>> tonight on NJ Spotlight News deadly airstrikes in Gaza continue as close to one million Palestinians are forced to evacuate causing anguish and fear from families in New Jersey.

>> every day waiting on our phones to see if our friends and our family are alive.

Do you know how that feels?

>> the disinformation war.

New Jersey representative Frank Pallone calls on social media to take action on post that misrepresent the conflict in the Middle East.

>> terrorists should not have accounts in the second thing is if it does go up it immediately has to be taken down.

>> Senator Bob Menendez is back in court facing the latest charge of as a foreign agent.

>> they are not done so we will see a lot more.

>> diversity in law enforcement, Montclair State inspiring black and brown used to serve in blue.

>> I want to be the boots on the ground investigating.

>> NJ Spotlight News begins now.

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♪ >> from NJ PBS this is NJ Spotlight News with Brianna.

>> good evening and thank you for joining us on this Monday night.

I am Brianna.

The Israel Hamas work as escalating as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza gets worse.

The Gaza Strip that is home to 2.2 million Palestinians is being leveled by Israeli airstrikes.

Retaliation for last week's deadly attack by Hamas that killed at least 1400 Israelis and wounded more than 4000.

Israel's military warned Palestinians to evacuate as it prepares for a ground offense to wipe out Hamas with a greater force.

More than 2600 Palestinians have been killed in low or and thousands more injured.

The evacuation orders are being criticized by humanitarian agencies and made standoff at the crossing which is cause us only pathway to Egypt where trucks have waited days to pass through blocked from crossing.

Water, fuel and medicine are nearly the pleaded.

Antony Blinken was on the ground pledging support while urging restraint to spare civilian lives.

At home Palestinian Americans are reporting receiving increased threats and harassment while New Jersey's chapter of American Islamic relations has not had this many calls relating to Islamophobia since 2017 when a van was placed on citizens in majority Muslim countries.

Brenda Flanigan has the latest.

>> every day we sit waiting on our phones to see if our friends and family are alive.

Do you know how that feels?

>> Palestinians with family in Gaza spoke with emotions about years that they're worried loved ones will not make it out of the evacuation zone B or Israeli Defense forces launch a full-scale counterattack against Hamas.

They claim they are the target of bigotry in New Jersey.

>> I have text messages of people telling me their story.

A person being told they can no longer work in the company if they continue to post rid this is not the way to achieve peace.

>> several speakers from the Palestinian community told stories of hatred and blamed a power structure that demonizes Palestinians and biased route wording by journalists.

>> we have a physician employed at Hackensack Hospital Jersey shore for two and a half years and he posted on social media in support of Palestine.

He was terminated after a Zionist colleague pressure the hospital administration.

>> tell them the truth, there is no difference between a journalist and those giving the order to drop the bombs if you do not do that.

>> Patterson is home to 20,000 Palestinians, the largest concentration of any U.S. city and families have lost relatives during Israeli reprisals from the Hamas attack of over seven when the terror group killed more than 1300 Israeli men, women and children.

Israel was responding with deadly airstrikes, decimating more than 2600 Palestinians and cutting off food, power and water, creating a crisis the World Health Organization predicted would be a death sentence.

Palestinians say there is no safe space in Gaza.

>> Israel is a terrorist state.

>> tensions between both sides ratcheted up with demonstrations demanding justice after the Hamas attack.

New Jersey officials tighten security at Jewish schools and temples and mosques with incidents of anti-Semitic is a man and Islamophobia spreading, folks caught in the crossfire feared for their safety.

>> we are fielding distressing calls.

Teens are being harassed in public, students are being called terrorists, professors are threatened.

>> Governor Murphy warned that violence against anyone based on religion whether Judaism, Islam or anything else is never justified.

He stated may New Jersey be a shining example of how diverse communities can live, work and pray together.

>> I am tired of our voices not being heard.

We want this violence to end.

>> as families agonize over loved ones in Gaza diplomats continue negotiating over allowing Palestinians with U.S. citizenship to exit into Egypt but Hamas ordered people not to leave.

Almost 200 Israeli hostages remain unaccounted for, families who fled to New Jersey to escape decades of Israeli control over the fence to an want state officials to address their agreement is.

>> this is not unprovoked, this did not come from nowhere.

This is the result of 75 years of anger, anguish, pain, fear, frustration, of having to fight for basic human rights.

>> U.S. diplomats have said the attack was intended to derail negotiations for a two state solution but it has also started a war with grim consequences for families here and around the world.

In Clifton, Brenda Flanigan, NJ Spotlight News.

>> in the U.S. and elsewhere disinformation campaigns about the war on social media are getting harder to track and experts say misleading content about the conflict is rampant online and media platforms changing policies have made it nearly impossible to hold them accountable.

Ted Goldberg was with federal lawmakers and members of the Jewish community as they demanded immediate action to combat the harmful spread of misinformation.

>> they are complicit and they have blood on their hands.

>> community is leaders have strong words for social media as hate speech flowed freely while Israel and a Moss fought.

>> they actively seek to be the sources of information for the world and in particular, for our younger generations, that they give a platform for hate and misinformation.

They hide behind the Constitution which they likely have neither read nor studied.

>> Frank Pallone joyed other leaders in doing a better job and monitoring in the wake of the war.

Telegram and Facebook, Hamas has broadcast the executions of hostages and pictures from previous wars have been reused with wars claiming there from Israel and Gaza.

Hamas and groups like it take advantage of social media in two ways.

>> deliberately put on social media violent content in order to scare people and then the second thing is false or misleading information where essentially Hamas or allies accuse Israel and allies of doing things that are not true.

>> a fake report went viral stating the Biden administration approved eight dollars in emergency aid for Israel.

The report was a photoshopped picture based on the Biden administration sending $400 million to Ukraine.

Another report stated Hamas had launched an assault on Israel.

That was debunked by video game who recognized the footage.

In recent statements Mehta says Facebook has removed 800,000 pieces of content in Hebrew and Arabic that violate the terms of service and TikTok claims to have removed more than 500,000 videos that violate the guidelines.

These companies have to do more.

>> terrorists should not have accounts they can use and the second thing is if it does go up, it immediately has to be taken down or not repeated.

>> Jews find ourselves fighting online threats, intimidation, anti-Semitic images.

Subjected to images in messages that make parents afraid to send their kids to Hebrew school.

>> every kid on their phone, what did they do when they go home?

They are on their tablets.

This should not be a weapon.

>> they spoke at the Middlesex JCC where Mayor Sam says there is a tangible cost to misinformation online.

>> Public Safety resources get spread out whether it be the K-9 units or our officers.

The sheer manpower that we need because of the misinformation especially stemming from this conflict.

These people who are spreading this hate and putting the resources and police officials at risk by not being able to attend to real problems and people who are in trouble, they're not able to get to them because they are chasing false leads.

>> lawmakers have called for tighter regulations of social media.

TikTok has been banned in Montana but the law might not survive a lawsuit.

Frank Pallone is not at the point where Congress has to write new laws to punish these companies.

>> these platforms have terms and conditions but basically they meet what the law requires.

But they are either weakening them or they do not have any enforcement because they don't have people to take things down or prevent them.

So it's not a question of legislation as much as implementation.

Meet the responsibility they say they're going to do.

>> Mehta says Hamas is banned while TikTok made no mention in its most recent statement.

X told us to check back later when we ask how they are responding.

Not a new threat but a growing one worldwide.

In Edison, Ted Goldberg NJ Spotlight News.

>> the latest charges against Senator Bob Menendez have ties to the Middle East alleging the senior senator acted as a foreign agent on behalf of the Egyptian government from January 2018 until at least June of 2022.

The superseding indictment carries with it penalties and moves the case from centering around public corruption to a national security issue.

For the latest details I'm joined by reporter Christie.

Hi, thank you for joining me again.

A lot has been happening with this case.

What is happening next port senator Menendez now that the superseding indictment has dropped?

>> you're going to see Senator Menendez and his wife in court.

They are expected there on Wednesday morning, expected to do a plea.

Last time they pled not guilty so were going to wait and see what happens.

>> he has been charged now allegedly with acting as a foreign agent on behalf of the Egyptian government.

What did the indictment say he did?

>> the indictment sheds light on what he is doing with Egypt and it is about arms dealing, how many U.S. officials were in Egypt and the new indictment did shed more light and showed that he and his wife were meeting in his office asking for help with money, the Egyptian money that the U.S. has.

And it was being held up because of the Egyptian government and a lawsuit pertaining to U.S. citizen that was hurt during the deal.

And they asked if Menendez could help.

The Egyptian official texted Anna and said we can make Menendez sit comfortably if he pushes this through and Hana said continue -- consider this done.

>> do we know the full scale of the alleged actions?

Based off the reporting that you've done, does it seem like there is still more to honor?

Because if the senator was taking these actions on these specific deals, do we know if he was also perhaps trying to make influence allegedly on other U.S. foreign relations?

>> we are not sure but the one thing they made clear when the indictment broke was this is still an ongoing investigation so as they showed us with the indictment, they are not done so we will see a lot more stuff come out because the investigation continues.

>> let's shift gears.

The last time we spoke we were talking quite a bit about his wife, Nadine, and the fatal 2018 car crash she was involved in.

Are there any new details about what transpired?

>> it was five years ago, we are talking to family members of Mr. Coop, the individual whom he hit , she hit, and later died.

We do know right now that the prosecutors fatal investigation unit when we got those documents their tests determine she was driving within the speed limit between 22 and 27 miles per hour.

>> that is telling you had the extent Mr. Koop's death, there were talks about the fact that she was not drug tested or given a breathalyzer.

And other perhaps protocol that may or may not have happened on the scene.

>> we know from the reports nothing was issued, no comments.

The police department is not issuing anything other than documents but we know she was never tested for alcohol or drugs.

They subpoenaed her phone records but there were no results.

>> Christie as a reporter with North Jersey.com, the Bergen record covering Senator Menendez indictment.

Thank you so much.

>> thank you.

>> heightened police community relations have made it more difficult for departments to hire recruits but some reform advocates see it as a chance to reimagine policing.

Montclair University hosted an event exploring diversity in law enforcement and why representation is so important senior correspondent Joanna has the story.

>> we are here to inspire you guys to just broaden your horizon and serve your community through law enforcement.

>> high school and college students heard from law enforcement officers on the campus of Montclair State University about what it means to be black and brown serving in blue.

>> whenever someone is young, black, and female in charge they act like you get the diversity vote and you are in.

I overcame all of that.

>> I did not like law enforcement growing up, I still don't necessarily love them even though I am one.

>> the goal is to engage high school and college scholars in important conversations about community relations and lived experiences with black and brown officers.

We have invited officers from across the country to share their lived experiences, share the highs and the lows of their professions and engage these scholars in being the change as it relates to improving communities.

>> it's important that they have opportunities to interface with law enforcement professionals that look like them, that come from their community.

>> you have to grow at the times and realize that the times are growing.

You need to allow for the times.

I would tell anybody that is one of the positive things, one of the things that helped me to grow and help my people.

>> a conversation ranged from the impact of community relations on young black and brown people to the opportunities that exist for students who want to pursue a career in law enforcement.

>> if you have trouble paying for undergrad you can work in these agencies and they will pay for your degrees.

>> what you put out there on the Internet is not going to come back and haunt you and you are effectively conveying your thoughts, even if you disagree.

>> 60% of scholars are interested in law enforcement as a career.

>> students like Ryan Smith.

>> my goal is to go into the FBI is a special agent working in counterterrorism.

The reason being that I love to investigate, I want to fight crime, be the boots on the ground investigating crime and bringing justice and peace to our world.

I'm definitely leaving here with the fact that being a minority is a huge thing in law enforcement and being comfortable being a part of that minority.

>> law enforcement is not really for us.

It is not supportive of our community so to hear what they go through and how they tried to be with us, we have to meet each other at the center, that helps.

>> we are here to show them that there is more than what they see it the media.

To let them know that we are part of the community.

>> even those not interested in a career walked away moved by what they heard.

Hearing different perspectives from officers in different fields and knowing that they are individuals in themselves and they have families that they want to come home to.

>> it is so profound what they have to say so I always have an open mind because I know that their words are expensive and at the cost of their experience they are here to tell us all about that.

>> experience that they hope will translate into the next generation of black and brown recruits joining their ranks.

I'm Joanna gag us, NJ Spotlight News.

>> the nurses strike in New Brunswick has reached a 74th day and there may be some promising signs though no settlement.

The hospital spokesperson confirms the two sides met or several hours on Sunday negotiating face-to-face without a federal mediator acting as a go-between.

Signaling a turning point in the tone of the negotiations.

The hospital and union plan to meet again on Thursday.

Then unions 1700 nurses went on strike on August fourth and tensions rose after nurses lost health care coverage.

A main sticking point has been current staff to patient ratios which the union says are unsafe.

The hospital has maintained staffing levels are among the highest in the state.

In our spotlight on business report drug store chain at right aid is firing -- filing for bankruptcy citing declining sales and growing debt from opioid lawsuits.

The pharmacy filed Chapter 11 protection on Sunday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey.

Also getting lenders to cough up three and a half billion dollars in new financing as it goes through a restructuring plan.

Right aid has faced lawsuits alleging the company helped fuel the nation's opioid epidemic by unlawfully filling prescriptions for the addictive painkillers and settled for $30 million in 2022 to resolve litigation.

According to the company some of the underperforming stores amid its more than 2100 pharmacies will be closed though it is unclear if any New Jersey locations will be affected.

In a surprise move New Jersey transit has fired its head of construction management who was overseeing the $2.3 billion portal North Ridge project.

According to reports from North Jersey manager Mohammed was fired last week with no explanation and escorted by police from the rail agency's headquarters.

They are a licensed engineer with more than 30 years of experience.

He told North Jersey.com transit officials would only say his termination was due to being an at will employee.

He says he recently raised concerns to federal and state transit officials about the oral bridge plans which is the largest single project in New Jersey transit's history in the first phase of the Gateway program to build new train tunnels under the Hudson River into Manhattan.

He was hired in 2020 one by New Jersey transit to oversee the bridge replacement after previously working or Amtrak heading the Gateway project construction.

A spokesperson confirmed the part sure but gave no details.

On Wall Street stocks jumped today to kick off a big earnings week but traders are bracing for volatility amid the conflict in Israel.

Here is how numbers closed today.

♪ >> and finally tonight, honors for a trailblazer whose pursuit for rights began at Rutgers Law school.

The UPS unveiled a portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg who taught at Rutgers in Newark from 1963 to 1972.

The unveiling was held at a campus building named in her honor with a number of notable guests in attendance including her granddaughter, Clara, a lecturer at Harvard.

The postage stamp features her in her black judicial robe and iconic White collar.

The photo was taken in 2017 and the stamp is already on sale.

Ginsburg died September 2020 and is the first U.S. Supreme Court Justice to get a solo stamp issue in two decades.

.

That's going to do it for us tonight but do not forget to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen anytime.

I am Rihanna --Brianna thank you for being with us have a great evening and we will see you back your tomorrow.

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>> if you need to see a doctor are Jay Barnabas has two ways to do it.

You can see an urgent care provider 24/7 on any device with our tele-med app, or use our website to book a virtual visit with a medical provider or specialist, even as a new patient.

You have taken every precaution, and so have we, so don't delay your care any longer.

RWJBarnabas health, let's be healthy together.

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