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Briana: Tonight on NJ Spotlight News, after firing the entire panel of CDC's vaccine advisors yesterday, Secretary Kennedy appoints a whole new slate, whose some in the medical field fear will pull -- push an anti-vaccine agenda.

As deportations ramp up, anti-I.C.E.

protests are spreading from Los Angeles to here in Princeton.

>> I've seen mothers locked up, grandmothers get locked up.

It seems to me it is a very racist attack on people that come from south of our border.

Briana: NJ decides 2025.

With the gubernatorial primary barely in the rearview, what happens to Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill's house eat if she wins this fall?

>> Is not a lot of margin to spare in the house.

If she were to win and resign, then the Democrats are down one reliable vote.

Briana: Hunger in New Jersey, RWJBarnabas health launches a new plan to address food insecurity in Newark.

>> Health does not begin in a hospital or doctor's office.

It begins at their neighborhoods.

It begins in our cages at home.

Briana: NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

♪ Announcer: from NJPBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight News," with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: Good evening and thanks for joining us on this Thursday night.

I'm Briana Vannozzi Carry we begin with a few of today's top headlines.

First, New Jersey is back in the fray with another lawsuit against the Trump Administration.

This time joining 11 other states suing to challenge the EPA and President's decision to revoke clean-air policies.

Earlier today, President Trump signed congressional resolutions that block California's effort to phase out gas powered vehicles which was issued under the clean air act.

New Jersey has adopted similar standards.

Those resolutions wipe out EPA waivers, allowing states to mandate more clean car sales than are required at the federal level.

Congress passed the resolutions in May and once signed by the president, it becomes law, circumventing a review by the courts.

The Attorney General and others including California, New York and Colorado today called the move an illegal abuse of national powers, and an attack on the clean air act.

It comes as the Trump Administration is clashing with California on several other fronts.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has named eight members to the CDC's top vaccine advisory panel just days after ousting its entire 70 member team.

The shakeup has sparked concern among major medical organizations who warned the move could politicize a committee long guided by scientific consensus.

The announcement made Wednesday in a social media post listed the biographies of all the new members.

The advisors come from a variety of fields including medicine, public health and operations management.

Some have publicly questioned pandemic era vaccine policies.

Kennedy insists the group will bring a fresh independent review of vaccine safety and effectiveness, pushing back on claims they are anti-vaxxers.

Calling them credentialed scientists.

Critics say his Tracy signal a shift away from long-standing vaccine norms.

The advisory panel has guided federal policy since 1964, and shakes which vaccines are recommended, who gets done and when.

The new panel is set to meet later this month to vote on vaccines for COVID, flu, HPV and more.

Clean energy advocates are looking to make the most of Governor Murphy's remaining time in office, pushing lawmakers to pass legislation that would require the state to move to 100% clean energy by 2035.

That has been a goal of the Murphy administration since taking office, which inched forward through an executive order he signed two years ago.

Environmental advocates from groups like the Sierra Club and league of conservation voters held a rally this morning outside the Statehouse annexed, outlining ways transitioning to clean energy will help fight climate change and lower energy costs at a time when electric rates are going up as much as 20% for customers in New Jersey, due to increased demand on the power grid and not enough supply.

Advocates want the state to take action now as the Trump Administration rolls back clean energy initiatives at the federal level, and invests in more fossil fuels.

Most recently, directing the EPA to repeal climate pollution limits on oil and gas power plants.

Organizers said they were holding dozens of meetings with lawmakers following the rally to get them to move the bill.

Protests against the Trump Administration's I.C.E.

raids and use of the military in Los Angeles have become a flashpoint for immigration unrest.

Not just on the West Coast, but across the country and here in New Jersey too.

On Wednesday, immigrant rights groups rallied in Princeton to protest ramped up I.C.E.

activity and show support for everyone who is taken to the streets in L.A.

It comes as tensions continue to flare up in L.A. California Democratic Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a Homeland Security press conference after he interrupted and shouted questions to Secretary gnome.

As the Justice Department issued a member -- a message to prosecutors across the country, providing them a list with charges they can bring against protesters, they determined to be riding.

Raven Santana reports.

Raven: Nearly 100 people from various immigration rights organizations gathered outside the Princeton public library, chanting and demanding that I.C.E.

stay out of communities like Princeton.

>> We want to let everybody know there is nonviolent actions that have been happening since I.C.E.

has been present in our communities and our streets, roaming Home Depot depots, roaming schools, roaming neighborhoods, knocking on doors.

Raven: Anna is the executive director of an organization based in Princeton and Trenton that serves 2500 members.

Many of them say their communities are living in fear as I.C.E.

rates intensify nationwide.

This marks the latest escalation by the Trump Administration which has significantly increased arrests of undocumented immigrants.

Last night, the White House architect told Fox News's Sean Hannity that I.C.E.

is ramping up daily arrests, a significant increase from previous levels.

>> Under President Trump's leadership, we are looking to set a goal of a minimum of 3000 arrests for I.C.E.

every day.

Raven: Advocates say the rally aimed to show solidarity with the people of Los Angeles who took to the streets over the weekend in protest of I.C.E.

rates.

While the demonstrations were peaceful, the LAPD arresting close to 150 protesters.

President Trump ordered thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines deployed to the city despite objections from local leadersl.

.

And creating a historic power struggle and spreading fear that similar actions could happen in communities around the country.

>> Is personal for me but also our community.

This false narrative that we have -- that they are coming for murderers and rapists has not been true.

Just in my community, I have seen seven to nine-year-old zip tied by a I.C.E.

officers, I have said -- seen people with brown skin pushed against walls to search for IDs.

I've seen mothers locked up, grandmothers get locked up.

It seems to me it is a very racist attack on people that come from south of our border.

Raven: Advocates warned the ramped up I.C.E.

activity is making people scared to live their lives, making immigrants less likely to seek government services or assist local police investigations.

They are urging lawmakers to pass the immigrant trust act which would create new privacy protections around immigration status, and limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.

>> They are trying to push a legislation, the immigrant trust act.

The immigrant trust act is not going through in many cities like Princeton because of a resolution that should be passed by the Council.

If we are not being supported in policy, then we are not being able to support immigrants regardless of what is already in place.

Raven: Advocates I spoke with say the level of concern amongst immigrants here in Princeton is at an all-time high.

>> I know a handful of people that are currently detained or have been deported, or they have court hearings and stuff.

And they are scared to go to their court hearings because now , after dismissing a case, I.C.E.

is waiting for them outside the room.

It's scaring everybody.

Even though Los Angeles is a sanctuary state, look what happened.

I could honestly happen anywhere.

It doesn't matter where.

>> This is a pivotal moment because it is the federal overreach over state.

Coming from -- I was at the protest at Delaney Hall with the mayor.

And I've seen how they treat city and state officials.

I've seen how they treat the Newark police officers.

Unless we want the military to police our streets, we need to step up.

>> We reached out to I.C.E.

for a statement.

The agency deferred us to the White House which did not respond to a request for comment.

Advocacy groups say they are now preparing for new Kings Day protests, a nationwide mass mobilization against President Trump set to take place this weekend including dozens of events in New Jersey.

For NJ Spotlight news am Raven Santana.

Briana: Focus has quickly shifted to the November election now that the match up for the ticket is set.

Democratic nominee and Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill has said she intends to stay in Congress as she shifts to her general election campaign for governor.

If she wins, it will trigger a special election to fill her 11th District House seat.

As our Washington correspondent Ben explains, the timing of that is everything.

He joins me now from the hill.

Ben, good to talk to you.

A lot of pathetic goals that we have this November matchup ahead of us.

If Mikie Sherrill were to win in November, what happens to her house seat?

Ben: This is what is on my mind, on her mind, on the mind of Bill Murphy.

Under the Constitution, house seats have to be filled with elections, not appointments.

Basically, if she were to win and then resign, under state law, a series of four elections would begin.

There would be a special primary election to fill that seat.

A special general.

Then there would be the regular primary and the regular general election to fill that have seat for the next term.

But it is a cavalcade of elections.

It's something that tactically, Democrats both in New Jersey and in Washington, are aware of.

There is not a lot of margin to spare in the house.

Every vote matters.

If Sherrill were to win and resign, then the Democrats are down one reliable vote.

It is very intriguing.

Briana: That's a good point you make about the tight margins.

When we had this happen the last time in New Jersey, with a late Donald Payne Junior, there was talk about constituents not having representation.

But the other issue now is just how much it matters if a lawmaker misses a vote.

Ben: Right.

It is sort of a balancing act.

If you are Mikie Sherrill right now, you are probably thinking, where is my time best spent as a lawmaker?

If she were to win in November, and resign right away, that would be tricky.

That is typically the time of year when Congress is debating big spending bills, multitrillion dollar pieces of legislation.

With the house margins so narrow, Democrats might not be able to spare her.

And there is this other side of things where, hypothetically, she could be -- if she was sworn in as governor, there is not an election process to fill her seat, she could be writing out an election to fill the seats.

That is pretty unlikely.

But that speaks to the importance of the timeline.

It.

Is all about timeline.

.

Briana: Timing for sure, but also this process.

Is there any talk about reforming it?

We have had a number of lawmakers who have died while in office in New Jersey and nationally.

Our lawmakers looking to do anything about that?

Ben: Filling the seats, it is all set by state law.

New Jersey is not as speedy as other states in filling these vacant seats.

To your point, after Bill Pascrell died, a longtime Congressman, after he died, there was not enough time under state law to fill the seat.

There is a push in the statehouse to make this process faster, to speed it up.

A State Senator has infused legislation to speed up the process.

His point, if for Sherrill, if her seat were to lay vacant too long, that would deprive the residence, whether you voted for her or not in the 11th District of anyone here in Washington, minding their interest.

There is a push of what happens next.

We will be following that.

Briana: We certainly will be.

You can find all of been's reporting on our website,.

Thank you lack thank you.

Make sure you tune into Reporters Roundtable tomorrow.

David crudits talks with former Senate President Steve Sweeney about his gubernatorial run and what Mikie Sherrill needs to do to win over doubters in the party.

I will be joining David along with other members of the NJ Spotlight News team to talk about primary election results.

Join us Friday at noon streaming on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel.

Attorney General Matt Platkin is putting more emphasis on reducing gun violence in New Jersey.

Today unveiling a guide on how law enforcement and community violence intervention groups can partner to make that happen.

It comes at a record -- out of recommendations made by a working group, and data showing community interventionist programs are working at a time when many of those organizations are dealing with federal funding cuts and layoffs.

Senior correspondent Joanna Gagis reports.

>> Everywhere we are investing in this work, crime and violence is going down.

And those numbers as you will know all too well, are not abstract, they are not a small statistics.

-- not baseball statistics.

Joanna: New Jersey's Attorney General Matt Platkin joined with intervention leaders across the state to announce new guidance from the state to support those groups that are working to reduce gun violence in their communities.

>> The whole idea is that we were going to put the voices of victims and survivors of violence front and center.

When we are thinking about solutions to those problems.

Two years ago, we created a working group, law enforcement professionals, community violence professionals, Faith leaders, community leaders.

And we said, we will sit at the table and come up with shared understandings of how we can work together.

Joanna: The guidance was released in a new report from the AG.

It is the first of its kind to be developed and outlined helping to create clarity for the folks doing the work on the ground, responding to crime scenes, in hospitals and in all the places where retaliatory and other violence is likely to happen.

>> What we wanted to do with this report is to normalize community violence intervention.

We wanted to normalize it as a secure part of the public safety system, and the public safety strategy for New Jersey.

Because of the unique expertise that the people in this room, the high risk interventionists, the street teams, the outreach workers have.

We needed to be able to peel the onion back on what they do, so that to law enforcement, and vice versa.

Joanna: Violence interventionists are often from the communities they serve.

Some have lived through the same violence and trauma they now work to prevent, including crime gangs and other forms of street violence.

There are street teams as they are sometimes called, and each of New Jersey's major cities, but most are facing funding cuts from the federal government.

>> The good news is New Jersey has made investments in these programs since 2019.

2020 was the first year we started funding hospital-based violence intervention programs.

It's true that some of our providers have been impacted by the cuts at the federal level.

The investment New Jersey has made serves is really well.

While federal funding is perilous.

Joanna: New Jersey has invested $100 million over the last five years on community violence intervention programs.

Patricia says the state will look to see where it can fill the gaps of funding cuts that are already causing layoffs in these groups, especially as we head into the summer months when rates of violent crime tend to spike.

Today, the state released a dashboard with data to help groups monitor where and when shootings may happen, and Platkin pointed to promising numbers.

>> Two years ago, we talked about getting under 1000 shootings.

For the first time in state history.

And people, even I wasn't so sure we could do it.

We had 924 people shot in 2023.

That was 600 fewer than we had in 2012.

What did we do?

Last year, we said, we are going to get under 800 people shot.

778 people were shot last year.

Fatalities dropped by 20%.

This year, we are about a third below where we were last year at this time.

These numbers show what we are doing is working.

>> Some people think data is dorky.

But how do you create change and measure the impact of your work if you are not using data to talk about the story?

I'm really excited we get to share with you the work we have been doing around data collection.

The Attorney General mentioned in addition to releasing today's resource documents, we are unveiling for the first time this dashboard created by our office of Justice data.

Joanna: They are hoping that guidance in data collection they are sharing can be a roadmap to help other states implement similar programs and help new community violence intervention programs launch in New Jersey.

In Hamilton, I am Joanna Gagis, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: In Newark, a first of its kind initiative is being rolled out to help address food insecurity.

RWJBarnabas health is opening a distribution hub filled with Jersey fresh produce, brought in straight from the farm, to be handed out at local pantries and Sue Kinch -- soup kitchens to make sure healthy foods are getting into the hands and on the tables of those who need it most.

Ted Goldberg has more.

Ted: Folks handed out bags of fresh fruits and vegetables to celebrate harvest, in a upcoming farm to community Center in Newark to address food insecurity.

>> Is proud step forward and just the beginning of what's to come.

>> Carmen for community Center is a first of its kind food hub rooted in the belief that everyone deserves access to fresh, nutritious food.

This initiative is a testament to the power of collaboration.

Ted: Mark Lanagan leads RWJBarnabas health, the host of this event and an underwriter for NJ Spotlight News.

He says harvest will serve as a distribution center for food pantries and soup kitchens, and won't stop there.

>> Is a demonstration cushion -- kitchen for healthy cooking classes, space for wellness counseling, and an industrial kitchen that can support local food entrepreneurs.

Ted: Food insecurity has gotten worse over the last few years.

The folks at RW day Barnabas say more healthy food will help people live healthier lives, and possibly cut down on doctors visits.

>> Health does not begin in a hospital or doctor's office.

It begins in our neighborhoods, it begins in her kitchens at home.

>> Too often we focus on fighting food insecurity rather than creating food security.

True food security exists when all people at all times have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.

>> This kind of relationship around medical care and food distribution, and healthy food, is important.

Ted: The mayor stopped by the central ward to praise the project.

>> I also think it's great because not all the time you are going to get health care institutions interested in not letting you go to the hospital.

Since they make their money off of us being in a hospital.

Ted: The produce will come from farms across the state, thanks to urban agriculture co-op.

>> Demand is constantly growing.

We function to do two weeks of the year, even in the winter, we are getting farm storage items, root crops, greenhouse grown goods.

Ted: The co-founder says harvest, which is scheduled to open in December, is sorely needed.

>> This new hub gives us a new platform to expand and meet the increased demand we are facing now at our smaller warehouse which is busting at the seams.

Ted: Harvest will have community health workers and nutrition classes, a multifaceted approach to keep people healthy and well fed.

In Newark, I am Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News.

>> Support for the medical report is provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross flutes shield Association.

Briana: A formerly segregated school in Cape May is officially the first to be added to New Jersey's Black Heritage Trail.

Local and state leaders unveiled the marker outside the Franklin Street school at a ceremony this week.

The plaque describes the century long fight for equal education rights that played out there in Cape May.

Franklin Street school was built in 1927 for the town's African-American students at a time when segregation was legal.

Exposed 20 years later in 1948 when the state constitution was amended to ban segregation, and stands today as a reminder of the racial divides that checker our past.

The initiative for the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail was signed into law by Governor Murphy in 2022, to both highlight and elevate stories of ban life and resiliency, designed as a looping trail that invites passersby to learn more about that history.

Franklin school is the first to get a marker but it is part of 51 sites total but have been selected so far for the trail.

That's going to do it for us tonight.

You can download our podcast wherever you listen and watch as any time by subscribing to the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel.

You can follow us on Instagram and blue skies to stay up-to-date on all the state's big headlines.

I am Briana Vannozzi for the entire team at NJ Spotlight News , thanks for being with us, have a great night.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

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>> 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.

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♪