>> Funding is provided by the members of the New Jersey public Association.

Let's be healthy together.

>> Tonight, legislatures make a med -- to pass more than 150 bills during the final day of the lame-duck session.

>> It's not Yogi Berra.

>> Also at the Statehouse, order in the court.

A rush to confirm nearly 1000 judges.

>> As everyone knows, we have a rigorous vetting process.

>> No relief in sight.

Victims of tropical storm Ida are waiting for protection.

>> The storm happened more than two years ago so it seems like we are on a hamster wheel.

>> Weathering the storm.

Residents dig out after a risk of flash flooding.

>> We could be faced with damaging wind.

>> NJ news spotlight begins now.

♪ >> >> Good evening and thank you for joining us.

Congress has a deal to fund the government and potentially avert a shutdown, but not a lot of time to pass it.

Congressional leaders announced an agreement of $1.6 trillion spending plans the look a lot like the bipartisan deal struck last year.

It keeps intact money for the military and key social safety net programs despite demands to cut the budget.

Lawmakers have a lot of work to get the bill over the finish line.

State legislatures are up against the clock.

Today is the final day of the lame-duck session with measures carrying significant concert once is that might not make it.

>> The 220th session ends with more of a whimper than a bang.

Was the only committee work before the voting session.

Affordable housing, a heavy lift.

>> I'm excited.

This will be transformational.

We realize we are doing a disservice so I am excited.

>> The details have been hammered, today's final voting is not expected to include any last-minute surprises.

It's extremely rare and unlikely to happen.

Still, one prominent Republican lawmaker says you never know.

>> It's not over until it's over.

Things move pretty fast.

You know if it's controversial, we will probably see it today.

Some of these bills don't see the light of day for years, and the other ones pop up out of nowhere.

>> There are well over 100 bills on the agenda covering everything from subsidies for horseracing, fertility treatments, school construction.

>> We have struggled.

Think about a cabinet official was making $175,000 and running a department with over 10,000 employees.

>> Over 100 bills on the final day, being pushed to the legislature.

Is it something that might change?

>> It's important for us to make sessions.

Doing the right thing at the right time, when I like to see some legislative initiatives that we did not get to the finish line?

No question.

>> This question is in the books.

It comes with a warning.

>> The budget process will be tight.

I know we are confident.

There is a trust fund renewal.

It's important and of course, in February we start the budget all over again.

>> Whether that is a promise or a threat.

We will find out.

>> Judicial nominees were top of the agenda.

As Ted Goldberg reports, today's biologic of judges on the bench.

>> Being let judge would be the pinnacle of my career.

>> Has the legislation session wind sound, new judges.

Each person explained what it would mean to serve on the Superior Court.

>> I attended law school at night while working full-time as a parole officer.

>> I love being a judge and I would be deeply honored and riblets to continue my judicial service to the people of New Jersey.

>> I am excited about the challenges and the chance to learn new things.

I have much to learn but I would approach this from the core values I always practice.

>> The Superior Court short-handed with 47 vacancies, as a result trials are on hold in four counties.

>> We are continuing to bring through individuals to be sure we have the full complement of needs.

>> Others have defended the process.

>> We have a rigorous process for judges and for a good reason.

Having spoken with leaders and senators away thank for their critical role, I assure them.

>> I want to do do diligence to make sure people serving on the bench represent the best of New Jersey.

>> These candidates sailed through without much pushback.

>> These are the types of candidates we want to see becoming members of the Supreme Court.

>> Having the judiciary is critical.

I am excited about the prospects.

>> Getting a fully functioning judiciary set up as we meet for the first time later this week.

>> Make sure you join us right here tomorrow for live coverage.

The speech and Republican response both on their and streaming on on -- online.

Governor Murphy is asking for buses.

In a letter today, he asked bus companies for 32 hours advance notice and requested more information about those on board.

Along with where and when they will be arriving.

All to ensure they arrive in the state.

Dozens of charter buses transferred asylum-seekers with the most all of them.

The buses have sidestepped executive orders.

Several entrances are reopened after traffic chaos after Palestinian demonstrators shut down critical entry points.

The Holland tunnel, Brooklyn Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge and Manhattan Bridge were blocked by protesters.

According to the NYPD, it was mostly useful but because major disruptions.

About 120 protesters were taken into custody.

It appears several organizations coordinated the event.

They are demanding an immediate cease-fire and an end to aid in Israel.

Data from the Palestinian health ministry shows about one out of every 100 Palestinians has been killed since the war started on October 7.

The United Nations says it's over 22,000, emphasizing the humanitarian situation.

Hundreds gathered in Newark for the funeral of a person fatally shot last Wednesday.

Police said they found it lying, his death sent shockwaves through the community.

People pocked the mosques.

Many were from different faiths.

People called him a shining example for the youth new work.

It's the start of the war, others shared lustration -- frustration that the police have not named a motive.

Depending on where you live, this weekend storm was either a hit-or-miss.

As predicted, the Northwestern section of New Jersey got the highest amount of snow totals.

Several counties recorded between six to 12 inches of snow, but areas where elevation is highest got pummeled with more than one foot.

While the rest of the states, everyone in central and south Jersey so mostly rain and sleet, forecasters said more than an inch of rain will toward the toward -- tail end of the storm and now they are shifting to another weather event tomorrow, and could bring two to four inches of rain total.

The national weather service put the entire state under a flood watch while it assesses the potential for coastal flooding with major river flooding expected in upper Delaware River.

Dave Robinson says residents should be prepared.

>> I am really concerned about this.

We are saturated.

Soap.

We have that storm during the holiday week.

Now, this major one.

>> The Murphy administration set aside $10 million dedicated to properties in the Passaic River basin.

Plenty others know the devastating consequences of flooding in the state, two years after tropical storm Ida, many homeowners say their homes remain unlivable and their worlds have been upended.

Help with mortgage forbearance just made it through the legislature but as Brendan Flanigan reports, it does not appear the governor is ready to sign it.

>> It's awful.

>> Stephanie says her home was flooded but it feels like she is still underwater, except now she is drowning in debt, making mortgage payments on a destroyed house.

Other victims hope lawmakers pass a bill that would give them temporary forbearance on mortgage payments and foreclosures.

>> We can't afford to get it fixed at that time and it just deteriorated.

Get out of the mountains of debt.

>> I don't have much time.

How much more can I go on like this?

>> She took out a loan and maxed out her credit to fix it but it needs work.

She recently lost her job.

She also fears foreclosure.

>> I went into credit card debt if I had the forbearance.

>> Just asking to give the families some space.

>> Only a fraction of the eight has been dispersed.

Meanwhile, the state has canceled federal grants to elevate homes in high risk flood areas and started offering blue acres buyouts.

She says victims feel betrayed and hopeless.

>> No one has received any funding so they are doing in out-of-pocket and using credit cards.

That mortgage payment relief will get them ahead.

>> She says the bill simply offers to pause mortgage payments for a year, not delete them.

It would also pause foreclosures.

After watching President Biden and others promise assistance, victims say relief is long overdue.

>> We needed it yesterday.

That's the problem.

The government is taking their time getting something passed that should be a no-brainer.

>>>> It was more than two years ago so we feel like we are on a hamster veil.

>> Senator express frustration.

He says the bill cleared committee but they warned that Murphy would not sign it.

>> We are waiting for a written discussion from the governor's office to highlight where they have run afoul.

>> Singleton hopes the governor's office -- >> Feel the governor's office is not paying enough attention that these are human beings.

It is just numbers on paper.

They are not getting voices heard because it's a different kind of storm, behind closed doors.

It's not the beachfront.

>> Her family still living with her dad.

>> It was over a year ago.

You should be over that.

How do you get over something that destroys your life?

>> Meanwhile, they applied to buy out their homes.

>> The owner of a New Jersey technology company is under fire for duping public safety and law enforcement.

According to a complaint, the company's owner repeatedly lied to state agencies in order to get the money.

A journalist joins me with the latest.

Welcome to the show.

Great reporting.

I guess my first question is, how was it that these towns were duped into purchasing this blacklisted equipment?

>> There is a company based in New Jersey which has had previous contacts that had these existing relationships with these New Jersey towns, during the pandemic there was funding for automated license plate readers as well as infrared cameras to supposedly detect Covid cases.

Basically the CEO of this company went to existing relationships and said you could use the Covid funding and there was not enough research being done to prove that this was actually Chinese technology.

>> It was listed as an official vendor with the state of New Jersey.

How far was this able to get before complaints were filed?

>> Something really interesting is the cameras were rebranded, the CEO knew that they were banned and have it them change the colors of the cameras.

Eventually there was an F EI investigation and the FBI investigation was going on for over a year, during that time, New Jersey but on the official approved vendors list.

Not great between the FBI and state of New Jersey but the FBI uncovered this after about a year of investigation.

>> What do these officials say to you about justifications for using COVID relief money in the first place?

>> I basically found these charging documents on pacer, I went to city every time and asked if any cameras that are been, and none of the towns were able to provide comment.

They were initially banned because the company was found to be using the surveillance cameras in China in prison camps , so they were banned for human rights reasons.

About a year later, the FCC banned these cameras because they might be phoning back to China.

There have been cameras that are banned by the federal government, we don't know how, why and where and which ones they are sending back to China but that is the reasoning why they were banned.

>> The journalist is with a tech media company.

Thank you so much.

>> Odyssey has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The company owns hundreds of radio stations and is one of the largest in the U.S. but has been struggling for the last four years.

The company says the land will help reduce its debt by 80%.

A big chunk of the debt came after merging in 2017.

The filing is not expected to impact employees.

It is slated for a February Port Huron and the CEO says they expected to operate normally.

Turning to Wall Street, markets are trying to over from a tough week.

Here are today's closing trading numbers.

♪ That's going to do it for us tonight.

Don't forget to download the podcast so you can listen anytime.

For the entire news team, have a great evening and we will see you back here tomorrow.

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♪