Officer, innocents killed in Jersey City shooting spree – Politico

In Jersey City, six people are dead — a police officer, three civilians and two suspects. Several others, including two police officers, are wounded.

Now, for a little while, national media attention will turn to New Jersey. Gov. Murphy, who was in Washington for a DNC fundraiser when the shooting started, was back in Jersey City by late afternoon with Sen. Booker.

Late last night, Mayor Steven Fulop tweeted that indications are the kosher supermarket the attackers holed up in and killed people in wasn’t randomly targeted.

This type of tragedy typically draws out the worst internet commentators and conspiracy theorists. It also begins with a lot of misinformation before everything gets sorted out. Let’s focus on the information we know and hope these mass shootings someday become less frequent.

TIPS: mfriedman@politico.com

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There are days that require us to stop and think about what it means to put on a uniform every day, this is one of them. But, that’s what these men and women do every single day, and we cannot thank them enough.” — Gov. Phil Murphy

TWEET OF THE DAY: “Just received a briefing on the horrific shootout that took place in Jersey City, NJ. Our thoughts & prayers are w/ the victims & their families during this very difficult & tragic time. We will continue to monitor the situation as we assist local & state officials on the ground.” —@realDonaldTrump

WHERE’S MURPHY?: In Kearny for a N.J. Transit engineers classroom training completion ceremony at 2 p.m.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Emerge NJ’s Truscha Quatrone, Attorney Benjamin Brickner, former Clark Superintendent Ken Knops

DAYS MURPHY HAS SPENT AT OUT OF STATE AS DGA CHAIR: 2

R.I.P. — “Jersey City shooting: Police officer fatally shot identified as 40-year-old veteran and father of 5,” by NJ Advance Media’s Ted Sherman and Sophie Nieto-Munoz: “He was a longtime member of the Jersey City Police Department, often working the streets as an undercover officer. On Tuesday, Joseph Seals, 40, was shot dead. A source with knowledge of the investigation said he was shot once in the back of the head, behind the ear, and died at the hospital. Seals, who lived in North Arlington, grew up in Bayonne and went to Bayonne High School, becoming a cop at the age of 22, according to state pension data. He was married and the father of five children.”

NOT ON THE HORIZON — McKeon: Horizon conversion bill unlikely to be taken up in lame duck, by POLITICO’s Sam Sutton: “The lead sponsor of controversial legislation that would allow Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey to convert into a new corporate structure said [Tuesday] the bill is unlikely to move during the Legislature’s lame duck session, which ends in January. “Something like this is so important, we want to make sure all of the legislators and the governor‘s office are able to properly vet every component of this issue and hopefully reach a consensus into how we achieve the goals,” Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex) said in an interview.”

THIS MORNING MY ALARM CLOCK PLAYED ‘I GOT YOU BABE’ — “Murphy says his big goal for 2020 is raising taxes on N.J. millionaires,” by NJ Advance Media’s Matt Arco and Brent Johnson: “Twice in his first two years as New Jersey’s governor, Phil Murphy tried to raise income taxes on millionaires to funnel more money into the state budget for education, transportation, and public-worker pensions. And twice, his fellow Democrats who lead the state Legislature told him no, saying the Garden State is already over-taxed. The disagreements pushed the state government to the brink of a shutdown in each of the last two Junes … But as he heads into the second half of his first term, Murphy insists he isn’t done with a millionaires tax. Far from it. In fact, the governor said he’ll include the tax again in the state budget he’ll propose in a few months, opposition be damned. ‘I’ll push for a millionaires (tax) until we get it,’ Murphy told NJ Advance Media on Monday. ‘Not just in the next budget.’”

TRANSPORTATION — New Jersey to borrow $500M for NJ Transit trains, buses, by Ryan: Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration plans to issue $500 million in bonds to fund the purchase of new trains and buses for NJ Transit, using a unique financing mechanism that does not require voter or lawmaker approval. The board of the state Economic Development Authority voted unanimously and without debate on Tuesday to approve the tax-exempt bond sale. The proceeds will be used to purchase the equipment, which the EDA will then lease back to NJ Transit. NJ Transit, whose board is scheduled to vote on the financing scheme at a meeting Wednesday morning, will secure its lease payments by pledging a portion of its annual Transportation Trust Fund appropriations. The money will allow NJ Transit to purchase 17 new locomotives — replacing some of its oldest diesel locomotives, dating back to the 1960s — and buy 600 new buses.

CONSIDER THE $650M SURGE PRICING — Uber, DoorDash feeling the heat in blue state gig-worker push, by POLITICO’s Katherine Landergan and Jeremy B. White: California’s push to classify gig-economy workers as company employees is beginning to influence the discussion in other blue states, prompting lawsuits from workers and a frantic lobbying blitz from a swath of industries. New Jersey recently fined Uber $650 million for misclassifying its drivers, and state lawmakers in Trenton are moving a worker classification bill with the kind of speed and controversy lobbyists say they haven’t seen in years. New York could soon take up the issue, with CEOs of gig economy platforms already putting out suggestions for legislation shaped to their liking. “I have not experienced in a long time so many industry sectors, so many walks of life in the business community coming out of the woodwork because of the complications of this bill,” Michael Egenton, executive vice president of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, said at a recent hearing in Trenton. The discussions in New Jersey and New York come on the heels of a lengthy debate in California that has the potential to redefine whether gig workers for companies like Uber and DoorDash should be treated as company employees. The fights in Sacramento and Trenton — and likely in Albany, N.Y., next year — could be an early indicator of what’s to come in other statehouses across the country.

OK TROOPER — “Why a progressive Democrat was dragged out of an N.J. Senate hearing,” by The New York Times’ Tracey Tulley: “The confrontation was brief but explosive, and it laid bare the deepening fault lines within the Democratic Party in one of America’s bluest states. New Jersey state troopers singled out Sue Altman, the leader of the left-leaning Working Families Alliance, grabbed her by the arms and forcibly removed her from a standing-room-only State Senate hearing on corporate tax breaks. She was led past her main political rival, George E. Norcross III … The imagery and its aftermath have roiled Trenton, exposing a generational and philosophical rift between progressive and mainstream Democrats that is mirrored nationwide.”

A FAIR AND BALANCED INITIATIVE — “Fox News alums Gretchen Carlson, Julie Roginsky launch anti-NDA initiative,” by The Hollywood Reporter’s Rebecca Keegan: “Looking back on the day in July 2016 when she signed her historic $20 million sexual harassment settlement with Fox News, there is one thing Gretchen Carlson says she would do differently. ‘I knew my own personal experience, and it was an incredibly lonely, isolated experience,’ Carlson says. ‘I had no idea how pervasive this epidemic [of sexual harassment] was. I had no idea how it had been kept under wraps. Had I known what I know now, when I filed my case, I would have fought harder not to have an NDA.’ Three and a half years later, Carlson is fighting against nondisclosure agreements — her own and anyone else’s — in a new initiative she’s launching with fellow Fox alumna Julie Roginsky. The duo are creating an organization, Lift Our Voices, devoted to stopping companies from using NDAs to cover up incidents of workplace harassment and discrimination. Carlson and Roginsky say they will be asking industry and political leaders to pledge to eradicate NDAs for these purposes in their workplaces. They also hope to build a base of supporters who will penalize companies that continue to use NDAs to stifle employees’ speech about their working conditions.”

DAWN’S EARLY PLIGHT — “Peters mulling Senate bid,” by New Jersey Globe’s Nikita Biryukov: “Assemblyman Ryan Peters is mulling a Senate bid against his former running mate, State Sen. Dawn Addiego. ‘While I haven’t yet made a decision, I would love to put my record up against Sen. Addiego’s lack of conviction on any substantive matter,’ Peters said. ‘For me, public service is about putting the needs of others before your own, not abandoning ship when the going gets tough’ Addiego defected from the Republican party in January, giving Democrats a 26-member majority in the legislature’s upper chamber that has since dropped back down to 25.”

—“New Jersey may make it harder for police to keep property they take from you”

—NJPP: “14 states gave undocumented immigrants access to driver’s licenses. Now, it’s N.J.’s turn”

—“Doherty slams vaccination bill”

—“Aspiring NJ cops to get fitness help, after APP report finds new rules fail women”

GET THE HELL OFF THE IMPEACH — “Christie fundraising for Mitch McConnell,” by InsiderNJ’s Fred Snowflack: “Mitch McConnell’s reelection campaign is making a stop to see Chris Christie. The former governor is scheduled to host a fundraiser this coming Sunday on behalf of ‘Team Mitch’ in Mendham. Co-hosts include the governor’s wife, Mary Pat, and Bill Palatucci, a longtime friend of the former governor. This is a pricey event with a minimum contribution of $2,800, according to an invitation. Those so inclined can chip in $5.600 to be on the host committee; $11,200 per couple makes you a co-chair.”

KEAN NOT LOOKING TO CATCH FLIES — “Kean taps Winegar as campaign manager,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Theresa Winegar will depart her post as executive director of the New Jersey Republican State Committee next month to manage Tom Kean’s campaign for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th district. Winegar joins Kean’s bid to unseat freshman Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Rocky Hill) with a strong track record as a state and national political operative.”

—American Prospect: “Cory’s meltdown: Presidential candidate and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has become the Democrats’ leading drum-beater for nuclear power”

—“Jersey City shooting: We need new gun restrictions, say N.J. Congress members”

TOMS RIVER — Hundreds from Toms River rally at Statehouse to protest school funding cuts by POLITICO’s Carly Sitrin: More than 1,500 Toms River parents, students, teachers and community members rallied at the Statehouse and in front of Gov. Phil Murphy’s office on Tuesday to protest major cuts in the state education funding for the district. “Today, specifically, it’s just to alert Gov. Phil Murphy, who … said ‘we’re working with Toms River and we don’t want to leave them out to dry.’ Well, they’re not working with Toms River and at this point they have left us out to dry,” Marc Natanagara, assistant superintendent of the Toms River School District, said at the rally.

PERSKIE’S PERSPICACITY — “Atlantic City mayor pulls Perskie out of retirement to be special adviser,” by The Press of Atlantic City’d David Danzis: “The mayor has tapped one of the region’s most respected and knowledgeable legal minds to join the city administration. During an impromptu press conference Tuesday at City Hall, Mayor Marty Small Sr. announced that Steven P. Perskie, a retired Superior Court judge and author of the state legislation that brought casino gaming to Atlantic City, would be a special adviser to the mayor on policy. Small emphasized that there were still details to be worked out before the move becomes official and the hope was to have Perskie on board by the start of the new year. Small, who was sworn in as the city’s chief executive in October, said the intended hire ‘spoke volumes about the direction we want to take this administration.’”

PROBABLY CHEAPER THAN ABBE LOWELL — “Cooper University Health Care buys Camden office building for $16M,” by Philadelphia Business Journal’s Michelle Caffrey: “Cooper University Health Care is expanding its footprint in Camden once again after buying a five-story, former state social services office in the city for $16 million. The sale to Cooper comes almost exactly two years after the Camden County Improvement Authority purchased the building from the state for $13.95 million in an effort to jump-start revitalization of the then half-vacant property. Buying the 102,000-square-foot building — located at 101 Haddon Ave, across Martin Luther King Boulevard from Cooper University Hospital — gives Cooper the ‘opportunity to meet the growing demand for its services,’ spokeswoman Wendy Marano said in a statement. The health system is still determining specific plans for the property.”

ICHABUCK CRANE — “Hapless pumpkin-head deer rescued after N.J. town puts out call for help,” by NJ Advance Media’s Jenna Wise: “A deer seen wandering around a Bergen County town with its head stuck in a plastic pumpkin has been located, just hours after local officials put out a call for tips on Tuesday morning. Photos from an Upper Saddle River backyard show the deer standing in a snow-covered grass with the bright orange pumpkin almost completely covering its face.”

YOU GOTTA FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO SUNDAE — “Service dog or fake? Jackson man fights for his right to buy ice cream,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Ken Serrano: “Struggling through intense pain and nerve damage so bad it turned him into a near recluse, Donny Adelman ventured back into the world with a newly trained service dog, a cockapoo named Oliver. For their first trip, Adelman, 43, of Jackson, chose Ice Cream on 9 in Howell, a place he had visited for years … Steve Krist Jr., the father of the ice cream store owner, ordered them out, complaining about having a dog in a place that serves food, Adelman said. Federal and state law allows service dogs access to nearly all public places, including eateries. So Adelman stood his ground and got served. But the ice cream war dragged on for more than three years.”

—“AG addresses ‘huge divides’ between police, communities at Asbury Park town hall”

—“In Linden, Roman complaint against armstead dismissed”

—“Neptune, Asbury Park fund ShotSpotter gunshot surveillance after recent shootings”

—“City dignitaries examine former Mayor Kenneth Gibson’s legacy at Paul Robeson Center”

MENTAL HEALTH — “Three students have died by suicide this semester at a New Jersey university, sparking criticism about mental health resources,” by CNN’s Anna Sturla and Arman Azad: “Students and officials at Rowan University in southern New Jersey are grappling with grief and anger after an unusual recent spike in student suicides. The most recent suicide — the third of the current semester — happened the day after Thanksgiving, rocking the 19,600-student university in Glassboro. ‘Losing three students in one semester is beyond description,’ Rowan University President Ali Houshmand told CNN. ‘How do you look into the faces of the parents of these kids?’ Houshmand said the number was unusually high for a single semester. The deaths have sparked outrage on social media, with users identifying themselves as current students and alumni criticizing the school for not doing more to help students with mental health problems. Rowan’s president says the university is addressing the issue.”

STEP UP, WAWA — “NJ balloon festival may be grounded without new title sponsor,” by The Courier-Post’s Mike Deak: “The air may be going out of the New Jersey Festival of Ballooning. The future of the event, which draws more than 100,000 on a July weekend to Solberg Airport, is in doubt without a title sponsor, according to Festival Executive Producer Howard Freeman. QuickChek, headquartered in Whitehouse, had been title sponsor since 1993, but the convenience store chain is shifting its marketing focus to its new stores and a new digital consumer marketing program. That leaves the festival, which has been held for 37 years, looking for a new sponsor.”

—“Feds approve plan to ship liquefied natural gas to South Jersey by rail”