>> Major funding for NJ Spotlight news is provided in part by NJM Insurance group, serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years and by the PSEG foundation.

>> Tonight on NJ Spotlight News, fighting the political machine.

I talked to Representative Andy Kim about his U.S. Senate run and the growing list of endorsements for his opponent, First Lady Tammy Murphy.

>> It is about making sure the people have a choice.

That they understand especially in the aftermath of the indictment of the senator.

>> Plus, a four day Cease Fire.

Israel agrees to a pause in the war against Hamas in exchange for the release of hostages and prisoners.

>> the question is what happens after this?

Will Israel go back to bombing Gaza again and do more operations in southern Gaza?

>> The Clark Mayor at the center of the racism scandal now accused of corruption and abusing power.

His police chief also facing new scrutiny.

>> This brings into the open a lot of the ugly stuff that was going on behind closed doors and hopefully the town can move on from there.

>> On the move.

Millions head out on the busiest travel day of the year after severe weather moves through New Jersey.

>> Airlines for America expects nearly 30 billion people to be flying during Thanksgiving.

On the airline side, that is expected to be a record.

>> NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

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

>> Good evening and thanks for joining us this Wednesday night.

Andy Kim is not backing down.

The three term Democratic congressman says he is undeterred in his quest for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by indicted senior Senator Bob Menendez.

That is despite the fact endorsements from New Jersey's Democratic machine keep rolling in for First Lady Tammy Murphy who declared her candidacy one week ago.

More than half of New Jersey's Democratic House members have pledged support for Murphy.

Representative Cheryl, Gottheimer come up alone, Payne, Pasqual and Norcross.

.

Not to mention the backing of more than half a dozen of the county chairs making her the front runner in primary still several months away.

I asked Congressman Kim whether that cast doubt on his ability to win.

Thanks for joining me on this Thanksgiving Eve.

Let me get into it.

With the dorsum is out this week for the first lady, it appears war and more she has the backing of the party establishment.

How are you going about launching a successful campaign given that?

>> Thanks again for having me.

I will say I think it is very clear we are running two very different campaigns.

For me, when I launched my campaign, it was with the grassroots.

We had over 300 people.

People who are fired up and excited about where things are going.

That is where I am putting my focus.

Engaging and listening and making sure their voices are heard.

The first lady is taking a different tact.

Going toward the party leadership and elites.

I think that is what people have to see.

See who represents the kind of views they want to go towards in terms of our am a critic party as well as our democracy.

>> I saw on Twitter you point put out a post talking about the fact you will never take a dime of pack money.

Was that a jab at your opponent or just in general about how these races tend to go?

>> I want people to know what I stand for and what I am fighting for.

I don't take corporate pack mone -- corporate pac money.

I am someone out and engaged.

I am working to get my name out there.

The excitement and the response has been phenomenal ever since.

>> Are you seeking any endorsements from labor groups, other organizations in the state?

>> We are definitely in talks in terms of different labor groups and organizations.

Those will proceed.

Right now first and foremost, it is about making sure people feel like they have a choice.

That they understand especially in the aftermath of the indictment of the senator, people in the state are very careful about our democracy on politics.

They are very much on edge.

They want to make sure they are.

In the driver seat >> Let me shift gears on the deal that has been apparently brokered in the Israel Hamas war.

Your take on that and the hostage negotiation portion of it.

>> Thanks for raising this.

This is a big development.

It is one I think about a lot.

I had the chance to meet a number of the families of the hostages taken.

Hearing the heart wrenching stories.

Everyone wants to find a way we can get the humanitarian assistance flowing.

Get some of the hostages back.

A lot more of that needs to happen if we can get the violence to an end, get the hostages back and have the security the people deserve.

>> You have stopped short of calling for a cease-fire.

Do you see yourself at any point coming to a place where you would sign off with some of your colleagues to urge the administration to broker a cease-fire?

>> I think this example of what just happened sets a stage for what needs to happen, which is anything that comes forward in terms of how you try to stop the violence needs to be an agreement.

Needs to be something that is brokered and has agreement from parties on all sides.

Otherwise it is not going to be lasting.

Whatever happens needs to be lasting at is something that will hopefully lead toward a durable peace.

>> Congressman Andy Kim for us.

Thank you so much.

>> Thanks for having me.

>> There is a breakthrough at least temporarily in the Middle East.

Israel has agreed to a four day pause in the where with Hamas in exchange for the release of at least 50 out of the 240 hostages taken captive during the militant group's attack on October 7.

According to the Israeli government, the agreement will see the release of Palestinian detainees any Israeli jails.

And holds out the potential for an extension.

The government set an extra day in the pause could be added for an additional 10 hostages released.

The deal comes after seven weeks of fighting where Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have killed 13,000 Palestinians.

Mostly women and children according to the Hamas run health ministry.

And left more than thousands more civilians displaced the deal brings hope and anxiety to the Israeli families of hostages in Gaza who are desperately waiting to find out the condition of their loved ones.

It is also the result of many complex negotiations mediated by the United States and Qatar.

For more on that and what the pause means broadly for the region, I'm joined by an expert on geopolitics in the Middle East and cofounder of the Quincy Institute for responsible statecraft.

Thank you for coming on the show.

I went to ask you first about what we know in this breakthrough overnight.

Aside from the hostage exchange, we know how this will be carried out or a timeline and if it could all unravel at any moment?

>> It certainly could unravel.

Unfortunately there is an inherent problem with all of these different deals, which is there is no guarantee the two sides will uphold it in the matter they have -- the manner they have agreed to.

Based on what we know, there is going to be about 50 of the Israeli hostages that will be released.

A large number of Palestinian prisoners who have been held.

Women and teenagers released as well.

This will take place over the course of a few days.

The question is what happens afterwards.

Will Israel go back to bombing Gaza again?

Do more operations in southern Gaza.

Or is there an opportunity and as their political will on the Israeli side to turn this into a longer cease-fire?

>> Let's go there.

Is there a path for a broader deal, which is what -- calls for cease-fire.

It is not what critics of this war wanted.

Although it is a pause and what will hopefully lead to the exchange of hostages but is there a path for a broader peace deal?

>> There is no immediate path for a peace deal.

There is definitely a path for a cease-fire.

It is very important to know this is what the entire international community with the exception of a few states and the United States is calling for.

The reason they are doing this is we know from experience militarily you cannot defeat and take out Hamas entire early.

It is not going to solve the problem.

We had that experience in Iraq and Afghanistan and Yemen.

Has only lead to more deaths and more killing and more radicalization.

Secondly, the degree of civilian deaths in this war is completely out of proportion from everything we have seen in the last few wars.

Take a look at the numbers in Ukraine which horrified the entire world.

600 children were killed over the course of 20 months.

We have more than 5000 children killed in just six weeks in Gaza.

If this war continues, the amount of children and civilian that will be dead will be unforgivable and may very well bury any path to peace going forward.

That is why the world is calling for a cease-fire.

>> There were a lot of concerns at the beginning of this war that it would lead to a broader regional conflict.

Where to those concerns stand today?

>> Those concerns are still very valid.

To be frank, we have been lucky this has not led to a larger war .

On October 26, there was an Iraqi militia that struck the airbase in northern Iraq, an American base paired the drone managed to get through the American air defense at the barracks but by pure luck it malfunctioned and did not explode.

Had it exploded, you would have seen a dozen or two American soldiers killed tiered under those circumstances, the pressure on the Biden administration to strike would have been high.

We would very easily have been dragged into a major war.

>> Does the United States deserve credit in this negotiation?

Does it prove that intense diplomatic efforts can achieve concrete results?

>> It certainly proves diplomacy can achieve results when it is necessary.

The credit should go to Qatar has done the actual mediation and brokering of the agreement.

The United States has been on the sidelines by its own choice chaired by being on the side of Israel rather than being an honest broker in these agreements.

It played a role but the credit has to go to Qatar.

>> The cofounder of the Quincy Institute for responsible statecraft.

Thank you so much.

>> Thank you so much for having me.

>> Four years after being secretly recorded using racial slurs, the mayor of Clark is being hit with criminal charges by the state attorney general.

It is the combination of a complex state investigation but also look into the top police brass who were included in the recording, but the charges filed this week are not directly linked to the race it exchanges.

As Brenda Flanagan reports, the investigation uncovered separate corruption and official misconduct while confirming what many black residents say has been known for years.

>> Clark is understood as a son downtown.

Clark was bad for black people when the sun was up.

>> From Charles Boyer grew up nearby.

He is not surprised by the exhaustive investigation of Clark police which not only confirmed its mayor, police chief internal affairs Sergeant made racist comments in secretly taped recordings.

The report also revealed officials within the Township and Clark Police Department expressed views that suggested they encouraged biased based policing and as a percentage of the population, black individuals were arrested at a far greater percentage.

>> You did not want to be on a Clark period and even more so under the daylight because people could see who was driving.

>> He recalls Clark police often stopped him.

The report found 44% of people arrested in Clark were black even though the Township's 93% white.

Attorney General Matt Plotkin filed no criminal charges citing incomplete data.

>> The ability to draw definitive conclusions necessary to support criminal charges was rendered impossible by deficiencies in available data.

>> He referred the case to jerseys division of civil-rights and recommended Clark officials fire their police chief and I a sergeant but the decision to terminate is up to Clark's mayor and a Republican Township Council that has supported him for decades.

>> I cannot impose the discipline tiered all I can do is recommend it should >> Have a system that never holds people accountable for racism and less they are lynching someone from a tree.

>> We are in plat can want the law of reformed.

The chief and IA Sergeant remain on unpaid -- unpaid administered of leaf.

>> It is certainly later than a lot of people hoped.

I don't think it has the definitive conclusions people were holding out for.

This certainly brings into the open a lot over the ugly stuff that was going on behind closed doors.

>> It vindicated me a little bit.

I want to move on.

I am glad justice was served and is being served.

>> Antonio is the whistleblower secretly taped his boss's comments.

The department literally locked him out but kept him on the payroll and compensated him 270 $5,000, the AG's report says.

>> I went through Hell.

I was forced out of the town.

>>>> I do believe it indicates my client because it shows he was not making this up.

The crimes going on in Clark on a daily basis combined with the racism going on on a daily basis is shocking.

>> He also blew the whistle on the mayor allegedly using Township staff to work for his business and fraudulently using an engineer's credentials to illegally remove underground oil tanks.

He is facing criminal charges.

His attorney says his client denies each and every allegation contained in the criminal complaint and claims the AG's report besmirch is Mayor Bohne Corso, the town and the police force.

The mayor did apologize last year for his comments.

>> It is wrong.

I am embarrassed and ashamed to have spoken that way about a race of people.

>> The AG was careful to include the rank-and-file cops from criticism.

The prosecutor's office has run the department since the red flag in 2020.

The report sparked a firestorm of debate here where some support the mayor for keeping taxes in crime down but others want the top cops on paid leave fired.

>> That is not a punishment.

On leave is not a punishment.

>> Leticia Sampson lives in Clark and owns a business.

She welcomed the report.

>> At least there is an effort being made toward healing the relationship between the Police Department and the community members.

>> She is hoping for continued reforms.

>> The state announced a new rule on Tuesday requiring all new cars sold in New Jersey to be electric by 2035.

It is part of an effort by the Murphy administration to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that have contributive to climate change.

The ban on new gas powered vehicles comes despite objections from industry groups who worn state infrastructure is not ready and it will cause a spike in the cost for buyers.

David Cruz reports.

>> If you thought Orsted's pulling out of its offshore wind projects Dele fatal blow to the Murphy administration's ambitious clean energy future plan, you would be mistaken according to environmentalists who are cheering the new guidelines announced this week that would require all new cars sold in the state by 2035 to be zero emission vehicles.

But not everyone is applauding the measure.

>> This is bad public policy being forced on an industry.

Frankly, it is going to start to show in the marketplace as soon as next year.

>> Jim Appleton of the New Jersey coalition of automotive retailers says the new rules which begin to ramp up in 2027 are going to be a big financial burden on consumers who are not only not ready to pay more but they will find scant infrastructure to charge them.

>> Manufacturers in order to manage this mandate will start managing the allocation of vehicles they sent to the state of New Jersey.

Consumers who will start to see as soon as next year that they don't have the choice or the affordability of a new car.

>> Environmentalists say don't call it a mandate.

No one is coming for your gas powered cars.

Just not going to be able to buy a new one in 2035.

Suggestions by auto retailers and industry associations that the economics don't work are overblown says Doug O'Malley of environment New Jersey.

>> You suddenly will apply for the $7,500 tax credit as of January 1 that is a.

Big deal.

This is in addition to the alleging vehicle rebate.

In addition to no sales tax when you buy any EV you don't have to pay in the state.

.

This is in addition to the other cost and maintenance expenses you will be saving.

>> Just yesterday I read a report from Bloomberg about how the cost of batteries for EV's is going down dramatically over the next couple of years.

We will achieve a point of affordability and end of market equilibrium that will help us fight climate change, and clean up our air quality.

>> We were already a net importer of electricity into the state.

.

We already cannot meet our existing needs.

At this mandate, -- if this mandate does take effect and people start buying EV's in greater numbers, we don't have enough electricity to supply them.

We don't have enough private or public chargers to deal with them.

We don't have enough transmission lines and distribution systems in place to be able to handle this.

>> While it is true chargers are scarce and zero emissions vehicles makeup less than 10% of the cars on the road in New Jersey, federal law and state incentives will help to change that over the next decade.

>> The reality is anyone who bought cell phones in year 2000 looked like they had egg on their face in 2011.

>> Technically it is not a mandate and while cell phones are ubiquitous today, it still can cost a lot to buy one.

Nobody said stop selling those big clunky cell phones.

It just kind of happened.

Which the business industry says is how the growth of the zero emissions vehicle market should be allowed to work.

>> In our spotlight on business report, path writers may get relief thanks to the Port Authority's new massive budget.

Authority commissioners approved a $230 million state of good repair program.

That is to fix infrastructure issues with trains and tracks that cause delays.

More than half of the money will go toward rehabilitating tracks located in tunnels between Journal Square, Hoboken and stations.

Another chunk will replace the motorized wheel sets that they are original will cars ride on.

Commissioners also warned there will be pain for writers in the short term with service interruptions.

An outreach campaign is in the work so passengers get early and clear munication about the disruptions.

Work is slated to begin in the new year but don't hold your breath.

The goal is to finish somewhere in the 2026 to 2027 or 2028 timeline.

On Wall Street, stocks nudged higher today heading into the Thanksgiving holiday.

Markets will be closed tomorrow.

Here is how trading numbers ended the day.

♪ And finally tonight, we have officially entered the most hectic travel season of the year.

Analysts predict the Thanksgiving period will see record numbers of people hitting the skies and the roads to get to their Thanksgiving destinations.

AAA expects just under 1.5 million New Jersey residents will be traveling.

The majority by road.

And thankfully, the impact from the severe storm that moved through our area overnight cleared out today.

As Goldberg reports, that made for sunny skies and smooth sailing at Newark Airport.

>> It might be the busiest day of the year at New Jersey's busiest airport as various travelers fly into and out of Newark.

>> I'm traveling from New Jersey going to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

>> Edison to Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

>> Traveling from Tennessee and traveling to see the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade.

We are super excited.

We get to have our family with us.

>> Much of the travel volume is people seeing family.

On the East Coast or down south.

>> My birthday is around Thanksgiving time so we always go to my family for Thanksgiving.

>> I'm a graduate student so I have been up here doing grad school.

Going back to visit family.

>> Thanksgiving dinner with the usual bowling after dinner.

After we have had too much food and cannot bowl.

>> All the family get-togethers and bowling outings mean HM it is number of travelers nationwide.

>> Airlines for America expects 30 million people to be flying the Thanksgiving period and on the airline side, that is expected to be a record.

>> That includes an estimated 132,000 people in New Jersey.

According to AAA.

>> That is actually the highest number we have seen on record since AAA began tracking these holiday forecasts in the year 2000.

>> That is 3% more people than last year.

Even as travel has become more unpredictable and sometimes more expensive.

>> Travelers prioritize travel in their budgets.

Thanksgiving is such a special holiday that people will make a point of saving money to either drive to family or friends and take a flight to be with the people they want to be with.

>> The AAA spokesperson says you can expect airport lines to remain busy this weekend as folks make their way home after the holiday.

>> Get there earlier than you normally would.

We know the TSA lines are going to be extremely long.

When you get there and you are online, make sure you are getting your Taki meant at the ready -- your documents at the ready.

>> Most travelers I spoke with took the advice.

>> We had about an hour drive this morning.

Drove for about an hour.

Hopped on our flight and it is about a square hour flight.

>> Did everything go smoothly?

>> Yeah.

>> We fly out of a small airport and which is that airport for the exact reason.

I'm surprised here did not look as crowded.

Which Mx.

me nervous for Sunday.

-- which makes me nervous for Sunday.

>> We hit no traffic getting to Asheville, the airport there.

It went very smooth.

.

The flight left on time.

>> There was not much traffic into the airport.

Some lines here.

Kind of what you expect before Thanksgiving.

>> I just got here.

It is currently 9:42.

When >> Is your flight?

>> 11:17.

Where to from going to get on my flight in time or not.

>>>> A risky proposition as people pile into Newark trying to see their loved ones on schedule.

At Newark Airport, I'm Ted Goldberg.

>> That is going to do it for us tonight.

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

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

We will see you right back here tomorrow for a special edition of NJ Spotlight News.

>> New Jersey education Association, making book schools great for every child and RWJ Barnabas health.

Let's be healthy together.

♪