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>> Tonight on NJ Spotlight News, passing the torch to a new generation.

President Biden explains to the nation his reason for stepping aside.

>>'s delivery left a lot to be desired but the substance of what he said is going to be read in the history books for generations to come.

>> Has New Jerseyans react to Vice President Harris at the top of the ticket.

>> I think it is going to revitalize the younger base.

I think his choice is probably going to bring a lot of voters to their cap.

>> With an NJ transit engineer strike a looming, a summary of transit troubles.

>> Managing crowds in the stations come in the platforms that are cramming into these trains that are trying to carry passengers after others are canceled.

>> For some New Jersey residents, filing your income taxes just got easier.

>> What it allows you to do is you will be able to file your federal income taxes online and for free.

>> NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

♪ >> From NJ PBS Studios, this is NJ Spotlight News.

>> Hello and thanks for being with us tonight.

President Biden addressed the nation last night from the Oval Office, the first time he has publicly spoken since stepping away from the presidential race.

His decision to do so made less than a week ago was not reached easily and came after intense pressure within the Democratic Party for him to end his bid.

Biden said he reveres the presidential office but loves his country more, which is why he is handing the reins to Vice President Harris and that it has been the honor of his life to serve as president referencing great presidents before him who led the country through critical moments.

>> I made it clear I believe America is at an inflection point.

One of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now will determine the fate of our nation and the world for decades to come.

America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward.

Between hope and hate.

Between unity and division.

We have to decide, do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy?

>> President Biden ended with a warning that whether we keep our Republic now is in the voters hands.

How was this address received?

Here with me to offer their take is Republican strategist Chris Russell and Democratic strategist Julie Brezinski.

Great to have you both here tonight.

What do you make of the overall tone, the tenor and the substance of what was probably President Biden's last speech from the Oval Office last night?

>> I thought it was full of grace.

I thought it laid out the stakes of this election.

Not just the stakes of this election but for the future of this nation.

His delivery left a lot to be desired but I think the substance of what he said is going to be read in the history books for generations to come.

It went down as one of the finest residential speeches in the history of the country.

>> I think there is a point about the delivery reading versus hearing that speech.

I want to turn to you because we saw Former President Trump extremely critical of the speech saying he has defeated Biden out of the race and he is no longer going to be nice.

I want to hear from you what you think is the best strategy for Trump to turn his attention toward Kamala Harris.

>> I understand it was a difficult speech for him to give.

I don't think it was a great speech.

I thought it was a campaign speech that did ignore the big issue in the room which is his acuity and whether he is capable of being president.

Whether he is -- clearly not capable of running which is why he was pushed out.

In terms of President Trump and Kamala Harris, he has to make her own Joe Biden's record which clearly was having an impact on Joe Biden and his chance of success.

The fact Trump is competitive in New Jersey tells you it is a vastly different election from 16 and 20.

He has to make Kamala Harris own her medical record on things like -- her medical record on things like public safety, taxes and spending.

Yes to getting you to drive the fact she is the person who is the most extreme person in this race and will take the country in the wrong direction.

>> Took Chris's point, the GOP is going to go after the vice president as the most progressive person right now.

Looking at her Medicare for all, her abolishing private health insurance, the green deal, things that were on her platform when she ran for president in 2020.

As she too progressive -- is she too progressive for middle-of-the-road voters?

>> I'm going to take Chris up on that offer.

I would love for this election to be held on the Biden Harris record.

Largest job growth in the history of the country.

Lowest crime rate in generations.

Lowest unemployment rates in generations.

I can keep going.

I would love for that to be the talk of conversation especially compared to what Trump did when he gave tax cuts to the wealthiest among us and left the middle class holding the bag.

Million people dead of COVID on his watch.

The economy left in shambles.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris clean it up and the statistics tear it out -- bear it out.

I would love for the election to be held -- >> That is not what Americans think.

Americans think the country was doing better under Trump.

Is not what voters believe.

The perception is reality in these campaigns.

That is the reality.

I don't think it is a reality either.

>> To the question, is Vice President Harris too progressive for middle-of-the-road voters?

>> She is not.

Her record as vice president is exactly what has been happening to this country.

Chris to your point, we have had a president who unfortunately will he has been a great president has not been able to take the fight and the messaging to Donald Trump.

I have been complaining about that on the show and everywhere else where I could for the last four years.

We finally have a standardbearer who is going to be able to delineate the differences between her record at the record Donald Trump left us with.

I am very confident.

>> We will find that out.

>> We will.

>> We see the performer president with calls for unity are gone let's say.

The rhetoric is back.

We hear him saying things like the election was stolen.

Immigrants are stealing jobs that they are killing hundreds of thousands of Americans I believe was something he said.

He has called vice president Harris a DEI higher.

Is this rhetoric going to turn off middle-of-the-road voters?

He needs to expand beyond the base to win this election.

>> He does anything he has got to get back to the issues that got him to the point he is at which our immigration and how people feel about that.

Crime and public safety, America's standing in the world.

If he focuses on those issues that matter, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, has to be driving home his point in those issues in those states because that is where the election is going to be decided.

That is where President Biden's record is not being felt.

Kamala Harris owns that record.

Trump has to drill her on those issues in those states.

>> I want to look at women in this race because we see this morning pushed back against comments made by Vice presidential nominee J.D.

Vance criticizing Kamala Harris saying she is a childless cat lady.

Is this election going to galvanize women in -- >> How cruel.

Let's put politics aside.

Their women who choose to not have children because they don't want.

Millions of women would desperately love to have children and they can't for any number of reasons.

To make fun of them and to mock them as disgusting.

I truly hope if J.D.

Vance is daughters come at a difficulty having children he is not going to mock them the way he is mocking the rest of American women who can't have kids especially when he espouses policies that prevent women from having children.

This is a guy who voted against in vitro fertilization and now he is mocking them for not being able to have any.

Let me just say he is treading very dangerously now.

You know who a childless cat lady is?

He wants activate the swifties who will come after him with a vengeance.

He just did.

It was a stupid thing to say.

It was a cruel thing to say.

It encapsulates why he is so perfect for Donald Trump.

Donald Trump's own nephew wrote a book saying Trump sickly said people who are disabled should just die because they are too expensive to take care of.

This is someone who talks about women as though they are chattel.

This is not someone who represents women or can be the leader for this -- he can only be the leader for himself.

He does not care about anybody else who is not Donald Trump.

>> The Trump campaign yesterday filed a motion in court to try to block the transfer of President Biden's warchest to Vice President Harris.

There is a lot of legalese here.

Harris's name is on those campaign funds.

Her team is fighting that in court.

How does this play out?

Do you think this is a smart strategy legally?

>> I think it makes sense as a political tactic.

From what I have talked to people legally come I don't think it is going to work.

It is talking about the dysfunction and keeping the Democratic Party alive and the division that led to President Biden leaving the race.

Voters will not care about things like that.

They're going to care about inflation, immigration, energy crime.

That is where Trump is going to have to get back to and stay with the rest of the way.

That is how people are going to decide the vote.

>> Chris, Julie.

Chris Russell, Republican strategist.

Julie Brezinski, Democratic strategist.

Thank you always for an enlightening and exciting conversation.

While pundits battle it out in terms of messaging at attacks, voters in New Jersey are still reacting to the change at the top of the Democratic ticket and as you can imagine, those directions are mixed.

Senior correspondent Brendan Flanagan spoke to several voters in district seven which has become a major swing district in the state to get a sense of the mood on the street.

>> I think he did a very noble thing.

>> Folks in Westfield and Scotch Plains reacted to President Biden speech with a mixture of admiration and disdain.

Xavier Bloom applauded the 11 minute Oval Office address including Biden's for exiting the race and endorsing Kamala Harris.

>> Nothing, nothing can come under the way of saving our democracy.

That includes personal ambition.

So I have decided the best way forward is the path toward -- >> It is going to revitalize the younger base.

I think his choice is probably going to bring a lot of voters to their camp.

>> I think it was a pretty easy decision for him.

There was a lot of people saying he could not do interviews because of his ability.

>> There are still arguments made whether or not he is fit to serve.

>> Actually says by stepping down frees him from the rigors of campaigning.

>> He wanted to show himself especially given all the rumors as he critically ill, did something worse happen, he wanted to show he is alive and well.

>> Some folks complain the president sometimes stumbling speech did not answer their nagging questions about Bidens mental and physical fitness.

>> I think it was good.

I think he could have given a little bit more.

>> Explanation?

>> Yeah.

It was quick.

I'm going to use the word robotic I feel.

>> I don't think he should have been there in the first place.

>> Why?

>> I don't think he was equipped for the job.

>> Tamela said she found little if anything to praise about the speech or Kamala Harris.

>> The puppeteer changes the Marinette doll.

But it is still the puppeteer.

Does not matter who is in the office.

It is going to be the same.

>> Westfield is in Congressional District seven and seven swings politically we mean.

Redistricted to lean a little more read it elected a Republican to Congress in 2022 after choosing Democrat Joe Biden for president in 2020.

As for moving Harris to the top of this Novembers ticket -- >> I think she should be the successor after Biden.

She does have a lot of experience.

>> It is hard to support either one of them so it is really irrelevant who she picked or who he picked.

>> New Jersey has not voted for a Republican president since George H W Bush in 1988 but it is a little more purple than blue lately.

Whoever tops the ticket does have an impact down ballot.

>> We have seen a groundswell of support coming especially from black women from other voters of color, from women voters in general for Kamala Harris.

>> You hear it across the board.

Someone who can prosecute the case against Donald Trump.

Somebody who is a fierce advocate for abortion and women's rights.

>> Mikie Sherrill was the first among New Jersey's congressional Democrats to endorse Harris.

She says voters will demand a president who eases inflation and improves transit and that Biden did the right thing.

>> I think she is going to be a great champion for New Jersey.

Not just for affordability.

Not just for abortion but for who we are as Americans and for opportunity across this nation.

I am thrilled.

>> Harris has three weeks to go before Democrats convene in Chicago.

I'm Brenda Flanagan.

NJ Spotlight News.

>> While transit troubles continue to complicate the commutes of NJ transit riders.

Last night some of them had a chance to offer their solutions for how the agency can improve.

They spoke at a public NJ transit board meeting offering suggestions like ways to improve communication and reduce over packed trains.

Their solutions don't address some of the larger problems that have led to many of the train delays.

Those issues caused by aging railroad infrastructure in desperate need of repair.

I'm joined by a transportation reporter for North Jersey.com who was at last night's meeting and has been following New Jersey's transit woes.

Great to talk to you.

You got to sit in on the NJ transit board meeting last night.

I'm sure you heard any earful from frustrated commuters.

What were some of the key takeaways you heard as solutions proposed?

>> That is what the commuters really came forward with.

They were complaining.

They were frustrated.

One woman even talked about being sad about the state of affairs.

I think a lot of people feeling a sense of declining mental health because of the stress of their commutes.

As far as their proposals, a lot of them were fairly simple or at least simple sounding.

They don't get great communication.

The boards that tell them what tracks trains are coming on.

Trains frequently disappear or their track numbers disappear.

It causees a lot of confusion and chaos.

One of those things in new Trent -- New Jersey transit's that can be fixed.

There is the issue of overcrowding.

Looking for better health and safety attention to those issues.

Managing crowds that are in the stations, on the platforms, that are cramming into these trains that are trying to carry passengers after others are canceled.

The last thing is better contingency planning.

Having more robust options for cross honoring.

When something does go wrong, they can take a ferry.

Take the Metro to -- the subway to where they need to go.

They already do some level of cross honoring with path and buses and their own buffet -- there on buses.

People need more options given the level and the extreme you know layers of problems.

>> NJ transit has said it has a plan to bring in more double-decker trains.

I'm not sure how much that gets to the heart of the issue.

We know one of the ongoing issues are the repairs that are needed.

Have you heard anything from either Congressman Pallone or Amtrak on their plans to either accelerate the speed of repairs or address them in full?

>> There is not a whole lot of detail about immediate plans to replace and upgrade the aging electric infrastructure.

Wires, signals, your substations that provide power to the trains.

What they are doing is increasing expections -- increasing inspections.

Some repairs on aging 50 plus-year-old wires and is like that.

When Amtrak and New Jersey transit are saying is all the resources they are throwing into that right now is what has kept those problems mostly at bay for at least a number of weeks.

How long can they continue -- how long can they sustain that?

That is the question.

Furthermore, why aren't there more immediate plans to replace and upgrade other problems that have persisted for decades and were first identified to be replaced 50 years ago?

That is what I think New Jersey customers want to see.

That is what I think New Jersey transit once to see.

They pay a lot of money to use those for a state of good repair like that.

That is what Congressman Pallone and others have been talking about with Amtrak.

>> Colleen Wilson, transportation reporter with North Jersey.com.

Thank you.

There is a long-running controversy playing out in Newark where plans to build a gas-fired backup power plant in the ironbound section are moving forward.

The state Department of Environmental Protection said the power plant is needed to avoid another power outage we sold during Superstorm Sandy where the Passaic Valley sewerage commission lost power and spewed toxic sludge into Newark streets and waterways.

Residence in Newark say the backup power plant will only further burden their already polluted neighborhoods.

Ted Goldberg has a meeting held today by the Passaic Valley sewerage commission where they heard public comment pushing back on the comment.

>> We can't have any more pollution in Newark.

You made promises.

>> It was a busy day for environmentalists with many of them accusing the Murphy administration of violating the spirit of New Jersey's environmental justice law by allowing an initial go-ahead for a fourth powerplant in the ironbound.

>> You went indirect assigned to each of.

Now you are letting a gas plant come in.

Shame on you, Governor.

>>>> You don't want any plan to run any minutes of any day.

I get that.

With all due respect, I don't want sewage and other pollution in the streets of Newark next time a Superstorm Sandy hits.

>> The Passaic Valley sewerage commission is looking to build a backup power plant so in the event of a black -- a blackout Newark streets are not flooded with sewage which happened during Superstorm Sandy.

Your definition of an economic or an environmental calamity and mine have we did Missy.

I'm nothing but respect for these folks.

On this when I'm going to say with all due respect, there are two sides to the coin.

>> The DEP Commissioner says the E.J.

Liddell has not been broken and the possible plant would only be allowed to run as a backup with monthly tuneups.

>> By engaging in that dialogue with community members and hearing directly from them about what they would like to see EVS did examine other alternatives.

Typically that would not have been the case.

>> The P VSC hosted a public meeting on zoom today.

More than 100 people signed on.

>> It is literally terrorism.

Coming up people for money.

You're going to kill people for money.

Don't do it.

>>>> Not everyone used associate colorful language but the P VSC cured and -- heard in earful about plants for the plant.

>> Power plants are notorious for hitting -- framing harmful -- which many of us already struggle with.

This is not just an inconvenience.

It is a direct threat to our health and well-being.

>> Building this gas plant will constitute another egregious example of the multiple past and current environmental injustices that Newark residents suffer.

>> Why does the ironbound have to deal with another powerplant when communities like mine, wealthier communities, they end up not having to have this burden.

All of the burden is put over there where we can't see it.

>> With such a proposal be considered in a white or affluent community?

The answer is likely no.

The ironbound community has consistently voiced its opposition to this proposal since 2014.

>> The zoom room included Democratic Senate candidate Andy Kim who denounced the DEP's limited approval.

>> What we see here are the consequences of another powerplant in this community would be profound.

These are people's homes, their schools, their places of worship.

All choked with fossil fuel pollution.

>> One of those places of worship is Saint Stephen's Church.

Like others in the ironbound, it deals with plenty of pollution.

>> We have an incinerator that is here.

We have the airport nearby.

We have the port of Newark nearby.

We have trucks going up and down the turnpike.

>> The pastor says his community is full of immigrants who do not always voice their concerns.

>> They are always more on the quiet side when it comes to raising issues because they are afraid.

You know?

So sometimes I think that is what is happening.

Because people might not be as vocal if something is happening in their backyard.

>> There are not even people that know about this because whether it is a language barrier , and educational problem, this is exactly why we did the law that we did.

>> This goes against 100% the grain of the bill.

>> Senator Teresa Ruiz was a co-prime sponsor of the environmental justice bill and says the P VSP should look a green energy and discard their decade-old plans.

>> There should be all hands on deck approach looking at this through a new lens to be sure that we are acquiring the best green technology that is not the expense of our children's health in the city of Newark.

>> The DEP success meant -- the DEP's assessment said green energy would not be feasible for a backup plan.

Plans have not gotten a final approval.

Until they do, you can expect opponents to get louder as they protest.

>> In our spotlight on business report tonight, there is a new program that could allow you to file your own taxes for free.

The program is called direct file.

It was well done under the Biden administration's inflation reduction act and was designed to make the process simple for folks with straightforward tax returns.

The end goal, to save money.

It is estimated it could save taxpayers across the U.S. a total of $19 billion annually.

Here in New Jersey, $534 million.

>> In addition to making this easier and more efficient, you would also save money because you are not paying for one of these commercial tax preparers.

For a lot of people who have a simple text situation if you are able to avoid those fees, file directly and efficiently on line with the IRS itself.

Not going through a middleman.

This has been something that has been sought for a very long time.

>> Direct file started as a pilot program in dozen states but is being expanded into all 50 states.

New Jersey is moving forward with it.

Governor Murphy saying he believes it will save the state money in the long run.

Republicans in the house are opposed to the program and they have proposed legislation to block it.

That legislation faces a vote when they return from their summer break.

Turning to Wall Street, stocks bounced back today looking to rebound after recent losses.

Here is how the markets closed.

♪ That does it for us tonight.

Before you go, download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen to us anytime.

I'm Joanna Gagis.

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

Have a great night and we will see you back here tomorrow.

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♪