(upbeat music) - From NJ PBS Studios, this is NJ Spotlight News with Brianna Vannozzi.

- Good evening and thanks for joining us on this Wednesday.

I'm Brianna Vannozzi.

Tonight, a few stories we'll get into later in the broadcast.

New Jersey's assault weapons ban is once again under legal scrutiny.

We speak one-on-one with Attorney General Matt Plotkin about what's at stake in his battle over gun law protections.

Then, Atlantic City saw a summer tourism boom this year, but can the city keep the momentum going into the fall and beyond?

And later, gold prices are breaking records.

From pawn shops to personal stashes, residents are rushing to cash in.

So what's fueling the spike?

First though, a few of today's top headlines.

After years of promises, the state today looks to turn the page on its criminal justice history.

The Murphy administration broke ground on a new women's correctional facility in Chesterfield.

It's the first new prison in the state in decades.

Officials say the 312 million dollar campus-style complex is being designed with a focus on rehabilitation.

The new prison replaces the troubled Edna Mahan Correctional Facility that was located in Hunterdon County and it was long marred by scandals, including a violent incident in 2021 that led to more than a dozen indictments and a federal consent decree.

Now construction on the new 420 bed facility in Burlington County is slated to begin next year.

It's being built on the same state-owned land where the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility is housed.

And it's already being touted for its mission to emphasize areas that are key to successful reentry like education, vocational training, and family visitation.

It's expected to be complete by 2028.

And the city of Hoboken is doubling down, officially adopting the Hoboken Trust Act, codifying protections for undocumented residents.

The ordinance overwhelmingly passed in the city council, making permanent Mayor Bala's 2018 executive order limiting local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Now under the law, city officials are barred from honoring ICE detainer requests, from sharing personal information without a warrant, or making inquiries into immigration status unless legally required, among other things.

The move comes as the city faces mounting legal pressure from the White House.

In May, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Hoboken and three other New Jersey cities claiming their sanctuary policies violate federal law.

The DOJ argues the policies obstruct immigration enforcement and shield undocumented immigrants from prosecution.

City officials, though, are vowing to defend the policies in court.

And coming up, we talk with Attorney General Matt Plotkin about his day in court defending New Jersey's gun laws.

That's next.

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New Jersey's decades-old ban on assault weapons and a more recent law banning large-capacity magazines are back in the legal spotlight today, with oral arguments underway before the full Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

It's a major test of the state's gun laws, being challenged by gun rights activists who say the restrictions violate the Second Amendment.

Attorney General Matt Plotkin is defending the bans just a day after his office secured another firearms-related court win.

And he joins me now to talk about the case from just outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia.

Attorney General Matt Plotkin, thanks for joining us.

Let me ask you, what constitutional argument are you making in defense of these bans?

Well, this is a really critical case for the safety of all New Jerseyans.

For 35 years, we've had an assault weapons ban and we've had bans on large capacity magazines, which keep the public safe and are entirely consistent with this nation's tradition of common sense regulations on firearms.

As the Supreme Court has said, even in the wake of the Bruin decision from 2022, that we can continue to do.

And every appeals court across the country that has considered this case or cases similar to this one has agreed with us.

And these laws, these limitations on assault weapons, which are the weapon of choice for mass shooters, as well as large capacity magazines and many other efforts we've had in New Jersey, are a big reason why we've had the lowest number of shootings on record for now three years running.

The DOJ, though, I don't have to tell you, has also filed a brief against your position in this case.

What's your response to their stance that AR-15s, high capacity magazines, bans on those, are protected under the Second Amendment?

Well, I think the clear history of this country, and that's why every court that's considered this has agreed with us, is that they're wrong.

And for centuries, we have regulated unusually dangerous weapons.

Assault weapons are undeniably unusually dangerous weapons.

They are disproportionately the weapons used in mass shootings.

They were the weapon.

The AR-15 was the weapon used in Newtown, and Las Vegas, and Pulse nightclub, and in mass shootings across this nation.

And there's a reason why New Jersey has one of the lowest levels of gun violence in the country.

It's because we have strong common sense gun safety laws.

It's because we have incredibly effective law enforcement efforts because we've held gun manufacturers and retailers accountable when they break our laws.

And so our comprehensive efforts have worked.

And candidly, this Department of Justice doesn't have a great track record.

We had to sue the federal government to prevent them from distributing 12,000 machine guns across the country into including into New Jersey machine guns, which are continue to be under illegal under federal law and which our opponents today conceded could not possibly be legal under this or that could not possibly be legal even under their own arguments.

And yet the federal government was trying to send 12,000 of them back out on our streets.

And only after our lawsuit did they concede.

Oh, no, no, no, wait, we're not actually doing that.

And they stopped.

So I think we have to take this Department of Justice's positions when it comes to gun violence with a significant grain of salt.

You mentioned that courts across the country have been upholding cases like these.

You, your office, recently had some legal successes, as recently as yesterday, in the case where a judge agreed to move forward with the case against the Glock switches.

Another more recent court victory upholding most of the state's laws banning guns in sensitive places.

What does it all say to you about your positioning here and about the broader effort to protect gun rights in New Jersey.

Common sense gun safety efforts work.

The case you just mentioned against Glock is one of the most significant, if not the most significant cases ever filed by attorneys general against a gun manufacturer.

We are the lead state in that.

We are proud to lead that suit.

And that suit, like so many others, is saying when our legislature and governor pass common sense laws, companies that flout them and put our residents at risk don't get to just profit off of their legal behavior.

And so Glock has knowingly sold firearms into New Jersey.

And that's a huge step forward.

And so Glock has knowingly sold firearms into New Jersey and into many other states, but particularly into New Jersey, that can be converted with a piece of plastic the size of a Lego in just a matter of minutes into something as powerful as an M16 fully automatic military-grade machine gun.

And they have marketed it and allowed it to be marketed as such.

It's been rap videos touting this conversion ability.

And so all we are saying is, you know, you don't get to live in Austria and profit off bloodshed in New Jersey.

And I'm proud that that case has proceeded.

I'm proud that we have brought a number of important cases that have held bad actors in the firearms industry accountable, just like we hold bad actors in every industry accountable.

And those suits, as well as the laws we were defending today.

And again, the outstanding work of our law enforcement and our historic investment in community based responses to gun violence are the reasons why you are six times more likely to be shot and killed in Mississippi and in New Jersey.

And why about we have cut gun violence in over by over 50% when compared to the Christie administration.

Thanks to these efforts.

I want to get to just a couple of other quick things.

A rare move.

This case is being heard by the full bench.

That includes the newest judge President Trump's appointee Emil Bovey.

You have publicly criticized his fitness for this judge ship.

How concerned are you about his process here about his role in this case?

Look, Judge Bovee has been confirmed to the Third Circuit.

We respect his role as a judge and he's one of a panel of judges who will hear this case.

I think my comments were in respect to actions taken by the Department of Justice, which I continue to stand behind.

I think we only have to look just last week to the actions in the Eastern District of Virginia, indicting Attorney General Tish James in New York, apparently brought over the objection of every single career prosecutor who looked at the case by an insurance lawyer who was installed by President Trump.

Those are the types of things that I was concerned about what Judge Bovee did at the Department of Justice.

I continue to be concerned about the erosion of the rule of law in this country.

And that's something I think every American should be concerned about.

If we allow the weaponization of a justice system to function in that way, then we no longer live in a democratic republic.

Very quickly, Senate President Nick Scuteri is now joining calls for oversight of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, which reports to you.

He wants an independent monitor to oversee the work.

Would you be open to that?

We'll respond.

That's part of a litigation that has been filed against my office, which we believe to be baseless.

So we will.

And we will respond to that in court.

And look, let me just say, I just talked about the indictment of Tish James.

You could talk about the indictment of Jim Comey, Mike Bolton, that is apparently coming.

Series of erosions of our criminal justice system at the federal level.

The Supreme Court making it harder even before this to prosecute corruption, even if the federal government wanted to.

The idea that career prosecutors in the state attorney general's office, an office that was created by law in 1970, to specifically to hold accountable powerful individuals and organizations, including public corruption, that they shouldn't be allowed to exist or should be subject to political pressure is something that I think is completely out of step with what the country needs right now and will, I'm confident will prevail in court.

But I think the idea of putting pressure on prosecutors who are doing their jobs is deeply concerning.

Attorney General Matt Plotkin, thank you for your time.

Thanks, Brianna.

In our Spotlight on Business report, it's long been known for casinos and summer crowds, but Atlantic City is evolving.

And this year, it surprised even the experts, with gaming revenue up and visitors packing the boardwalk.

But behind all the gains, some small business owners say they're still struggling to keep up.

Raven Santana reports on how officials are looking to turn seasonal spikes into long-term success.

From the blinking lights of the casinos to the mom and pop shops tucked behind the boardwalk, Atlantic City is more than just a summer destination.

It's the heart of a regional economy and this summer it beat expectations.

Well there were some concerns at the beginning of the summer with the economic uncertainty, but the casinos had a very good summer.

They were up in both brick and mortar gaming revenue and total gross gaming revenue.

The visitation we measure by the vehicle counts through the Pleasantville Toll Plaza and they were up very slightly for the summer but it was a positive sign.

So total gross gaming revenue in the casino industry was up 15% but more positive even was the brick and mortar revenue was up more than 5%.

So that was like a breath of fresh air for the industry because the beginning part of the year was down.

Gaming revenue soared, hotel rooms sold out, beachfront bars and restaurants saw standing room only crowds.

But while the big players thrived, many small business owners say they're still feeling the pinch, especially as operating costs rise.

I want to compare it to the previous summer.

I would say I was thinking it would be modest uptick, but I think this summer it was more foot traffic.

I think it's whatever the city, Atlantic County have done.

It's opening the aquariums, the air show.

Yeah, it gives like we can feel that this summer it's like more foot traffic in the city.

That mix of growth and pressure was at the center of discussion at Stockton University's sixth annual Jersey Shore View Fall Tourism and Business Panel, where academics, tourism officials and small business owners came together to chart Atlantic City's future beyond the casino floor.

Well, we all know that Atlantic City has gaming.

So here at Visit Atlantic City, we try to reach out into the community and build up what we feel that the smaller businesses need from us.

People will come and they will go to the casinos, but we need to let them know that there's more to Atlantic City than just the casinos.

You know, there are the coffee shops, there is the Bureauc, there's the pizza place outside, there's the restaurants that are outside.

So our marketing, we do not directly market the casinos.

We market the city as a whole, especially through our social media.

We have a wonderful social media manager.

She goes out, she reaches out, she visits all of these local places that people may not know about, pushes them out on social media.

Panelists, including Mary Molliver, executive director of destination services, say the city's proximity to major population centers is both an advantage and a challenge, attracting visitors looking for affordable getaways while pushing local leaders to think beyond summer tourism.

We are within one third of the nation's population driving distance.

So while the tariffs are affecting food, gas, hotel rooms, the fact that we're close to one third of the population, it makes people say, hey, we can ride down to Atlantic City for the day and come back and go home and we don't have to spend these large quantities of money by staying over or having a four day trip.

The panel also highlighted how collaboration, not competition, is key to sustaining growth, especially for small and independent businesses that rely on foot traffic year round and preparing to keep that traffic throughout the fall and winter.

New York opens their casinos.

Atlantic City really has to establish itself as a full destination with more than just gambling to get people to make the trip to Atlantic City.

In a 13 week period we put together what is basically known as a civilian air show, so there was no military jets involved in that.

It was two days in midweek in July and it did bring over 150,000 people into the city with $19 million in economic impact.

The small businesses on the boardwalk were packed.

We heard from the casinos that their room inventory was up.

Whether you're rolling the dice or sipping coffee at a local cafe, every dollar spent in Atlantic City feels a much larger story.

And the message from the panel was clear.

It's important to keep that momentum going.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Raven Santana.

Support for The Business Report is provided by The Newark Alliance presents the 2025 Housy Fest featuring the vibrancy of Newark's Arts and Education District and Housy Street.

Housy, a neighborhood built on hustle and heart.

The 2025 Housy Fest schedule is available at housynwk.com.

If you've noticed more "We Buy Gold" ads popping up lately, there's good reason.

Gold prices are soaring to record levels, topping $4,000 an ounce and sparking a frenzy from Wall Street to Main Street.

The dramatic spike has people digging through their drawers for old chains and watches, lining up to cash in.

Our senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan has the story behind the gold rush and she joins us now in studio to explain.

Hey, Brenda.

Hey, Bree.

So, gold prices today actually went over $4,200 an ounce at one point.

Now, that is absolutely record-shattering.

In just seven months, spot prices have shot up $1,000 an ounce.

The gold rush is being driven by economic and political anxiety, some experts believe.

And here in New Jersey, it's got people literally lining up to sell their old jewelry or coins, at least at one store.

The owner, Matthew Eisenberg, has bought and sold gold for 17 years and recently opened a second shop.

Two months ago, I opened up Garden State Gold & Coin in West Milford in an attempt to kind of beat this rush, because we always knew it was coming, we just didn't know it was going to come this fast.

And we've seen on average about $10,000 a day in buying to now over $100,000 a day in buying.

And that, I want to say that started last Wednesday, and we're just pretty much hitting records in our store every single day.

I mean, I had 12 people in the store waiting.

There was a line outside the front door the other day before we opened.

It's insane.

So how did Eisenberg see this coming?

Well, look at how gold prices have risen.

Gold was selling for just $2,000 an ounce as far back as August of 2020.

The price fluctuated over a couple of years, but really started climbing in 2023.

And this year, gold started to spike.

Eisenberg says people are showing up with Grandma's Necklace, the family coin collection, fine watches.

Just to give you an idea, we are melting solid gold Rolex presidentials for $12,000 and $13,000.

Watches that are world known, the value of the gold is surpassing the value of the piece.

Now, as Eisenberg recalls, some sellers explain the monies for a college fund or family vacation, sometimes, though it apparently helps pay the bills.

But Rutgers finance professor Ronni Adas believes that $4,000-an-ounce figure is a trigger for many people.

RONNI ADAS, Rutgers University: They're not sitting there going, what can I sell today?

It's, oh, my God, the price of gold is historic.

I could get a lot of money for this stuff.

And I think, this is my personal opinion, I see it with Bitcoin, too.

What price do you sell at?

Like, what's the high price where it's time to get out or get in?

And with gold being at $4,000, that looks to a lot of retail investors as a time to get out.

And there's not a lot of assets that people can sell.

Think about it.

You have your house and your car.

You need to go to work.

You need to live.

You need to eat.

But do you need gold?

No.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Now, timing is everything, but there's a flip side to this gold coin.

While maybe 90 percent of Eisenberg's business is folks who sell their gold, the rest want to buy it, even at these prices.

It's a safe haven asset in turbulent times.

Generally when gold goes up, it's a hedge against inflation.

So that's saying that there's economic uncertainty around the world.

That people are losing faith in the US dollar.

They're losing faith in the stock market.

So they want to diversify some of their portfolio into physical gold that they can hold.

In other words, even Americans have decided, you know, gold is safer than the US dollar.

Some of them.

The dollar is fine.

Our currency is fine.

But given what's happening with the Fed and what's happening with Trump trying to take away the independence of the Fed, given that our deficit is getting larger and larger, there are people who are concerned about the dollar's value.

So you have mom and pop America saying, you know, gold may be a better bet this time.

Now that was Professor Farooq Langdana.

He teaches at Rutgers Business School and says the economic whiplash from recent tariffs and the federal government shutdown, on top of rising prices, has only ratcheted up people's anxiety.

That's reflected in the rush to buy gold.

It still sells out quickly at Costco, where company execs reported gold sales rose by double digits in the three months ending August 31.

But Langdana warns gold could also be a market bubble.

It's almost like a bubble and gold.

It's like a bubble and precious metals.

Everyone goes into that one thing.

You know artificial intelligence maybe another bubble happening right now.

This could be the you know the gold media bubble.

And if I had a couple of old bracelets lying around and I'm worried about my health care benefits going away for example you know sure I don't know I'd sell a top it makes sense.

Meanwhile if you do buy gold in New Jersey here's some good news the state this year eliminated the sales tax on gold and silver for bullion sales worth over a thousand dollars and that brought Jersey in line with most other U.S.

states.

Brianna?

It's really unbelievable.

So, okay, let me ask you this.

I received an email from a family jeweler in Morristown who said, "Come bring your gold in.

Do it now while the price is good."

If I wanted to do that, is there a good way to go about it?

How do I know I'm not getting scammed?

I'm getting the right amount.

Well first of all make sure because it's an emotional thing.

You want to hang on to a family heirloom.

You know don't try and sell this and then have you know sellers regret.

But if you do sell gold you won't get 100 percent of the market value.

Be aware of that.

The buyer takes a percentage.

Part of that goes to the refinery that melts it all down.

And your profit is also going to depend not just on the weight but also on the purity.

The higher the carrot the higher the price.

So you should shop around, do your due diligence, get a couple of estimates, like I said, especially if it's family jewelry.

Yeah, well I'm a sentimental sap so that won't be happening but great story Brenda.

Thank you so much for the reporting.

Thank you, Brie.

And before we leave you tonight, we're giving you a look at a new digital documentary series we're launching on NJPBS called Painting Community.

The series tells the stories of the artists behind the murals we see in many of our neighborhoods and their vision to both beautify the streets of New Jersey and bring communities together.

If these walls could talk, what would they say?

Take a look.

I want to open the conversation.

Public art has a big responsibility because if you are placing something in the street where everybody is going to see it, I think you better have something to say.

The value that comes from creating art, like what that does to a neighborhood, what that does to the area.

It allows for people to feel like they are a part of the city.

Art has a tremendous capacity to bring people together.

Murals are incredibly accessible to people to experience.

It's the most democratic art because it's there for everybody.

You don't need a ticket, you don't need to pay.

It's like, what do the people want to see?

They know that there's an artist here that's listening.

Yeah, that first episode tells the story of Cuban-Salvadorian-born artist Manuela Guillán, who grew up in Atlantic City.

You can see her story and learn more about the painting community project at myNJPBS.org.

That's going to do it for us tonight.

I'm Brianna Vannozzi.

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

We'll see you right back here tomorrow.

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Through volunteer hours, partnerships, and our other contributions, we're committed to empowering communities.

We work hand in hand with you, our neighbors, to educate young people, support research, environmental sustainability, and equitable opportunities, provide training and other services all over New Jersey and Long Island.

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