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>> Tonight on "NJ Spotlight News ," absorbing the aftershock from the stunning indictment of powerbroker George Norcross who ran a camera middle enterprise in Camden over a decade.

>> It was never 100% for the people, it was being powerful.

People have to sit with that right now.

>> After a Covid case suspended the Menendez trial, the senior senator is back in court.

More details of his alleged attempts to strong arm Jersey officials into doing favors for his friends.

At the Statehouse today, protests over a gas car ban, a plan to replace gas vehicles with electric ones by 2035.

>> The deep irony in a rally saying, stick only with gas cars when we are in the middle of a heat wave on what will likely be an incredibly hot summer.

>> If three is company, eight is a crowd.

Two more candidates join the race to replace Governor Murphy, bringing a total to eight candidates in an election more than a year away.

"NJ Spotlight News" begins now.

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

>> Thanks for joining us.

I'm Joanna Gagis.

Briana Vannozzi Is off tonight.

Aftershocks rippling through the state after powerbroker George Norcross was indicted on 13 counts of racketeering yesterday .

Perhaps equally stunning was the site of Norcross in the room staring down Attorney General Matt Platkin as he announced charges and evidence against him.

Even in a state like New Jersey with too many corruption cases to count, it is a surprise to some who do not see a racketeering case.

How did we get here?

David Cruz takes a look at the history of the allegations and players who pushed for accountability.

David: At Attorney General Matt Platkin's press conference announcing a 13 count indictment against him, George Norcross sat in the front row, refusing to move even when asked by the Attorney General's staff.

Quite possibly the most George Norcross thing George Norcross has ever done in a long career of being George Norcross.

>> This will go down in New Jersey law.

To have Norcross sitting up there, did look like an act of intimidation.

His way of communicating, you have really picked a fight and you will live to regret it kind of look.

David: If he was intimidated, Plotkin did not show it and had no comment later about the Norcross theatrics, letting the charges do his talking.

>> We are here to announce the unsealing of a 13 count indictment charging George Norcross with leading criminal enterprise.

The state alleges defendants Norcross George, Philip Norcross , former mayor Dana Redd, and others committed the crime of first degree racketeering and conspiracy to further the purposes of the Norcross enterprise.

David: Allegations are serious and carry long prison terms.

The state alleges Norcross and his codefendants cornered the market on properties, tax credits, and other incentives made possible by the economic opportunity act, an economic used or shot aimed at the city of Camden.

Using threats, intimidation and all the political muscle at his disposal to do it.

In response, the defiant Norcross said, you got nothing.

>> He was a second-year associate of a law firm who is a politician now masquerading as an Attorney General.

His interest is defined himself of venue where he can be hoisted on the shoulders of whomever.

We want to go to trial.

Two weeks, Matt Platkin.

Join us, try the case, because your people do not want to try anything.

David: Charges contained in the indictment have long been asserted by community leaders, saying the Camden Renaissance was good for the Norcross Brothers, but not so much Camden's longtime residents.

>> Though this is from the AG's office, this is 20 years of grassroots community work.

We did this with no support, no legal support.

It was us in spirit and courage getting in front of the FBI, different people and telling a story, knowing we are dealing with people who could have different powers that could change our livelihoods.

David: Norcross may be down, but not out.

Gubernatorial candidate Steve Phillips says the Norcross indictment should be part of a sea change in Jersey politics.

>> New Jersey is different than any other state.

There is a shadow government that makes decisions.

You see your elected officials, but for the most part, they are not making the decisions.

It is four or five people who choose who the candidates are for speaker, Senate president, every powerful position.

A change to the system so there are no party bosses makes the government more transparent, affordable and accountable to the public.

>> When they rewrote the economic opportunity act, that chapter, that collaboration I talked to you earlier about between Norcross and Kristi --christie will get revisited.

David: In today's climate when the improbable has become the inevitable, who knows what you might find when you start to revisit things.

I'm David Cruz, "NJ Spotlight News."

Joanna: Undocumented people living in America who are married to U.S. citizen now have a pathway to citizenship.

President Biden announced a new program to allow immigrants to apply for status and remain in the country and work for a period of up to three years while their cases being handled.

In the past spouses had to leave the country until their case was resolved, which could take years.

To be eligible the spouse has to have lived in the country and been married at least 10 years.

This program rolled out by the president as a family unification effort will also protect children of an undocumented immigrant married to a U.S. citizen.

They are also eligible to apply for permanent residence without leaving the country.

Biden also announced it is easier for DACA recipients and dreamers to work here.

Those are young people brought to the U.S. when very young.

They will be granted work visas more quickly if they have an education in the U.S. and work for an employer in a field related to their degree.

The trial of Senator Bob Menendez resumed after a delay due to codefendant Fred Diabes coming down with Covid.

They brought the Attorney General back for another day of testimony.

Detailed favors hero for -- he refused to perform for Diabes when asked by Menendez.

Micah Solomon, a key Menendez aid, shared backroom deals that were used to punish Salinger as retribution.

Brenda Flanagan was in court and dries me from New York.

What did you see and hear today and why did they have Salinger on the stand?

Brenda: We are back after missing three trial days while codefendant Fred Diabes was recovering from Covid.

He is back in court today and it is a good thing because testimony today revolved around whether Senator Menendez used his influence to help Diabes beat a federal bank fraud wrap in turn for gold bars and cash.

Salinger was back on the stand today and told jurors that Menendez asked him to seriously consider the Diabes case when they were discussing whether or not Menendez was going to recommend him to be his attorney.

Salinger warned Menendez, I might have to recuse myself, avoid the Diabes case because of a potential legal conflict of interest.

He said that is when Menendez told him, I am sorry, you are not my man, I will go with someone else.

Joanna: What did you hear in terms of why Salinger was no longer nominated for the position of U.S. Attorney for New Jersey?

Brenda: The defense team today argued it had nothing to do with the Diabes case.

They said look at this White House memo.

They showed it to the jurors in the memo does ask U.S. senators to consider candidates who are diverse, people of color.

Menendez argued that is why he went with Esther Suarez, a Latina, the Hudson County prosecutor.

The next witness on the stand shot that full of holes, a political consultant who worked off and on for an end as.

He said -- Menendez.

He said the White House memo story was not true, it was an excuse, that Menendez had a falling out with Salinger.

Solomon testified he warned Menendez the Suarez case would get negative press.

Joanna: What did Mike Solomon have to add in terms of how they were communicating with us at this time, as the press was trying to figure out who the nominee for U.S. Attorney General would be?

Brenda: It is because it showed there were a lot of curveballs thrown by the Menendez office.

They described them manipulating news coverage by outlets like the New Jersey globe, even offering a bogus list of candidates that Menendez might recommend.

People that he never intended to nominate to be the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, but they were trying to muddy the waters about what was going on.

Ultimately the White House rejected Suarez.

Joanna: How do we get back to the U.S. attorney, Salinger, how did they get there?

Brenda: According to testimony today, Menendez eventually did recommend Salinger, but called him plan B. I guess Salinger told him, it is not up to me to recuse myself from the case.

That is up to the Department of Justice.

Menendez recommended him and still pushed for Solomon to lobby for the Diabes case but the Department of Justice did not allow that and testimony will continue.

Not tomorrow because that is Juneteenth, but on Thursday.

This trial is falling behind schedule.

Joanna: Brenda Flanagan in New York for us, great insight into these complicated hearings.

Thank you.

It was already a crowded field, but now the race for New Jersey's next governor grew by two more candidates.

Declaring run as a candidate is Sean Spiller, president of the state's largest teachers union and PBS advisory board.

And Bill Spadea, host of a radio morning show and former host of a TV show.

Spadea is the fourth Republican in the race joining others, one who ousted Sweeney and served one term before being ousted himself.

On the Democratic side Spiller joins Sweeney, Steve Philip and others.

If you think it stops there, there is likely more to come.

Two are expected to run on the Democratic ticket and with no party line on the ballot for Dems, this election more than a year away is gearing up to be interesting and grueling.

A new report adds parents rights group to a list of antigovernment organizations.

The list put out by the sovereign poverty Law Center included the New Jersey project and southern moms for liberty.

An education reporter spoke to members of those groups and shared her conversations with Briana Vannozzi.

That conversation as part of our series "exploring hate."

Briana: Good to have you on the show.

Before we get into what you heard from groups included on this list, what is this list about and who does it entail?

Tina: This is a list of antigovernment organizations that were put out by Southern poverty Law Center as part of their hate map which includes some controversial groups, KKK, militias.

The groups that are parents-rights related and education-related on this year's list are designated as antigovernment.

Briana: There are eight groups from New Jersey who made it on there.

Who are they and why is it they are on a list with these other hate groups?

Tina: There are six County chapters of moms for liberty as well as the New Jersey project and New Jersey parents involved in education.

Briana: A lot of this had to do with some of the curriculum being passed recently, sex ed curriculum, culture wars over specific books on bookshelves, but what is the criteria the Southern poverty Law Center uses to determine if the group meets the threshold?

Tina: We heard from the New Jersey public education coalition they submitted screenshots and social media information to the Southern Poverty Law Center to prove these organizations were doing troublesome activities.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has a description of what counts as antigovernment groups.

Those are ones that work against the department of education, in particular, they do not want government involvement in public education at all, and are one of the big issues they are concerned with is when students request transgender accommodations at school.

The question arises, should parents be notified or not?

That has been playing out in the courts.

Briana: Aside from being designated as a hate or antigovernment group, does it change anything, do anything in terms of these groups' ability to communicate, organize, etc.?

Tina: No.

I am hearing from reader comments a lot of folks are not respecting the Southern Poverty Law Center and calling it a lot of derogatory names.

Membership I have heard from over Email is not concerned about this designation.

Briana: Tina Kelley, thanks so much.

Joanna: One in three New Jerseyans lives within a half-mile of a mega warehouse.

Why does that matter?

A new report from the environment of defense fund and coalition for healthy ports New York New Jersey details how those affected are disproportionately People of Color and poor communities who face a host of health risks as a result.

Here to explain is Sam Becker, manager of the environmental Defense fund.

Tell me in this report, who is most impacted by warehouse-related pollution?

Sam: Roughly one in three New Jersey residents lives within half a mile of a mega warehouse.

We found 3034 mega warehouse that generate at least 380,000 daily truck trips which release harmful pollution and as a result of historic and ongoing racist and discriminatory policy decisions, Hispanic, Latino, Black, indigenous and others live closer to warehouse is on statistics.

Joanna: That also included schools.

Many schools are also located close to warehouses.

So we know this creates health disparities and that can have impacts long-term.

Detail what you found there.

Sam: Each warehouse generates up to 1000 daily truck trips and each one releases harmful pollution, meaning communities near these mega warehouses and warehouse workers face higher rates of harmful air pollution associated with diseases like amateur death, cancer, asthma, COPD and stroke.

These disproportionately affect children and older people.

Joanna: It is one thing to point out this data, and I think that is an important critical first step, but it does not look like the e-commerce industry is going anywhere.

If anything, probably poised to rise.

What are solutions to these problems because these warehouses exist where they do right now.

Do we spread them out?

What do we do?

Sam: Currently the harmful air pollution generated by the e-commerce boom that New Jersey has seen over the last few decades is not regulated by New Jersey's new environmental justice law.

However, New Jersey could tackle the situation by implemented an indirect source review or ISR -- or ISR to regulate trucks traveling to and from warehouses by regulating the facility as an indirect source of pollution.

The concept is similar to how power plants and factories are regulated as direct sources of pollution.

The bill detailed in the report implements an ISR for New Jersey along with additional provisions that would Center equity, community input and transparency.

The few key pieces of making sure communities living close to where houses are healthier and include electrifying the vehicles coming to and from these facilities, making sure these facilities have charging infrastructure to ensure they can receive these electric vehicles, and also, making sure there are other measures taken to ensure the warehouse industry is doing its part to be a good neighbor like putting warehouses on routes.

Joanna: Global manager at the clean air team at the Environmental Defense Fund, thank you so much.

In our spotlight on business report tonight, a group of business leaders joined with lawmakers at the Statehouse today decrying a California rule adopted by New Jersey.

The role pushes the state toward 100 percent electric vehicles sold in the state by 2035.

Opponents of the rules say it stifles consumer demand and could hurt the economy while those who supported say it keeps the state on track with clean energy goals.

Ted Goldberg spoke with folks on both sides of this highly charged issue.

>> One day we are trying to bring -- what they are trying to bring to the table will hurt a lot of people.

Ted: Mayor John Giovannitti was part of the crowd in Trenton today advocating against a new state rule to mandate car companies to sell more zero emission vehicles in New Jersey.

The rule has been adopted statewide after it was first introduced in California.

>> This federal mandate demands we go from 11% EV's on the road to 100% in 11 years.

That is not only impractical, it is impossible.

>> This is not a Republican or Democratic issue.

It is about jobs and giving Americans the freedom to choose the kind of car they choose to drive.

Ted: The bipartisan group had several arguments.

Chief among them was concerned about people being put out of work.

>> These regulations threaten jobs and traditional automotive manufacturing and maintenance across our state, whereby they will cause significant hardship to workers.

>> We will trade our hard earned energy security for dependence on China?

That makes absolutely no sense.

Ted: Some speakers said they have no issue with electric vehicles themselves, they just want the free market to sort out how many people are buying them.

>> We should be Incentivizing, not mandating people, to go to electric vehicles.

>> We support rational, market-based strategies to transition to a zero emissions future, but do not support government mandates that restrict consumer choice or will make the purchase of a new car virtually unaffordable.

Ted: The rally was named the save our jobs don't ban our cars rally which rankles people who support EV's.

>> These are not bands and opposition likes to call it that because it gets people crazy and excited.

>> No one is saying you need to buy an EV today or next year.

It is putting a thumb on the scale to move the market toward more electric vehicles.

Ted: That is a thumb too much for these folks.

The other question is if the garden state has the electrical infrastructure to handle so many EV's.

New Jersey has installed 2000 charging ports over the last decade, supplementing those who charge at home.

Speakers in the capital say it will not be enough.

>> Our electrical infrastructure is completely unprepared for the electrification of our transportation concerns in New Jersey.

It is the primary driver of the need for this event today.

>> When it comes to light duty vehicles our grid can handle it.

Utilities have to do normal upgrading of infrastructure.

As it turns out most people will charge at home at night.

>> The cost has come down on electric vehicles, the battery life has increased, the areas to charge have gotten better.

All of this has improved over the last decade and last four years.

Ted: What happens the next few years will be worth watching as an infant -- energy and environmental advocates debate the future of travel.

In Trenton Ted Goldberg "NJ Spotlight News."

Joanna: Turning to Wall Street stocks remained steady as news dropped of weaker than expected retail sales.

Here is how markets closed for the day.

♪ Joanna: That does it for us tonight.

Before you go, a reminder to download the "NJ Spotlight News" podcast to listen to us anytime.

I'm Joanna Gagis.

For the entire team thanks for being with us.

Have a great night.

We will see you tomorrow.

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

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And New Jersey realtors, the voice of real estate in New Jersey.

More information online at njrealtor.com.

Support for exploring hate provided by Charlotte and David Ackert and Sue and David Wachenh eim III.

>> 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.

♪