toward conspiracy theories, coming up with their own conclusions for what is happening that might be unexplained?

Dr. Small: I can understand it.

It is human nature.

When you live in a world with lots of stressors, when there is a lot of uncertainty, we are looking for explanations.

That reassures us.

The bottom line is people like to be in control of their lives.

I think a lot of us are feeling out of control.

Joanna: These drones, we can bet on one thing for sure.

They won't be the last cause for public concern.

We live into mulch was times.

What is your advice to folks about how to manage through their emotions as things come up, as we make our way through this modern existence of ours?

Dr. Small: I think it is important to keep a level head on it, to try to look at the information that is available, and the explanations.

We have had these kinds of outbreaks many times in history.

The one that comes to mind is this Seattle windshield pitting epidemic, where people in Seattle started noting windshield pits.

There are all kind of theories about cosmic rays, nuclear testing.

Eventually, it died down.

What tended to spread these false beliefs were newspaper reports.

And here we have the Internet and social media that puts these spread of rumors on steroids.

It really becomes quite a rapid spread of ideas that only feeds into the anxiety and the frenzy.

Joanna: They say when you get a new car, you start to notice those cars on the road.

How much is folks tuning into one topic when it becomes the topic?

Dr. Small: I think it is probably mostly due to that.

I have not been investigating these myself.

It is possible something is going on.

When you look into it, you find there are rational explanations for these sightings.

Joanna: Thanks for offering a little bit of levity for us tonight.

Appreciate you being here.

As the Trump administration prepares to launch policies like mass deportations when it takes over in January, organizations in New Jersey are helping DACA recipients prepare for what comes next.

DACA stands for deferred action for childhood arrivals, and was put in place to protect children who were brought to America with their undocumented parents when they were young.

But what the future holds for this group is unclear.

Renda Flenniken visited an event today -- Brenda Flannigan visited an event today offering DACA recipients support.

Brenda: a worried Isola sought help at this clinic in Passaic, where experts walked DACA recipients through the renewal process.

New Jersey is home to more than 15,000 undocumented immigrants enrolled in the deferred action for childhood arrivals program.

They are preparing for the worst after threats of mass deportation by the incoming Trump administration.

Isola: it is very frustrating.

It is frustrating and it takes a toll on many people who are part of the DACA community because a lot of these young people like myself depend on this program.

Brenda: Mexican shops.

the local neighborhood.

Census figures show almost three quarters of Passaic residents are Hispanic.

Or than 40% are foreign-born.

Isola's parents brought her from Mexico when she was just two years old.

She graduated from Rutgers, got a good job, and dreams that DACA will eventually offer a path to citizenship.

Isola: We are here to stay and to be part of the American dream .

We have so many things that we want to do, that we want to complete, as streamers.

-- as Dreamers.

And it is very, very emotional that we are now being in this situation of limbo, whether we have docket today and tomorrow we don't.

Diego: They have already lived most of their lives here.

They have developed roots here.

They have had kids, bought houses, contributed to society.

They are doing everything they can to continue that life they have already lived for so long.

Brenda: Diego is an attorney with make the road New Jersey, an advocacy group that is running these clinics.

They are urging DACA participants, who must renew their status and working papers every couple of years, to remain calm, but file promptly, even as the political rhetoric eats up.

-- heats up.

Diego: It seems to be a plate to people -- to keep people scared, nervous, unaware of what could happen, constantly fearing their kids could come home to an empty home, that their family members could be deported.

Brenda: New Jersey is a sanctuary state for immigrants.

The Attorney General's office has directed law enforcement not to participate in federal immigration raids, and is in federal court fighting to defend DACA.

President Obama created DACA in 2012 as a temporary program, hoping Congress would pass a pathway to citizenship.

That has not happened.

The first Trump administration tried and failed to end DACA, but the president elect sounded more conciliatory during the recent interview on "meet the press."

Mr. Trump: They have great jobs.

In some cases, they have small businesses.

They might have large businesses.

We are going to have to do something with them.

>> You want them to be able to stay?

Mr. Trump: I do.

Diego: President Trump in his first term attempted to dismantle DACA.

To think he would protect these DACA recipients is difficult to believe.

Brenda: Whatever happens, make a road has vowed to support New Jersey's undocumented immigrants like Isola.

Dr. Small: Wing -- Isola: We know no other place.

This is our only home.

Brenda: She is not up for renewal until April, but she is filing now.

I am Brenda Flanagan.

NJ Spotlight News.

Joanna: Latino lawmakers in New Jersey have a chance to pick a new leader.

State Senator Nelly Poe has led the caucus during that time, but is leaving the state vacant when she steps into her new role as congresswoman of New Jersey's ninth district, a seat left vacant with the passing of Congressman Phil Pascarella.

This leaves questions about the future of Latino voices in New Jersey politics, and who will be best to lead the Latino caucus as they address issues that matter most to the community.

David Cruz breaks down possible replacements for the Congresswoman elect, and the impact it will have on politics in our state.

David: One of the most powerful members of the legislator -- legislature, Senate Majority Leader Teresa Louise, would seem the obvious choice to succeed Nelly Poe, who moves to Congress next month as chair of the 12 person legislative Latino caucus.

The caucus, which has been chaired bipolar -- by Poe for almost two decades has afflicted her low-key approach, which Latino leaders across the state say has proven effective.

>> If you look at a drivers license undocumented as an example, that was an issue, very thorny, very hard to navigate, you know?

But Nelly and the caucus worked with us.

The governor's office worked with us and other groups.

And it is something that you probably would not have seen in another state.

David: The caucus, like all legislative carcasses, reflects the priority of its members, based in this case on their shared ethnicity.

While immigration is unobvious priority, housing, economic opportunity, and education are also part of the caucus focus.

Those also happen to be priorities for release, -- Ruiz, as is growing the caucus, which faces challenges in the new legislature.

Patrice you accomplice Medina says chairing the caucus -- Patricia Campos-Medina says chairing the caucus has a lot of responsibilities.

>> We have Senator Teresa Louise with a long record of legislating and driving key issues.

What we always have to do, and this is something as legislators they are going to have to learn to do, is to be effective in driving priorities of the body, but also trying their own path so they can represent the communities, whether it be new work or Latinos, or all the issues they know to elevate for the community they represent.

That is the challenge now that we do not have a Bob Menendez and do not have somebody seen as one leader of Latinos.

David: A former Republican assembly member says she was impressed by the largely female caucus, and expressed optimism that new leadership could provide a jolt of energy.

>> There might be different priorities depending on their district.

For some of their districts, immigration and any of those issues might be very pressing.

It might have to do with your simple bread-and-butter economy issues.

Ensuring that people have access an opportunity to be successful, that there is affordability -- that is always very important.

David: Lawmakers were not talking about this on the record with us today.

Perez is one whose name has also been mentioned, but she is said to not be interested.

As for Ruiz, who as majority leader does not need the extra cloud of caucus leadership, said she would serve if she was asked but was not making any calls on her own behalf.

A vote is expected before the end of the year.

I'm David Cruz, NJ Spotlight News.

Joanna: In a last-minute plot twist, TikTok might still have a shot at overturning the van that would block its content in America.

That is set to take effect on January 19.

The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear TikTok's appeal to the ruling that would force Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell or be banned in the U.S.

The Supreme Court is the last chance for the company that has become deeply ingrained in American life and business, with countless content creators and business owners relying on it to distribute their products.

Raven Santana spoke with several of them to better understand what a ban would mean to their bottom line.

>> It went viral and we started getting sale after sale.

That never really stopped, that video went to a million views, than 7.5 million views.

Then everything I posted cap going viral.

In the process, a year and a half later, TikTok is 80% of our business.

Raven: Skip Chapman is the founder of a company that uses coffee infused oil to make deodorant.

It went viral after Chapman says he began posting videos about his product on TikTok.

Since then, he sold over 60,000 sticks of deodorant in the U.S., including Guam and Puerto Rico.

Skip: When Eichel live, over 5000 people come to our live in two hours, and they are shopping.

I don't have access to any other platform where I can do that.

Raven: It did not just get him millions of views.

It made him money -- something he was in need of after the pandemic decimated the business at the gym he used to own, and after his family experienced a health scare.

Skip: We created a coffee infused deodorant strong enough to work on my triplet teenage boys.

7 million small businesses are on TikTok right now and contribute it $24 billion last year to the U.S. economy.

Raven: Chapman joins small business owners whose livelihoods are now at stake now that the app could be banned in the U.S. next month.

The Supreme Court announced it would hear arguments on January 10 over TikTok's last ditch effort to block a new law intended to force the China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform or risk a countrywide band, starting January 19.

The news comes days after a lower court rejected TikTok's request to delay the ban.

It also comes after President-elect Donald Trump, who supported a ban during his first term, now says he wants to save the app.

George: Suppose a justification's for the ban is TikTok's invasive data collection processes and the potential for the Chinese government to I guess have access to that data.

But if the problem is with TikTok's invasive data collection practices, that is a problem with maybe all social media platforms.

If lawmakers are concerned, as they should be, with these practices, the answer is not to ban an entire app.

It is to reform the industry.

Raven: George Wang is staff attorney for Knight First Amendment Institute.

He says cut -- he says TikTok has a case.

George: They use TikTok to express themselves, to get their news, to connect with the people and communities they care about.

And yes, even to be entertained.

Shutting down TikTok even for just a day would be a big deal not just for content creators on TikTok, but everyone who shares an views content on TikTok as well.

It sets a dangerous precedent for how we regulate speech online.

Christine: As time has gone on, I've noticed that people have stopped reaching out about sponsorships on TikTok.

It has already been affecting that.

Thankfully, that is why I made the switch earlier in the year to focus more on Instagram.

Now, I have more sponsorships on there.

Raven: Christine Perez ditched her 9-to-5 in 2023 after her TikTok went viral and became lucrative.

She says after hearing rumbles about the potential band, she is forced to pivot, and says she has already noticed a negative impact on the platform.

15:1 of the first big deals I got was for $11,000 in the fall of last year.

I have not had a deal that big since last fall.

If anything, I have had those deals on Instagram, but not TikTok.

Raven: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on January 10, just nine days before the law could go into effect, putting millions of people who rely on the platform, like Chapman and Perez, at risk of losing their livelihood.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Raven Santana.

Joanna: During the year, Oasis in Patterson service women and children in need with food, social services, and educational programs.

Over the last few weeks, the wellness Center has transformed into something more like Santa's workshop, with thousands of gifts pouring in for parents to choose for their kids -- from games to toys to art supplies, and so much more.

And of course, Santa's workshop can't run without volunteer elves who have been on hand, making sure it all runs smoothly.

This morning was the big day for parents, grandparents, and caregivers who waited on this line for their chance to shop for free for the perfect gift for their kids.

When the day was done, some 5000 toys went home with these grateful parents, while their kids anxiously wait for the big day and the big man in the sleigh to arrive.

>> If you are living in poverty and you are having a difficult time putting food on your table and paying rent, there is no way you are going to be able to go to the store and purchase gifts for children during the holiday season.

This really enables a family to enjoy the holiday and have a sense of empowering and giving their children a happy holiday.

Joanna: That is going to do it for us tonight.

Before you go, a reminder to download this podcast -- the podcast so you can listen to us anytime.

Thanks for being with us.

Have a great night.

We will see you back here tomorrow night.

>> New Jersey education Association -- making public schools great for every child.

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And Orsted, committed to delivering clean American-made energy.

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Whether it is guiding first-time buyers through the home buying process or securing space for small business owners, New Jersey realtors have been helping their clients through real estate transactions for more than a century.

No matter what your newly -- unique needs are, there is a knowledgeable New Jersey realtor for you.

Learn more at NJ.realestate/find.

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