Free Republic

What brings Democratic congressional nominee Brad Lander, Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and the majority of New York’s downstate congressional delegation together? A niche labor protest over the Trump administration’s attempt to move federal workers out of New York City. The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 98, representing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New York District and North Atlantic Division employees, rallied outside 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan on Thursday, protesting the proposed relocation of their offices to New Jersey. New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Lander were among those who joined in person,...

A longtime deli in South Jersey is temporarily closed after thieves stripped copper wiring and piping from the building, disabling its refrigeration systems and forcing the disposal of roughly $20,000 worth of food, the business said. Somerdale Cold Cuts has served the community since 1976. The family-owned deli on North Warwick Road has been closed since owner Johnny “Gabagool” Audry discovered the theft, which occurred overnight on July 12, according to the business’s Facebook page. The thieves never entered the building, Audry said, but they removed enough copper from the exterior refrigeration equipment to disable both the deli’s walk-in refrigerator...

Roughly 6,600 noncitizens were unwittingly registered to vote in New Jersey from 2023 to 2024, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Tuesday. Roughly 400 of them improperly cast votes, she said. “They were registered as Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters and were scattered across the state,” said Sherrill, a Democrat. She added that it is unclear which elections they voted in and said there was “no evidence at this time that any elections were swayed” as a result.

Fewer than 400 voted illegally; Sherrill orders investigation as some of Trump claims validated; Governor says Trump has ‘zero credibility’ on election matters A serious software error at the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission led to roughly 6,600 non-citizens being erroneously added to the state’s voter rolls between June 2023 and June 2024, beginning nearly three years before Gov. Mikie Sherrill took office. Fewer than 400 of those individuals ultimately cast ballots, a senior Sherrill administration official told the New Jersey Globe. While applying for driver’s licenses or identification cards, the 6,600 individuals specifically answered “no” on a keypad when...

Ronald L. Fischer, a former Rhode Island anesthesiologist who spent more than two decades on the run after fleeing during his child sexual assault trial, was captured aboard a sailboat off the coast of New Jersey after an online sleuth's tip helped investigators track him down, according to the FBI.

July 17 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on ​Friday ruled that New ‌Jersey's assault-weapons law barring the possession of ​AR-15 semi-automatic ​rifles and large capacity magazines ⁠containing more ​than 10 rounds of ​ammunition is unconstitutional. The ruling by the Philadelphia-based 3rd ​U.S. Circuit Court ​of Appeals marked the first ‌time ⁠a federal appeals court had ruled that a state's ​assault ​weapons ⁠ban violated the U.S. Constitution's ​Second Amendment by ​burdening ⁠the right to keep and bear ⁠arms ​for self-defense.

This past spring, Blue America suffered yet another critical blow without much in the way of comment: Standard Oil of New Jersey fled the state for Texas.AdvertisementOf course, it’s not called Standard Oil anymore. Following several takeovers and mergers, it’s now known as ExxonMobil. But it’s still the same company founded nearly a century and a half ago as the jewel in the crown of John D. Rockefeller’s industrial empire. And now it’s gone.On March 10 of this year, the company’s board voted unanimously to make the move. The decision was put to a shareholder vote on May 27. No...

Semafor reported on Project 2029’s "Kids Over Clicks" proposal, which outlines Democrats' plans to regulate social media and AI companies. Democrats are gearing up for the 2028 election and preparing a list of policy priorities—dubbed "Project 2029"—should they retake the White House. The first Project 2029 proposal is not about affordability, healthcare, or foreign policy. No, the Democrats' first proposal concerns children's online safety: the issue fueling lawmakers' bipartisan push to impose greater government control over the internet. Semafor's Nicholas Wu first reported on the "Kids Over Clicks" proposal on Monday. The proposal, Wu wrote, advocates for "narrowing protections under...

Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., delivered an emotional speech Tuesday revealing for the first time the medical condition that kept him away from the House and campaign stops for nearly four months. Kean said he was given a diagnosis of depression after entering the hospital for "some testing." He said the illness took him months to heal from and left him under doctors' care during a prolonged stay in the hospital. "I'm grateful that I accepted help, because today I stand before you stronger, healthier and excited to return to the work that I love," Kean said on the House...

Wiener caused anger in Jewish community after flip-flopping on the issue amid pressure from pro-Palestinian groups as he campaigns for CongressScott Wiener, the California lawmaker who earlier this month announced that he believed Israel had committed “genocide” in Gaza, is stepping down as a leader of the state legislature’s Jewish caucus. Wiener, a state senator from San Francisco, has been a co-chair of the caucus since 2023. He is currently running for Congress. In a statement released Thursday, he attributed his resignation from the caucus’ leadership position to both his campaign and the backlash over his Israel comments. He will...

Here’s your feel good story for the weekend, Save Jerseyans! Democrat enthusiasm for our country is at an all-time low as America’s 250th birthday approaches, and if you want a clear non-polling illustration, consider how multiple states with Democrat governors refused to participate in the Great American Fair currently underway on the National Mall. Each state, territory, and D.C. were supposed to have their own manned exhibit-style booth highlighting the beauty and diversity of our great nation, but some blue and purple state governors (like Mikie Sherrill and PA’s Josh Shapiro) declined to engage what should’ve been an opportunity to...

Next Tuesday, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. — missing from action for more than three months due to an unspecified medical condition — is scheduled to make his return to his official duties in Congress. Later that same day, he’ll be returning to the campaign fundraising circuit, too. According to an invitation shared with POLITICO, a reception in support of Kean, a top Democratic target this fall, has been scheduled for the evening of June 30. Few other details are known about the fundraiser; Kean’s spokespeople declined to comment, though they did not deny the event’s existence. Kean also has at...

U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin, hand-picked by Joe Biden, just tossed the Trump administration’s lawsuit against four Democrat-run New Jersey sanctuary cities, handing illegal alien criminals another layer of protection. Judge Evelyn Padin dismissed the Department of Justice’s case against Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Hoboken without reaching the merits. She ruled the federal lawsuit had a “fundamental flaw” because it challenged only the cities’ sanctuary policies and did not also target New Jersey’s statewide Immigrant Trust Directive, the NY Times reported. Padin wrote that the city policies “do not operate in isolation” from the state directive that already restricts...

Englishtown, New Jersey, councilman and former mafia hitman John Alite is being accused of threatening to hit a man with a baseball bat, following his arrest last Friday on charges of loan sharking and extortion. Alite, a former hitman for the Gambino crime family, has been “charged with multiple counts of theft by extortion (second degree), corporate misconduct (second degree), usury (second degree), and terroristic threats,” according to a statement from the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. CBS News reported in 2015 that Alite killed as many as 15 people. “He also says he shot 30 to 40 people and...

According to the Jersey City Police Department, two suspects drove up to the victims and threw what authorities believe to be sulfuric acid. Investigators state that the incident was a targeted attack stemming from a dispute earlier in the day involving a larger group. All six victims were hospitalized with skin burns and peeling. Officials confirmed that at least one victim suffered severe second-degree burns to her face and scalp.

An ICE agent in New Jersey was struck by a van driven by a fleeing suspect and opened fire on the vehicle, striking it several times, authorities said. The incident happened Monday morning around 9:30 a..m. near Mermaid Drive in Stafford Township’s Manahawkin community, about 60 miles east of Philadelphia as the agency was trying to capture a suspect. The officer’s condition was not immediately known, but sources told NBC Philadelphia that he is expected to recover. ICE has not released a description of the suspect or revealed whether the driver was injured. The outlet reports the van’s back window...

Noncitizens in a key blue state were on the voter rolls for years — and some even voted in prior elections, according to documents obtained via public records request. The New Jersey Republican Party (NJGOP) and the Republican National Committee (RNC) requested voter rolls from all 21 counties in the Garden State and found multiple instances of noncitizens seeking naturalization asking to be removed from the rolls, claiming they were unknowingly registered to vote. Most were registered as Democrats. Noncitizens cannot vote in state or federal elections, and the candidates for citizenship worried that being on the rolls would disqualify...

The knife-wielding madman accused of slashing five people at random in one of New York City's busiest transit hubs has been identified. Hector Deleon, 51, has been identified as the alleged homeless man who attacked five people at the notorious Penn Station at around 7pm on Sunday. The suspect was tackled to the ground in the minutes following the Sunday stabbing spree. Deleon was hospitalized on Monday, and has yet to be charged, according to The New York Post.

It’s been nearly three months since he last cast a vote on the House floor, but Rep. Thomas H. Kean Jr. has been keeping busy — or at least trying to look like he is. In the New Jersey Republican’s absence, five speeches under his name have appeared in the Congressional Record. Staff in congressional offices continue to work even when their bosses don’t, which is nothing new. But Kean’s disappearance has raised long-overdue questions about transparency on the Hill, some experts say. “The appearance of impropriety is just as bad as the real thing because it casts a cloud...

The first officer of a United Airlines jet warned the pilot "you are still slow and a little low" before the aircraft hit a light pole and tractor-trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike while landing at Newark Liberty Airport on May 3. A preliminary report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board about the May 3 incident said the airliner was hit by a 34 mph wind gust just before crossing the highway, and confirmed the jet struck both the light pole and the tractor-trailer. The crew of United Flight 169 heard a thump and felt a jolt as...