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Joanna: Lawmakers in New Jersey call for greater security for high-profile leaders following the second assassination attempt against Former President Donald Trump.

Plus, one-on-one with First Lady Tammy Murphy, outlining her efforts to help combat the maternal health crisis in the state.

>> We need to enable everyone across New Jersey to be healthy in their own community.

We need to give them the resources, the respect, and we need to make sure they understand what is available, and we are just expanding that network and have been doing that since day one.

Joanna: Also, banning masks in public places.

One gubernatorial candidates proposal that is getting a ton of pushback on the to pull it back.

>> Let's assume you are at a protest and you destroyed property and they identify who you are, because there is cameras all over.

This would be an additional charge.

Joanna: And anchor fraud.

Nearly a million applicants tried last year to scam the state's property tax relief program, forcing additional identity checks this year.

>> This is a program funded with more than $2 billion out of the state budget, so just as we saw during the worst of the pandemic with things like unemployment insurance, when the numbers get big, that brings out the fraudsters.

Joanna: NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

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

With Briana Vannozzi.

Joanna: Thanks for joining us tonight.

Briana Vannozzi is off.

We begin with a few key stories we have been following.

First, another assassination attempt a Former President Donald Trump yesterday, this time at his West Palm Beach, Florida golf course.

The shooter was on the outside of the perimeter of the course with an assault rifle when he was spotted by Secret Service agents and later arrested.

The shooter never fired a round.

He was charged today with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in possession of a firearm with an obscured serial number.

Investigators are still looking into his background but say that he was an ardent supporter of former Republican candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, and he has been vocal in his support of Ukraine and the war, traveling to Kyiv and attempting to recruit soldiers for Ukraine on social media.

But the second attempt at Former President Trump's life has led State Senator Doug Steinhardt to renew calls for heightened security for high-profile leaders.

He is calling on Congress to pass an act proposed by Congressman Tom King Junior that would give state and local governments the resources they need to protect their leaders.

President Biden today said the Secret Service needs more help, more servicemen, and that Congress should respond to their needs.

Also tonight, the clock may be kicking down onto TikTok.

The company had just 15 minutes U.S. federal appeals court today to fight for its existence in the U.S. That is because the law side by President Biden that requires the Chinese based company to sell to a new owner takes effect in January.

The administration argued the app poses a national security threat and could be using Americans' sensitive information for China's again.

The law prevents the company from seeking a full trial to defend its existence, so TikTok had 15 minutes in court today, and influencers who want the company to remain had an additional 10 minutes.

The Biden administration argued his case for 25 minutes, and of the court is on the clock to decide the fate of the social media giant.

New Jersey's Supreme Court has decided not to expedite a case brought by casino workers who are asking that the state's indoor smoking ban apply to casinos.

The issue has been hotly debated in New Jersey's legislature, but with no forward progress, casino workers have brought their case to the courts, arguing they have a constitutional right to breathe clean air at work.

But the lower court ruled against them, so they have asked for an emergency injunction, but the state's high court seen their request means the case will remain in the appellate court, where casino workers have also requested an expedited case .

Senator John Bramnick may have pulled the gloves off when he proposed a bill acquiring people to take their masks off.

Bramnick proposed legislation on Thursday that would ban masks at protests and other demonstrations, but he quickly backtracked after hearing the blowback and changed the plan into something he says could deter criminals from concealing their faces.

David Cruise has more on where the bill stands now.

>> The media jumped all over me on this, the most attention I have gotten, and all I am trying to do is grab something that makes it easier for law enforcement to identify criminals.

David: Senator Bramnick is a defense attorney by day, but his most forward facing job case as an elected state official, and now as a candidate for governor area a self-described law and order candidate, to be more specific.

But his attempt to burnish those credentials for more conservative potential voters unmasks some immediate opposition.

>> The bill is overbroad, unsafe, and limits the public's ability to exercise their constitutional rights, like freedom of speech and assembly.

On top of that, the vagueness opens the door to law enforcement being able to target people based on their political beliefs.

We know that anti-mask laws have a chilling effect on some protesters' ability to show up for causes they believe in, which is why we strongly oppose this bill.

David: Mask mandates were a thing during Covid, as you may remember, and bills like the original version of this one are seen as a reaction to that, as well as a reaction to protests related to the Israeli-Hamas war.

>> If you looked at what happened on Nassau County's hearings on their masked man law, you had people who were coughed on, harassed, simply for wearing a mask.

There is going to be a climate of intimidation, and that is also a term it is fear I have, that this, even if it does not pass, the mere fact that you have gone ahead and proposed this will undoubtedly screwed up incidents of harassment and discrimination against people who are masking.

David: Bramnick says that is not his intent at all.

He said he wants to gives -- he says he wants to give police another tool to discourage criminal activity.

That we gave no evidence this bill will be much of a deterrent.

>> It is a complicated bill, but no one is getting stopped because they are wearing a mask.

You know I believe 100% in Covid, in vaccines, in wear a mask covers.

I don't believe that you should use that mask in a commission of a crime.

It is going to send a message to people, listen, you are coming to commit a crime, you might be charged with two offenses, one, disguising yourself, and two, committing a crime.

David: The senator says the new language is still being worked on, but the bill will be introduced this week.

It is unlikely to get much traction in the legislature, but given the public attention it has gotten, the law and order senator may have achieved exactly what he intended.

I'm David Cruz, NJ Spotlight News.

Joanna: An update on a story we reported on last week, looking at a new study conducted by the that nonwhite Hispanic women.

The results are alarming because they show disparities in how mothers are treated, even those with similar pregnancies, socioeconomic status, and doctors treated in the same hospitals as white women.

Why does it matter?

Because C-section deliveries drive up postpartum publications and increase health risks for both mom and baby.

First lady Tammy Murphy commented on the study last week, saying it proves what she and her team found when she first launched her nurture NJ program in 2015, ended up reversing the rates of Black, maternal, and infant death in the state.

She is with me to discuss the changes that still need to be made.

First lady Tammy Murphy, so great to have you with us tonight.

The study we are talking about here was run between the years of 2008 to 2017, before you started your program.

How did Jordan nurture NJ program specifically address C-sections here in New Jersey?

Ms. Murphy: Thank you, yes.

This study, I just want to underscore that the study is so important, and I am thrilled you are paying attention to this, because we need more awareness, and it is only going to come from you all.

We have done a number of things.

Back in 2019, we said that we would no longer reimburse for elected C-sections, which has been a very important driver of reducing our C-section rates.

Secondarily, we have done everything from educating our workforce further, trying to get everyone out there to understand the challenges with C-sections in particular.

Joanna: Can we talk culturally about what it looked like before those reimbursements were taken away?

A lot of times women were told sure, you can pick the date you want your baby to be born, and there was kind of a more laissez-faire attitude around C-sections, but we know there are risks involved.

Have you seen data to point to a shift in that kind of culture in New Jersey?

Ms. Murphy: 100%.

Our C-section rates, we actually have a hospital maternal health report card that we have started, and we started working on that in 2019.

That is our effort to make sure that families, mothers-to-be all have access, that we are completely transparent and that our hospitals are putting their best foot forward so that people can actually go online and check and see what their C-section rates were and what they are.

I would also say it is a little bit of a good thing here in New Jersey, because it gives a bit of a rivalry.

It is a competitive process, so our hospitals are all trying to outdo one another, and that is great for us all.

Joanna: Fred: It is a lark -- Joanna: It is alarming to see some of the data from this study showing that Black women in my women were treated differently despite their socioeconomic status being similar, despite seeing the same doctors in the same hospitals.

I know intrinsic bias -- implicit bias has been part of your program.

Ms. Murphy: 100%.

You cannot have two patients with the same symptoms percent into the same doctor in the same hospital and be treated so differently.

Absolutely.

What we have been saying from the beginning is we need to enable everyone across New Jersey to be healthy in their community.

We need to get them the resources, the respect, and we need to make sure they understand what is available.

We have been expanding that network and doing it since day one.

Joanna: Does the presence of a Doula also reduce C-section rates?

Do we have data on that?

Ms. Murphy: The presence of doulas and midwives in particular have been proven to better all outcomes.

I know that with the midwives there is a lower incidence of C-section rates, and I believe it is the same thing with the do ulas.

But the fact of the matter is we know, as studies have shown, that outcomes are better when you involve doulas and had wives, which is why we have not only been building up both those workforces, we are trying to reimburse them at respectable rates.

We are trying to make sure they are embedded in the care team.

We have been doing the same throughout the entire perinatal workforce.

Joanna: I know there are countless other steps you have taken, but what still needs to happen in New Jersey -- what are going to be the efforts of the maternal and infant health Authority that is just getting on its feet?

Ms. Murphy: That is the first in the nation, and it is community informed, and we will make sure the community is embedded in every decision we make with the maternal infant health innovation authority.

I am very excited because my big concern was that when my husband left office, that all of the great work and collaboration, the partnerships we have built across the state would suddenly start falling apart, and said this is going to be the connective tissue to not only ensure all of the strategic plan we have failed 17 years ago will continue to be refined and rolled out, but making sure everyone is involved in that we continue to do everything we can to eliminate the scourge and make New Jersey the safest place to deliver a baby.

Joanna: Thanks for your time today.

In our spotlight on business report tonight, the state's division of taxation announced it locked 900,000 attempts of fraud related to the state's anchor property tax relief program.

That has led to the state ramping up identification requirements to all of you applying for the program now.

John Reitmeyer is here to its plain what happened and what it means for you.

Good to see you.

How are these fraudulent applications caught?

John: All the numbers with anchor big, so we should note that this is a program funded with more than $2 billion out of the state budget.

Unfortunately, just as we saw during the worst of the pandemic with eggs like unemployment insurance, when the numbers get big, that brings out the fraudsters.

That is what we are seeing here now as a starts to mature.

It has become the state's biggest property tax relief program.

What the treasury tax division does is they compare the information someone would put an end information with existing property and tax records, so right here is a big shake because this is the agency that collects all these types of records with the peoples' paying of taxes every year.

That is one layer, and this year they have debuted this new process which involves a company called ID Me, which the state is using is another layer to verify identity.

Joanna: I want to get to that in a bit, but does the state know if these fraudulent applications were done by individuals, kind of gaming the system, or was this product -- part of a broader fraud scheme?

John: We don't have that level of detail in what has been made public about this, and we should also say that there are attempts to collect benefits fraudulently , and alerts have also been issued about scams targeting people seeking anchor benefits, so someone might be sending a text or email seeking to get your personal information that would be used for obtaining an anchor benefit that they will then use to steal your identity.

Alerts have also been issued urging people to be on the lookout if somebody is emailing or texting you.

The state does not do that.

We don't have that exact level of detail, but there have been those warnings about looking out for scams.

Joanna: Does the state catching these fraudulent attempts indicate that there was fraud in the past?

John: We hear a lot these days about fraud across a number of different programs, and it is no surprise that anchor would be added into this, because technology is advancing in ways where people are able do things like spoofing and take advantage of different levels of technology.

The program is fairly new, the numbers are getting very big, and I think you see the confluence of a lot of these different factors that is bringing out the fraudsters.

And then probably reassuring, seeing the state respond the way it has by ramping up identity verification measures.

Joanna: You say 900,000 attempts is not a whole lot when it is a $2 billion program, but what could that have cost the state?

John: The maximum benefit is $1750 per recipient or household.

Joanna: So you can do the math, multiply that.

What should folks have on hand to prove their identity?

John: For 1.5 million people, the applications have been submitted automatically.

Then there is a whole checklist if you've got material that Treasury would have since last month.

A lot of it is in your tax form, so if you have an old tax form, this goes back to 2021, so if you have that information, that is the golden ticket for a lot of the benefit application materials.

Joanna: For those of us watching who are trying to apply this year, just do the right thing, provide your information, should be all good, yes?

John: Absolutely, and for a lot of people, it is done automatically.

You just let it -- The benefits roll out in November, so you wait to get your money.

Joanna: We will be waiting.

Budget and finance writer John Reitmeyer.

Good to see you, John.

Thank you.

John: You're welcome.

>> Support for the business report is provided by Halsey Street.

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Joanna: Schools in New Jersey are just a few weeks in, but many schools are feeling the teacher shortage.

It came into focus during the Covid pandemic but does not seem to be going away.

School districts have had to find ways to be creative filling open positions, and some districts are finding ways to tackle the shortage head-on, like the Camden city school district that has partnered with Roman University to help their paraprofessionals earn teacher certifications.

Raven Santana visited the district to learn more about this innovative teacher pipeline program.

Raven: More than 15 paraprofessionals from the Camden city school district and Rowan University came together to celebrate the launch of teach Camden.

The program is designed to create a pathway for paraprofessionals to earn credits to become a teacher while still working within the Camden city school district.

Those paraprofessionals typically fill the roles of instructional aides and/or teacher's assistants.

>> What is great about this is we customized this program to meet the needs of our paraprofessionals in the city of Camden.

Tutors are provided.

All the supports are necessary so that they are able to hopefully be able to earn their teaching certification and then be teachers in our schools.

They just have to commit five years.

After they go through the program, they don't have to pay anything.

It is tuition free.

We have found grant funding and secured it in order to support them, but it is just amazing.

Raven: The programming collaboration is funded by the district's general funds to pay for the program and is a way to recruit and retain teachers given the shortage across the country.

The district is also exploring other grant funding to pay for the program.

According to a 2023 report by the National Center for education statistics, 86% of U.S. K-12 public schools reported challenges hiring teachers for the 2023-24 school year, with 83% reporting trouble hiring for nonteaching positions such as transportation staff and mental health professionals.

Given these stats, that is why the Dean of rowan's College of education says the program is entirely free.

>> Just the Aspire To Teach program is nearly $10,000.

Then they have to take other certification requirements.

That is quite a few thousand dollars that adds up until they meet the requirement.

We are in the ballpark of $12,000 to $13,000, if not higher, to be able to become a teacher, after earning your bachelors degree.

Raven: And under this program, it is all for free.

>> It is free.

>> It is such a dream come true.

>> It takes care of a lot of the fear of the unknown, the planning of it, when you don't know what you are trying to do, what is the next step, but this lays it all out for you so you know what you are doing next.

I have been a para for seven years, so to do what I do every day now but make more than double my salary, that is huge.

That means the world to me.

Raven: Paraprofessionals I spoke with say in addition to the program eliminating barriers to become certified teachers, it also allows them to inspire youth.

>> They need that model.

Role model.

Being that I am an adult male teacher, for some reason they really gravitate to me.

>> When I got placed in the high school just talking to the kids every day and what they need, dealing with substitutes the whole school year and not having teachers, it is a lot.

The kids suffer, and they need people that care and want to be there and are invested in them.

I really feel like that is where my pull is.

Raven: These participants are expected to complete the program this summer and then have the opportunity to become full-time teachers.

The superintendent says she now hopes the program expands with more participants and funding.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Raven Santana.

Joanna: Crew members of the USS New Jersey will all live in a gender-neutral submarine.

That is the Navy's newest nuclear powered submarine, and it is the first ever ship outfitted to accommodate both male and female sailors.

It has been 14 years since the Navy lifted its ban on women being allowed to serve, but it has taken until now for the ship to be equipped with a fully integrated crew.

That is likely good news for the more than 700 women working on submarines today, and the Navy says all nuclear submarines built from here on out will be designed with gender-neutral design.

But there is nothing gender-neutral about the name.

This sub has been coined a Jersey girl, given the moniker because of the interior decor.

Inside, the crew will find Jersey-inspired memorabilia from the New Jersey Devils, a Bon Jovi guitar, and a dining area inspired by a Jersey diner.

It does not get more Jersey than that.

The submarine was commissioned in a ceremony off the coast of Middletown Saturday and is now ready to take on its coed crew.

>> Today the world is at an inflection point.

There is a war in Europe, a war in the Middle East, and autocracy is on the march.

Just like Admiral Tucker and the generations of heroes who have served on boats bearing the Garden State's name, each one of you must now do your part to provide that firepower for freedom.

And when you make your way back to our shores, I promise you this, you will always have a home in New Jersey, because from here on out, you are all honorary New Jerseyans.

Briana: That does it for us tonight.

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

I'm Joanna Gagis.

For the entire team here, thanks for being with us, have a great night, and we will see you right back here tomorrow.

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