In a rare public policy disagreement between Gov. Chris Christie and President Trump, the Christie administration on Wednesday formally rebuked the president’s plan to allow offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean.
Trump wants to lease nearby underwater areas to increase development of the nation’s oil and gas reserves. But New Jersey officials, who sent a letter to the federal government outlining their opposition to the plan, fear an oil spill would devastate the state’s tourism and commercial fishing industries.
Trump was back in Bedminster and hung out with New Jersey Republicans at a swearing in ceremony for Lewis Eisenberg, who Trump tapped to be U.S. ambassador to Italy. The president gave a warm toast to Eisenberg, a former Port Authority chairman and top Trump fundraiser, according to attendees. The bash was a who’s who of New Jersey Republicans, including some former governors and sitting state senators.
And New Jersey elected officials criticized Trump for his comments blaming “both sides” for violence that occurred in Charlottesville, Va. and left one woman dead. Both Democrats and Republicans said the president should more directly denounce the KKK, neo-Nazi and white nationalist protesters.
Quote of the Day: “Racism and murder are unequivocally reprehensible and are not morally equivalent to anything else that happened in Charlottesville. I believe the President should have been — and still need to be — unambiguous on that point,” — Campbell South Company CEO Denise Morrison, who resigned Trump’s manufacturing jobs council.
Chiesa’s Bills Reach $3 Million for Atlantic City Takeover
The politically-connected law firm that has run a state takeover of Atlantic City since November has billed taxpayers nearly $3 million through July, according to invoices the state released Wednesday.
Christian Hetrick, Observer Read more
Trump Toasts Lew Eisenberg, New U.S. Ambassador, in Bedminster Bash
President Trump returned to his golf club in Bedminster on Wednesday evening to toast Lewis Eisenberg, a former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey who was being sworn in as U.S. ambassador to Italy, according to photos obtained by Observer.
Christian Hetrick and Salvador Rizzo, Observer Read more
Trump’s Comments on Neo-Nazis Stir Outrage in NJ
President Trump received bipartisan criticism for comments he made on Tuesday blaming “both sides” for violence that occurred in Charlottesville, Va., last weekend, where a white nationalist protester drove a car through a group of counter-protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer.
Alyana Alfaro, Observer Read more
NJ GOP Rallies Around Former Director With Rare Disease
Republicans including Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno — the GOP nominee for New Jersey governor — gathered at the Dublin House in Red Bank on Tuesday night to raise funds for Rob Cressen, the former executive director of the New Jersey Republican State Committee who is currently battling a health condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.
Alyana Alfaro, Observer Read more
Christie rebukes Trump over Atlantic offshore drilling plan
The Christie administration Wednesday issued a rebuke to President Donald Trump’s bid to open Atlantic Ocean waters to offshore drilling.
The Record Read more
NJ Lottery pulls poker game three days after launch
Three days after launching a new scratch-off game promising more than $13.6 million in prizes, the state lottery rushed to pull the game off store shelves because of confusion about the rules.
The Record Read more
N.J. CEOs resign from Trump’s business council just as he disbands it
The CEOs of two New Jersey-based companies resigned Wednesday from President Donald Trump’s manufacturing jobs council in the wake of the his remarks on the racial violence in Charlottesville, right before and right after the president announced he would disband the group.
Politico Read more
This N.J. lawmaker just moved to censure Trump for his Charlottesville comments
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman and two other House Democrats Wednesday moved to censure President Donald Trump for saying “there’s blame on both sides” for the white supremacist march in Charlottesville that left one person dead.
NJ.com Read more
Confederate monument in New Jersey pays homage to fallen soldiers
On the banks of the Delaware River, a monument to the Confederacy still stands tall. But it’s not what you think.
The Record Read more
With cross-Hudson travel in ‘crisis’ mode, planners demand a fundamental ‘reset’
In an effort to break the gridlock now paralyzing the New York metropolitan area’s political apparatus, the region’s preeminent planning organization on Wednesday proposed building a new bus terminal on Eleventh Avenue and extending a proposed rail tunnel from west of the Hudson River to the other side of the East River.
Politico Read more
Staffing shakeups at N.J. AG’s office amid departures
New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino is reshuffling his executive leadership team amid a series of departures among the state’s top lawyers.
NJ.com Read more
Trump Weakens Protections for Buildings in Flood-Prone Areas
President Donald Trump yesterday repealed stringent building standards aimed at protecting government-financed projects in flood-prone areas by accounting for sea-level rise associated with climate change.
NJSpotlight Read more
Roosevelt mayor, council members resign over infighting
The borough’s mayor, deputy clerk and two council members resigned during Monday night’s council meeting, saying they’re sick of infighting.
Asbury Park Press Read more
Offshore wind proponents voice support in Atlantic City
In August 2010, Gov. Chris Christie signed the Offshore Wind Development Act and promised a commitment to offshore wind development in New Jersey. Seven years later, proponents of wind energy say the time for stalling is over.
Press of Atlantic City Read more
