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Anchor: Tonight on "NJ Spotlight News," day three of Jose Uribe, the star witness and the stand in the Menendez trial, the defense pulling out every punch to -- every punch.

Also, speaking out against private prison contracts for migrants in the state.

>> We want the federal government to be consistent with the New Jersey state law, and with their own directive to the Department of Justice requiring the DOJ not enter into any contracts privately run detention centers.

Anchor: Plus, a new study on policing practices in South Jersey finds more transparency and communication leads to better police-community relations.

>> By making footage available to them, we have seen increased body cams, and people think the police are more professional.

Anchor: And pain at the pump.

Representative Frank Pallone takes on price gouging, claiming oil --claiming oil and gas executives are making big money.

"NJ Spotlight News" begins right now.

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

Anchor: Thanks for joining us, I am Joanna Gagis in four Briana Vannozzi.

The gun trial because Hunter Biden took less than a day to find him guilty on all counts, lying about possessing a gun.

There was testimony about his struggle with addiction from his ex-wife and sister-in-law.

The jury was told to disregard the first lady in the courtroom.

The president's son waits for sentencing which could be up to 25 years in prison.

In federal court in New York, we saw day three of the prosecution's star witness, Jose Uribe, on the stand in U.S.

Senator Bob Menendez's trial.

He was a codefendant who flipped and became a witness and has been the linchpin for the prosecution, detailing bribes he says he made to Senator Menendez and his wife Nadine.

Our Senior correspondent is on the scene, where she witnessed an attempt to shred Uribe's credibility.

Reporter: The defense open fire with both barrels today, as you said, shred the credibility of prosecution's star witness, Jose Uribe.

The reason he's so critical to the prosecution is he is the one that can make the quid pro quo work.

He is the only witness who says he participated in this a bribery scheme with a Senator Menendez and his then girlfriend Nadine.

Uribe is originally charged in this case, remember, but he decided to flip.

The defense today alleged he flipped because the governor warned him that he was facing a completely different federal investigation on tax evasion charges.

Uribe admitted he did dodge taxes for years.

He set up family members as heads of companies he owned and that's how he didn't pay taxes between 2011 -- or 2016 and 2022.

His main reason for cooperating with the prosecution according to the defense is to save his own skin.

Yes, to shield his family, but Uribe is looking at 95 years if he's convicted on all charges.

They say "you are doing this in hopes of a sentence with no incarceration."

Anchor: That's what we heard from those attorneys, but Senator Menendez attorneys also could take a shot at Uribe today.

What did you hear?

Reporter: The defense for Menendez hammered Uribe on lying.

Over and over and over again.

Let me give you some quotes.

You lied to a bank to get a loan.

Yes I did.

You lied to customers of your insurance company.

Yes I did.

You committed fraud and other crimes for 13 years.

Yes.

Uribe could do nothing but agree yes.

He was also pushed to admit that Nadine never really told him that she personally asked Menendez to buy her a car, get her a job, or for help taking care of her mortgage, which at one point was in foreclosure.

Anchor: We know the testimony of a flipped witness can sometimes work.

We just saw this happen with Michael Cohen in the Trump trial.

We also know cleanup is imported for prosecutors and they will have a chance for redirect tomorrow.

What do you expect for them to straighten out what happened today with the defense attorneys?

Reporter: Menendez has always said, he pleaded not guilty and said the truth would come out in cross-examination today.

Witnesses as you pointed out, who flipped, tend to not have a squeaky clean backgrounds.

As you referred, Michael Cohen in the Trump hush money case.

The jury had to be convinced to believe him.

What the prosecution we are expecting will do tomorrow is try to clean up some of the damage the defense inflicted on him today.

Anchor: Do you have a sense at all of the jury in this process and how they are receiving this information?

Reporter: There are times they seem riveted, other times a few of them look like they are falling asleep to be honest.

Anchor: We know there is a long and tedious, a lot of information dragged out through the trial.

Great information.

Brenda Flanagan, thank you.

Reporter: Thank you.

Anchor: All eight of New Jersey's Democratic House members are calling on the Department of Justice to back off of its support of private immigration detention centers in the state, saying that support defies President Biden's own position on the use of private prisons.

The issue was in the court last year after the state of New Jersey passed a law banning private facilities from entering into federal contacts to detain migrants.

A federal judge ruled to allow the Elizabeth detention center to remain open.

Is the last remitting detention center in New Jersey and is run by a private company.

But lawmakers are concerned ruling leaves the door open for more detention facilities to open in the state.

While that lawsuit is on appeal, a lawmaker joins me now.

Thank you for joining us in the studio.

You recently joined with all seven of your Democratic colleagues, you sent a letter to the Biden Administration asking for an about-face on their position on ISA contracts in New Jersey.

Talk to us about the letter, what are you asking for?

>> Appreciate you having me on.

We've been consistent on the issue, the delegation, we've written multiple letters to the administration and the state has been consistent on this issue.

2021, the state legislature introduced in the Governor signed into law a bill that would prohibit these privately run detention centers.

We just want the federal government to be consistent with New Jersey state law, and with their own directive to the Department of Justice requiring the DOJ not enter any contracts with the run detention centers.

Because this is DHS and ice there is a separate treatment, and for us it lacks consistency with the state priorities, what the administration has said.

We ask they not involve themselves in the new piece of litigation between this new entity that is looking to open a facility or reopen a facility in Newark and ask them to be aligned with our values.

Anchor: The Florida-based group is looking right now at Delaney Hall in Newark.

The Biden Administration sent a letter in support against core civic.

A federal judge ruled that the New Jersey law was unconstitutional.

You believe this case wins on appeal, which is where it is right now?

>> That's what we are hopeful for and we believe the decision was misguided for a number of reasons.

The other part of this, these are executive decisions, the administration making these decisions through DHS and ICE and we believe they are the wrong decisions.

Because there are ongoing court cases, we are concerned about court cases.

It doesn't have to come to that, they could make a decision not to extend the contract in Elizabeth with core civic and also not engage this Geo group with respect to Delaney Hall.

We will combat this on all fronts, it doesn't matter what setbacks we face based on court decisions, we will keep hammering this issue because it is the wrong thing for New Jersey and our constituents.

Anchor: It's hard to take the politics out of the moment, just two days before you sent your second later, the Biden Administration came out and Biden announced he was blocking all asylum-seekers that not come through lawful processes.

He's playing to the middle in an intense election season.

How to set fair for this request you've made for New Jersey?

>> I don't believe that's the right decision either and I believe the administration should look at all the tools it has available to support our immigrant communities here in New Jersey and throughout the country.

We see the value every day that people here, whether on a document in or on document a basis, make to our communities and economy.

That should be the message we are driving, one that is more inclusive and recognizes the work and contributions of these different individuals instead of playing to a Republican narrative.

It's been a frustration I've had with the administration because they've done some things right, trying to expand pathways through TPS and the parole program but they've done things that are clearly a response to the Republican narrative around the border and immigration.

That's not the right thing to do and we will keep calling them out until they do what we believe is the right thing and ultimately in line with our democratic principles.

Anchor: Have you heard anything back from the administration?

>> We have not yet what we will continue to follow-up.

We got involved with the Elizabeth detention center, we said it was not a one-off letter, we will continuously be involved.

We have been at the Elizabeth detention center with a group of immigrant rights advocacy groups to make clear this is our position.

We will continue to work steadily on this issue until we get to a much better result.

Anchor: Congressman, thank you for taking the time.

Policing has come into focus in Atlantic City, specifically at Stockton University.

The school received a $700,000 grant from the Department of Justice to study how specific policing practices impact the community and attitudes around law enforcement.

Things like releasing body camera footage or using a procedural justice script during stops.

That study produced interesting results.

I'm joined by the lead researcher, an assistant professor of criminal justice at Stockton University.

Thank you so much for being with us tonight.

I want to get a sense, before we talk about the impact of these police practices have on the community, want to talk about how you conducted this study.

Can you give us a sense of what the process was like?

>> Yes, first, thank you for having me.

We have been partnered with Atlantic City and Pleasantville Police Department's and we did write a Longs with police officers and we trained officers on procedural justice and our protocol and they delivered our protocol during speeding stops.

We asked people who were stopped by the police whether there would be willing to take a survey, a short survey.

After that, we analyzed our data.

That's how we conducted the study.

Anchor: What is a procedural justice script and what does it sound like?

>> Procedural justice script is a script that will occupy researchers and scholars to enhance citizen perception of the police during traffic stops.

It includes elements of dignity and respect and also explanations for why the officers stopped them.

Anchor: What did you find in terms of the impact these practices had on the community owned residence even as they were stopped?

>> First, we found that people who are working in this field, they know the impact of the body cams are fading out.

Citizens no longer believe they have an impact on police-citizen interactions or they make police professional.

But by making footage available to them, we have seen enhanced perceptions of body cams.

The people who received our protocol sink the police are more professional for using body cams.

In addition to that we have a higher level of trust of the police in the group where we see our protocol, as well as they are more likely to cooperate with the police on solving crime and we have a higher level of cooperation in our experiment groups.

Anchor: What is this tell you about moving forward?

Can this be scaled across the state and nation and have a major impact?

>> Yes, it may have a major impact because currently police training includes directives on doing track of -- traffic stops, offer sure -- officers should engage with citizens.

Our research say if you engage with citizens and give them a reason.

Police are doing this to keep the roadways safe and make sure that people are safe, if they communicate this message, they are more satisfied and it increases a level of trust as well as obligation and compliance.

We also expected me de-escalate the situation.

We hope it becomes nationwide practice.

Anchor: Excellent research, thank you for coming on to share it with us, Professor.

We appreciate your time.

>> Thank you for having me.

Anchor: We are facing 90 degrees temperatures by the end of the week, kicking off what has been predicted to be a sizzling hot summer.

That has workers' rights groups worried.

They are pushing for the legislature to move forward a bill that would put certain requirements in place for workers who face extreme heat at their jobs.

But as Ted Goldberg reports, is not without opposition from business industry advocates and the New Jersey Farm Bureau.

>> I experienced that extreme heat where I could not hold it anymore and I fainted while working.

Reporter: Adriana has worked at warehouses and factories the last few decades.

She says it's not uncommon for workers to lose consciousness while working in the summer heat.

>> I saw a lot of my colleagues also fainted and feeling exhausted after working so much in extreme heat.

Especially in the company where I fainted and they did not provide a fan or AC.

Reporter: As climate change least the hotter summers, workers' rights groups our work -- are worried about people who work outside.

They helped to write a bill that would give certain protections to workers when the weather gets really hot.

Things like -- >> To have a central AC in those warehouses and for employers to provide fans to employees.

Because there are a lot of people on the assembly line and sometimes one fan is not enough for everyone.

>> I'm frustrated that another intense summer of heat will go through without proper worker protections.

Reporter: This Senator sponsored the bill, which would require companies to do things like stop non-essential work during heat waves, provide easy access to water and provide paid rest time in shade or cooled down areas.

It stalled in the statehouse after facing opposition from big business and some agricultural groups.

>> It is a one-size-fits-all approach to something that cannot be a one-size-fits-all.

Reporter: In late May the New Jersey Farm Bureau sent the Senator a letter criticizing the bill, saying "using a heat index of 80 degrees Fahrenheit is unduly burdensome and unnecessary as the effects of heat stress are not seen until a much higher degree and even then, it is manageable with proper precautions."

They also argued the bill would take a one-size-fits-all approach to all industries across the state when creating a heat related illness and injury protection program, and it would be an impractical and virtually un-implement of a program for agriculture.

>> You will hear this guy is falling and this will create a bird in the New Jersey gun economy cannot bear and that is not true -- create a burden that the New Jersey economy cannot bear and that is not true.

>> The coalition is everything from school boards to the Farm Bureau to some business groups that I think would rather go back to feudalism than to protect workers.

Reporter: Critics have also said the bill has a baked -- the bill is vague.

>> That's a Trenton term that means we don't like it.

>> It requires employers to have water and available for employees within the immediate vicinity but it doesn't define what media vicinity is.

Reporter: The New Jersey business and industry Association says they've discussed of the bill with the senator and companies already take steps to protect workers.

>> It's really hard to find workers willing to work in certain environments.

Workers willing to work in any environment in this state.

Our employees are treating employees better than they have been.

Reporter: Just buy those efforts, nearly 500 American workers have died from heat related illnesses on the job nationwide between 2011 and 2022.

That's according to the Bureau of Labor and statistics.

OSHA is excited to introduce heat related rules in September after years of work but it might be a while until they are put into practice.

I am Ted Goldberg.

Anchor: The price you are paying at the pump might be a result of price gouging.

That's an allegation that a New Jersey Congressman is exploring.

He sent a letter last month to seven of the major oil and gas companies asking to reveal documents that could prove they are colluding to profit at a time when inflation is causing financial pain for all of us.

Raven Santana spoke to Senator Pallone at the Jon Bon Jovi gas station where drivers are already feeling the pain.

>> It initially came from the Federal Trade Commission.

Reporter: Congressman Franklin, the ranking member of the energy commerce committee, wants to hold oil accountable.

He's saying oil companies are colluding to drive up gas prices.

>> We are moving away from fossil fuels toward renewables, electric vehicles, but I think that's the reason this is happening.

Oil companies realize more and more they are a thing of the past.

It's like a last ditch effort to make more money before they can't.

I think that's part of it unfortunately.

Reporter: He is pushing for a congressional investigation into the oil companies and shared details of the damming Federal Trade Commission complain about a former oil executive.

The announcement was made in front of the Jon Bon Jovi rest stop where he says price gouging at the pump could occur as families head to and from summer road trips.

>> The Federal Trade Commission, the federal agency that deals with antitrust violations, they have specifically mentioned the conduct of the former pioneer CEO Scott shell filled.

-- Scott Sheffield.

They allege that he colluded with OPEC to artificially increase crude oil prices that gouge Americans at the gas pump.

>> It finds its way into the package delivery, goods and services in our stores, in addition to the prices we pay to get to them from work and get families where they need to be.

Reporter: He was joined by the executive director of the league of conservation voters of New Jersey.

>> When there is smoke there is probably fire.

Why don't you just produce the documents?

Reporter: He says the goal is to get the big oil companies to release financial documents.

>> What we are looking at is oil company CEOs raking in record profits.

Last year alone the oil and gas companies earned $174 billion in profits.

All while gas prices were continuing to rise.

It's good they are coming down a little bit but -- we are not opposed to folks making money, it's the fact they are using the inflationary pressures, or in the case the congressman said, they are colluding to raise prices, that leaves us having to shell out more so they can pay out more to their executives and board members.

Reporter: Colón says Democrats are trying to convince Republicans to have a hearing so they can subpoena the oil companies for the documents.

We reached out to the companies that were named and none responded, but the American petroleum Institute said American oil producers have answered the call to meet growing energy demand.

I am Raven Santana.

Anchor: Turning to Wall Street, stocks dropped today as the Fed policy meeting kicked off.

Officials discussing the future of interest rates.

Here is a look at how the markets closed.

>> Support for the business report provided by the Newark arts and education district.

Visit our website for the Hals etfest schedule.

Anchor: That doesn't for us tonight but before you go, don't forget to download our podcast so you can listen anytime.

I am Joanna Gagis.

For the entire team, thank you for being with us, have a great evening and we will see you back here tomorrow night.

>> NJM insurance group.

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And by the PSEG foundation.

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Our future relies on empowered -- to help our families and neighbors.

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 to strengthen our community.

>> have some water.

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 be known and to be an American.

My name is Julia and I am proud to be an NJEA member.

♪