Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-democrat-remains-hospitalized-more-than-a-week-after-cardiac-episode" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Payne Jr.</a> (D-NJ), a Newark mainstay who served in the seat once held by his father, has died at the age of 65, Governor Phil Murphy and Payne&#8217;s office announced on Wednesday.
&#8220;Tammy and I are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our friend, and a steadfast champion for the people of New Jersey, Congressman Donald Payne, Jr.,&#8221; Murphy <a href="https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562024/approved/20240424a.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement revealing the lawmaker&#8217;s death.
It was previously known that the six-term congressman had been experiencing health problems and was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-democrat-remains-hospitalized-more-than-a-week-after-cardiac-episode" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hospitalized</a> earlier this month. Payne&#8217;s office said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewSolender/status/1783199331211751695" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> following Murphy&#8217;s announcement on Wednesday that Payne had &#8220;experienced a physical accident at home on April 6, 2024, which necessitated hospitalization.&#8221;
As Payne received treatment &#8220;for this health issue, he faced medical complications due to diabetes and high blood pressure that led to subsequent cardiorespiratory arrest. Despite the dedicated efforts of the medical staff to treat him and improve his health, they were unable to prevent his passing unfortunately,&#8221; the statement added.
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Rep. Donald Payne Jr.&#39;s office confirms his death:
&#8211; Says he &quot;experienced a physical accident at home&quot; on April 6 and was hospitalized &#8211; During treatment, he experienced complications from diabetes/high blood pressure that &quot;led to subsequent cardiorespiratory arrest.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/TDhsIc1Zbv">pic.twitter.com/TDhsIc1Zbv</a>
&mdash; Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewSolender/status/1783199331211751695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;With his signature bowtie, big heart, and tenacious spirit,&#8221; as Murphy put it, Payne spent years of his life in public service working as a union worker, Newark City Council president, and member of the Essex County Board of Commissioners. Payne <a href="https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2012/11/donald-payne-jr-replacing-late-father-is-sworn-in-149729" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won</a> election in 2012 to take the House seat that had been held by his father, Donald Payne Sr., until he died of colon cancer at age 77 after <a href="https://whyy.org/articles/donald-payne-jr-son-of-late-congressman-wins-10th-district-seat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">25 years in Congress</a>.
&#8220;It was my great honor to work side-by-side with Donald to build a stronger and fairer New Jersey, and we will hold his memory close to our hearts as we build upon the Payne family’s deep legacy of service in advocating for the communities they served so dearly,&#8221; Murphy said in his statement.
“Donald’s love will live on in the homes of his neighbors in Newark, who now have access to safe drinking water, and in the good-paying jobs he helped create for his brothers and sisters in labor,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And it will live on in his wife Beatrice, and their three children, Donald III, Jack, and Yvonne, who were the pride of his life. Our heartfelt prayers are with his family during this difficult time.&#8221;
Payne&#8217;s death comes as primary voting is underway in his state. The New Jersey Globe <a href="https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/donald-payne-will-win-the-primary-posthumously-heres-how-democrats-will-pick-his-replacement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Payne, whose name is on the ballot, will likely win unless a write-in campaign defeats him. County officials from his party can call a convention and pick a new nominee after the results are certified and a vacancy is declared.
In terms of House business, Payne&#8217;s absence could have an impact on close votes. The chamber is already narrowly divided, with Republicans holding a slim majority. It was not immediately clear whether there will be a special election to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the two-year term won by Payne in 2022.
Members of Congress reacted to the news of Payne&#8217;s death, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
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Deeply saddened by the passing of Congressman Donald Payne Jr., a good friend, highly effective public servant and compassionate leader.
My prayers and support are with the Payne family and his loved ones during this difficult time.
May he forever Rest in Peace.
👑👑👑🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 <a href="https://t.co/QXWkJPhzGv">pic.twitter.com/QXWkJPhzGv</a>
&mdash; Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepJeffries/status/1783181847641329950?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Deeply saddened by the passing of Congressman Donald Payne Jr., a good friend, highly effective public servant and compassionate leader,&#8221; Jeffries said on X. &#8220;My prayers and support are with the Payne family and his loved ones during this difficult time. May he forever Rest in Peace.&#8221;
&#8220;We are saddened to be informed of the passing today of Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr., who had been serving New Jersey&#8217;s 10th Congressional District since 2012, and who succeeded his father in the same position,&#8221; Johnson <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1783181627578863723" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post to X. &#8220;Our prayers are offered today for his family and friends, and especially his wife, Bea, and their three children.&#8221;

Rep Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ)

New Jersey House Democrat Donald Payne Jr. Dies At 65

Congress

House Democrats

New Jersey

Phil Murphy

U.S.

U.S. House of Representatives

Minors in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-jersey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Jersey’s</a> biggest city now have the right to vote in certain elections.
The Newark City Council voted on Wednesday to grant voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds for school board elections. The measure, sponsored by Council President LaMonica McIver, passed unanimously; she declared that minors had the right to representation.
“We support expanding our democracy and giving our young people the right to vote,” said McIver.
The <a href="https://newark.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6454487&amp;GUID=C98BC801-7B1E-40F6-AB82-F44D81A18B14">measure</a> declared that 16- and 17-year-olds deserve the right to vote because they may take on certain responsibilities like driving, paying taxes, and working, and civic activities such as political campaign contributions, volunteering in campaigns and at the polls, and attending political rallies.
Following prolonged and divided public remarks over the measure, Councilman Lawrence Crump remarked that minors today were capable of voting because they’re “much more mature, much more advanced” than he and his peers were in their youth.
“I don’t think we should punish children for what we as adults have failed to do, and I think if we don’t support [their right to vote] that’s what we’re doing, we’re punishing them from moving forward because of what we as adults and parents have not done,” said Crump.
Councilman Dupre Kelly said that granting certain voting rights to minors was critical to ensure a healthy democracy, and indicated that granting voting rights in school board elections was just the start.
“If you don’t utilize young people to help you build it, they will be the ones to tear it down,” said Kelly.
Councilwoman Louise Scott-Rountree said that it was Biblical to afford voting rights to minors.
“I think we downplay their wisdom because we think we elders know it all,” said Scott-Rountree.
Only one councilman, Carlos Gonzalez, expressed hesitation for the measure, warning that the next likely step would be policy allowing minors to run for election. Gonzalez also questioned whether the age limit was arbitrary, and if future arguments could be made for lowering the voting age even further.
“I don’t think they have the financial wisdom to handle that responsibility [of a billion-dollar budget],” said Gonzalez. “Where do we stop? I believe that we have to be concerned with the slippery slope of going from 18 to 16 to what?”
Councilman Patrick Council said that struggles with systemic racism and social justices had culminated in the measure. Council said that allowing minors to vote would help mitigate societal issues like gun violence.
Another major issue, the border crisis, was also brought up. Councilman Michael Silva expressed concern that illegal immigrant minors wouldn’t benefit from this new measure.
“My ward is going to be a reflection of a lot of wards the way the country is looking forward, and I think these 16 and 17-year-olds, even though they’re not American citizens, need to have their voices heard as well,” said Silva.
That same day, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy <a href="https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562024/approved/20240109b.shtml">applauded</a> the measure in his State of the State address. Murphy asked that the state legislature pass similar legislation this session to grant minors voting rights for all local school board elections.
“I know, to some, this proposal may sound unconventional. But voting is a lifelong habit. And studies show that, if a person votes in one election they are more likely to turn out in the next election,” said Murphy. “So, encouraging our young neighbors to engage with democracy, is really about encouraging them to become lifelong voters.”
Last week, Murphy signed a bill allowing 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they turned 18 by the time of the general election.
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Murphy credited the push for minor voting rights to two young activists: Anjali Krishnamurti, a freshman at Harvard University and former campaign volunteer for Murphy, and Yenjay Hu, a high school senior.
“Honestly, when I see young leaders like Anjali and Yenjay, I cannot help but think: is it any surprise that New Jersey has the best public education system in the country?” said Murphy.
Krishnamurti and Hu co-founded Vote16NJ, a state spinoff of a national campaign, Vote16USA, both of which advocate for lowering the national voting age to 16 in local elections.
Vote16USA is a <a href="https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/generation-citizen/%23:~:text=If%2520you%2520are%2520a%2520human,vote%2520in%2520certain%2520local%2520elections.">project</a> of Generation Citizen, a progressive New York-based nonprofit. Among its top funders are the Ford Foundation, Bezos Family Foundation, the Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros Foundation, and Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

New Jersey’s Biggest City Grants Voting Rights To Minors

Children

Elections

Politics

One of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-jersey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Jersey’s</a> main teachers unions is calling for the end of the basic skills test for certifying teachers.
The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) is advocating for the demise of the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading, Writing and Math. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s signing of Bill S1553 would eliminate that requirement; NJEA called the test “an unnecessary barrier” hindering the alleviation of teacher shortages.
“When the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) adopted changes to the administrative code around teacher certification, it missed an opportunity to eliminate this requirement, which created an unnecessary barrier to entering the profession,” stated NJEA.
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We need you to take action! Last year, NJ eliminated the edTPA, a barrier to becoming a certified teacher. Now it&#39;s time to eliminate another barrier: the basic skills test for teachers. Urge Gov. Murphy to sign S1553 right away. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WEareNJEA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WEareNJEA</a> <a href="https://t.co/XH694Vq7Eq">https://t.co/XH694Vq7Eq</a>
&mdash; NJEA (@NJEA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NJEA/status/1722286123009949935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Passing <a href="https://www.nj.gov/education/certification/testing/req/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scores</a> for the basic skills test are 156 for reading, 150 for math, and 162 for writing. The maximum possible score is 200.
Certain educators don’t have to take the basic skills test: those who achieve an SAT, ACT, or GRE score in the top third percentile of the year they took it, as well as those who obtain a master’s or terminal degree with a 3.0 minimum GPA.
Nicki Neily, founder and president of Parents Defending Education, insisted that there were better options for overcoming the teacher shortage other than reducing entry standards.
“Teachers should be able to pass a basic skills test before they’re tasked with educating children in those core subjects,” said Neily.
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You can eliminate some of the unnecessary red tape around becoming a teacher without eliminating a basic skills test.
Teachers should be able to pass a basic skills test before they’re tasked with educating children in those core subjects. <a href="https://t.co/pJjTltuoQl">https://t.co/pJjTltuoQl</a>
&mdash; Nicki Neily (@nickineily) <a href="https://twitter.com/nickineily/status/1724503212668109142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
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NJEA successfully advocated for the end of another teacher certification test last year, the educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA). NJEA <a href="https://www.njea.org/njea-statement-on-ed-tpa-legislation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> the edTPA as a costly, discriminatory, and unnecessary hindrance to overcoming the teacher shortage.
NJEA represents over 200,000 active and retired educators in the state.
Governor Murphy may comply with NJEA’s petition; he spoke at their conference last week, and praised them for their advocacy in other teacher shortage reduction efforts.
Murphy credited the NJEA for codifying over $20 million in funding for recruiting and training educators, stipends for student teachers, local partnerships expanding paraprofessional training, and over $4.1 million in teachers certification fees waived for about 18,000 educators this past year.
“These investments are crucial to solving our state shortage of educators, and none of them would have made their way into this year’s budget without the NJEA’s influence,” said Murphy.
Murphy also indicated that his administration would put Student Growth Objectives (<a href="https://www.nj.gov/education/AchieveNJ/teacher/objectives.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SGOs</a>) “on a diet,” which he concurred were “bureaucracy-like.” The SGOs are long-term academic goals for students set by teachers in collaboration with supervisors. The governor’s remarks elicited applause and cheers from the NJEA conference crowd: “No more SGOs!”
The governor called those critical of modern public educators “extremists” seeking to insert political ideology in schools, citing specifically those against LGBTQ+ ideology in classrooms.
“They want to dim the light of truth and instead shroud our schools in the darkness of fear and intimidation,” said Murphy. “Know that I have your backs unconditionally and always.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Governor Murphy Announces Preschool Expansion Funding at NJEA Convention on November 9, 2023." width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vg1k-EObFhY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
NJEA’s annual convention made headlines for another reason last week: for another year in a row, the union held a drag queen story hour.
All schools close so that educators can attend the convention.
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This week dozens of schools in New Jersey closed as teachers attended the <a href="https://twitter.com/NJEA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NJEA</a> convention. What did teachers do at this conference while thousands of kids stayed home from school?
They were treated to drag shows, drag queen storytime, and “banned books” discussions featuring… <a href="https://t.co/07R6o6UdQe">pic.twitter.com/07R6o6UdQe</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1723499531952947417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Lockers

New Jersey Teachers Union Calls For End Of Basic Skills Test For Teachers

Education

Teachers Unions

The State of New Jersey sued three Monmouth County school districts over their new policies requiring school officials to inform parents if their child wishes to transition to another gender.
New Jersey’s Attorney General, Matthew Platkin, sued the Middletown, Marlboro, and Manalapan school districts on Thursday after they enacted transgender student policies surrounding parental notification and pronoun usage in school.
The Democrat’s <a href="https://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases23/2023-0622_NJ-v-Marlboro-Sup-Ct-Complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuits</a> <a href="https://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases23/2023-0622_NJ-v-Middletown-Sup-Ct-Complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allege</a> that the school <a href="https://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases23/2023-0622_NJ-v-Manalapan-Sup-Ct-Complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">districts</a> “unlawfully discriminate against students on the basis of gender identity and gender expression, in violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, and [the policies] will result in significant and irreversible harm to students if not enjoined.”
The lawsuit continues to characterize parents as threats to their own children by saying that parental disclosure will “irreparably harm transgender students.” He also claims “outing” students “poses serious mental health risks; threatens physical harm to students, including increased risk of suicide; and shirks the District’s duty to create a safe and supportive learning environment for all.”
All three districts approved the policies Tuesday, provoking Platkin to file “emergency” lawsuits within 24 hours. The districts all now require that school officials notify parents if their child changes gender identity or expression. 
Further, Manalapan determined that the “responsibility for determining a student’s gender identity rests with the student’s parents/guardians” for children in Pre-K through 5th grade, rather than with the student.
The local district rules conflict with the New Jersey Department of Education’s transgender policy, which <a href="https://www.nj.gov/education/safety/sandp/climate/docs/Guidance.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mandates</a> that “school district[s] shall keep confidential a … student’s transgender status,” even from parents. The NJDOE also states that if the district does reveal a student’s “transgender status,” it should &#8220;facilitate the family’s acceptance and support of the student’s transgender status.”
If the school districts do not comply with the NJDOE’s mandates, they could lose state funding or face the even more severe repercussion of state takeover, according to <a href="https://nj1015.com/schools-that-defy-nj-trans-policy-could-lose-aid-face-takeover/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Jersey 101.5</a>. The state has taken over mismanaged school districts in the past and threatened districts with financial sanctions if they did not implement mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Middletown School Board has been a thorn in the side of Governor Phil Murphy’s administration before by initially not complying with his mask mandates. After the Democrat threatened to take them to court, the township complied.
Many local parents lauded their school board’s decision. 
“The LGBTQIA community claims to be an all-inclusi[ve] community, but instead they are here trying to advocate to not include parents,” one mother said to claps from the crowd. “Their position interferes with my ability to help my children. And they keep telling young children that it is their parents&#8217; fault for not wanting to help them transition, and to be afraid of their parents.”
She continued, “They are trying to get into young kids&#8217; heads by having them think that their parents are not safe. They are forcing children to turn to other people than their own family. It is not their job to decide what is appropriate in my home. My children belong to me and no one else.”
One father told the school board, “I&#8217;m sorry that some of the people in this room feel that parents should be left out of the conversation. … Parents are the most important people in kids&#8217; lives. And we want to know what&#8217;s going on with our kids.”

President Biden Hosts Bipartisan Group Of Governors During Winter Meeting

New Jersey Sues 3 School Districts Over Transgender Student Policies

School Boards

Transgender

The co-owner of a New Jersey gym that remained open in defiance of Governor Phil Murphy’s executive order during the COVID pandemic, then saw himself sentenced to one year of probation for contempt of court after he and his co-owner removed the doors of the gym to prevent police from locking them out, had some harsh words for Murphy on Friday as his probation came to an end.
After Ian Smith and Frank Trumbetti, the owners of Atilis gym, opened the gym in May 2020 in defiance of Murphy’s order, Murphy pronounced, “If you show up at that gym again tomorrow, there’s going to be a different reality than showing up today. These aren’t just words.&#8221; In January 2022, Smith and Trumbetti were sentenced to one year of probation, prompting Smith to tweet, “We got one year probation for the crime of taking our doors off to prevent government goons from locking us out of our gym.”
But on Friday, that year was up. Smith fired at Murphy, “The governor of NJ tried to have our doors locked at Atilis Gym. We took the doors off and stayed open for 24/7 for 40+ days. We were charged with multiple felonies. Today I completed one year of probation. My only question to Phil Murphy is, how’s your wife’s boyfriend doing?”
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The governor of NJ tried to have our doors locked at Atilis Gym. We took the doors off and stayed open for 24/7 for 40+ days. We were charged with multiple felonies. Today I completed one year of probation. My only question to Phil Murphy is, how’s your wife’s boyfriend doing?
&mdash; Ian Smith (@iansmithfitness) <a href="https://twitter.com/iansmithfitness/status/1618970613837873160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In August 2020, CNN’s Chris Cuomo <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-gym-owner-to-chris-cuomo-youre-knocking-trump-cites-data-a-fing-stat-that-nobodys-talking-about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interviewed</a> Smith and Trumbetti, and a heated confrontation ensued, with Trumbetti ripping Cuomo, saying, “You&#8217;re knocking Trump because of the total numbers,” and pointing out that “53.3 percent of the deaths from 0.6 percent of the population,” “a f***ing stat that nobody&#8217;s talking about.”
Cuomo began the interview by noting that the pair had been arrested and “charged with defying the state&#8217;s COVID restrictions last week.” He played a videotape of the men kicking in the plywood barricade at the front door of their gym in order to reopen it.
Cuomo noted, “This is a court battle; they could go to jail. Now you have the state AG&#8217;s office there in Jersey recommending a fine of up to $10,000 a day.”
He asked the men for their perspectives on the issue.
“I would say that actually, when this first started, they asked for two weeks,” Trumbetti replied. “When we first opened up, we gave them two months. Then we gave them until May 18th. At two months they had no plan. Plain and simple. They had no plan — we did. We actually wanted to prove that we could open up safe. They actually say that liquor stores are essential. That actually every place that – you can go into Home Depot and Lowe&#8217;s is essential. I disagree with that, okay? We&#8217;re all essential. Everybody is essential.”
“And bottom line is, this isn&#8217;t about opening up a gym; they have violated everyone&#8217;s constitutional rights,” he continued. “We all have the right to make a living. We all have a right to actually do what we want to do as Americans. We are promised liberty, and they have actually put such oppressive restrictions on us, it is just unacceptable to us.”
“You seem like you&#8217;re a big numbers guy,” Trumbetti said to Cuomo. “And, actually, I would like to put some numbers out there for you. Are you aware that actually when this first started, there are 2.1 million people in the United States in long-term care facilities that represent 0.6 percent of the population. But on July 17, that 0.6 percent of the population represented 53.3 percent of all the deaths that occurred in the United States from COVID.”
Cuomo stated, “What you&#8217;re saying about long-term care facilities, I&#8217;m not questioning it. We did the wrong job by the most vulnerable people. And even though, obviously, the oldest and the most fragile will die the most in a situation like this, it doesn&#8217;t mean you did it the right way. The only thing I would caution you about —”
“You&#8217;re knocking Trump because of the total numbers,” Trumbetti interjected, repeating, “53.3 percent of the deaths from 0.6 percent of the population.”
Cuomo jumped in, “Frank –”
Trumbetti snapped, “Bottom line, that&#8217;s a f***ing stat that nobody&#8217;s talking about.”
Cuomo interjected, “Frank, watch your mouth on television.”
Related: <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/n-j-gym-owners-defying-shutdown-orders-have-license-removed-owner-says/">N.J. Gym Owners Defying Shutdown Orders Have License Removed, Owner Says</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-gym-owner-to-chris-cuomo-youre-knocking-trump-cites-data-a-fing-stat-that-nobodys-talking-about">Gym Owner To Chris Cuomo: ‘You’re Knocking Trump,’ Cites Data, ‘A F***ing Stat That Nobody’s Talking About’</a>

Collage Maker-27-Jan-2023-03.47-PM

‘How’s Your Wife’s Boyfriend Doing?’: Owner Of Gym Rips Dem NJ Gov After Year Of Probation Ends

Owner Of Gym Rips NJ Gov After Year Of Probation Ends

Fitness gym

Health

Democratic <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-jersey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Jersey</a> Gov. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/phil-murphy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phil Murphy</a> signed an “information literacy” law this week that mandates <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">schools teach K-12</a> students how to identify “disinformation” in the name of protecting “democracy.”
The bill, signed by Murphy on Wednesday, was <a href="https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2022/S588" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sponsored</a> by both Republicans and Democrats in the legislature earlier this year. 
“Our democracy remains under sustained attack through the proliferation of disinformation that is eroding the role of truth in our political and civic discourse,” Murphy <a href="https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562022/20230104b.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement. “It is our responsibility to ensure our nation’s future leaders are equipped with the tools necessary to identify fact from fiction.”
The bill, S588, directs New Jersey’s Department of Education to develop standards for school districts to teach “information literacy” and critical thinking. “Information literacy is more important now than ever before, especially with the growing prevalence of social media and online news,” said Acting Commissioner of Education Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan.
The bill was broadly supported by both Democrats and Republicans. 
&#8220;Teaching children about information literacy will help them to weigh the flood of news, opinion, and social media they are exposed to both online and off,&#8221; said State Sen. Michael Testa, a Republican sponsor of the legislation. &#8220;This law isn&#8217;t about teaching kids that any specific idea is true or false, rather it&#8217;s about helping them learn how to research, evaluate, and understand the information they are presented for themselves.&#8221;  
Democratic State Sen. Shirley Turner linked the bill to the riot in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021. “This signing feels especially timely as we approach the second anniversary of the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. It is incredibly important that our children are taught how to discern reliable sources and recognize false information,” she claimed. 
The curriculum will include information about “critical thinking and using information resources,” “the difference between facts, points of view, and opinions,” and “the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information.” 
Murphy touted the legislation as the first-ever state legislation dealing with “information literacy.” According to the group <a href="https://medialiteracynow.org/your-state-legislation-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Media Literacy Now</a>, other states have pursued various ways to integrate media literacy into the school curriculum. 
 He also linked it to his “Disinformation Portal” which was launched through the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.
At the portal, are <a href="https://www.njohsp.gov/disinformation">resources</a> about how “disinformation hampers efforts to curb monkeypox,” “anti-government disinformation targets law enforcement,” “domestic extremists promote violence to oppose elections,” and “domestic extremists exploit war in Ukraine.”

Key Speakers At Aspen Ideas: Climate Conference

New Jersey Schools To Teach Children How To Avoid ‘Disinformation’ In The Name Of ‘Democracy,’ ‘Civic Discourse’

New Jersey Schools To Teach Children How To Avoid 'Disinformation' In The Name Of 'Democracy,' 'Civic Discourse'

Democratic Governor of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-jersey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Jersey</a> Phil Murphy is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/15/nyregion/bear-hunt-new-jersey.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reversing</a> his position against bear hunting much to the discontent of animal rights activists. 
When Murphy was running for governor in 2017, he was against the bear hunt in the state and vowed to get rid of it. He did so, but this year, he is bringing it back due to the increasing bear population in the state and the rising number of dangerous encounters with the animals. 
Murphy signed an executive order in 2018 that ended hunting bears on government land. The governor <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-jersey-moves-to-curb-bear-hunting-1534806669?mod=article_inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> at the time that in order to entirely ban the practice, the New Jersey Fish and Game Council would need to do so. Earlier this month, Murphy said he was planning to get rid of the 2018 order because of increased safety concerns. 
The New Jersey Fish and Game Council <a href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2022/11/16/n-j-bear-hunt-likely-returning-despite-pleas-from-animal-activists/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">held</a> a unanimous vote in favor of bringing back the hunt after Murphy said he had to reinstate it. After they did so, Murphy <a href="https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562022/20221115a.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed</a> and got rid of his 2018 order. The council also examined and approved alterations to the Game Code regarding the bear season in New Jersey. 
“The facts on the ground have shown that we cannot rely on nonlethal methods alone to protect New Jersey residents from a growing black bear population,” Governor Murphy said earlier this month. “Today’s actions will facilitate the reinstatement of a regulated black bear hunt this year to help limit dangerous interactions between people and bears to protect public safety.”
The state’s Department of Environmental Protection <a href="https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/bears/bear-hunting-season-information/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outlined</a> the public safety issues regarding bears in the state. The department noted that the DEP received a “237% increase in bear damage and nuisance reports” from the beginning of this year up to October 21, when compared to the same time span the year before.
The department <a href="https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/njfw/activity_ytd_october22.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that there have been 84 property damage incidents reported to the agency, 129 vehicle strikes, 62 aggressive encounters, 15 attempted home entries, and 433 sightings.
The population of bears has gone up to over 3,000 in the state. Regular hunts used to keep the number closer to 1,500, Ed Markowski, a former worker at the state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-jerseys-bear-hunt-is-restored-reigniting-debate-on-curbing-population-11668922408" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Wall Street Journal.
Jeff Tittel, former director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, claimed that Murphy’s new stance has to do with his political future. 
“It’s one thing to be for gun control,” Tittel <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/15/nyregion/bear-hunt-new-jersey.html#:~:text=Months%20after%20taking%20office%20in,in%20the%20fall%20of%202020." target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, “but another thing to be against hunting. That would hurt him in states like New Hampshire, Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania.”
Activists and groups are <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-jerseys-bear-hunt-is-restored-reigniting-debate-on-curbing-population-11668922408">issuing</a> threats of legal action to stop the hunt. 
The hunt will take place from December 5 to December 10. It will end if 30% of the bear population of 2022 is brought in, but if 20% of the bears are not harvested during the hunt, an additional window of time will be allowed.

Bear crossing sign on the road

Democratic Governor Reverses Stance Against Bear Hunting, Allows Hunt As Encounters Increase

Democratic Governor Of New Jersey Phil Murphy Reverses Stance Against Bear Hunting, Allows Hunt As Bear Encounters Increase

animal rights

Environment

Hunting

Governors from both political parties reportedly told President Joe Biden that America needs to “move away from the pandemic.”
Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) told reports after the meeting that the bipartisan group of governors all agreed that the U.S. needs to move on from the pandemic.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a number of areas that we have full agreement on, and that is one: We need to move away from the pandemic,&#8221; Hutchinson said, adding, &#8220;and we asked the President to help give us clear guidelines on how we can return to a greater state of normality.&#8221;
Hutchinson added that the bipartisan group of governors wanted to “partner with the administration” to help the U.S. “move beyond the pandemic,” CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/politics/governors-pandemic-biden/index.html">reported</a>.
When asked how the U.S. could move on when hospitalizations are at nearly an all-time high, Hutchinson responded that &#8220;Obviously, you can&#8217;t move away from a virus that&#8217;s still there. You can&#8217;t control that.” He added that “people are striving for more normal life.”
&#8220;I think we&#8217;ve moved to that very quickly,” the governor continued, &#8220;but we need to have the guidelines very clear as to how you actually structurally move from the pandemic state of things to an endemic where you&#8217;re managing this virus like you would other illnesses in our country.&#8221;
He also told reporters that there were &#8220;probably better measuring sticks&#8221; to tell how the U.S. is handling COVID-19 than case numbers, &#8220;which is hospitalizations, but how about the hospitalizations that are really caused by Covid.&#8221;
Hutchinson added that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were “working on giving us the right standards for that.&#8221;
Hutchinson made similar remarks on Sunday when he appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arkansas-governor-we-need-to-move-out-of-the-panic-mode-on-covid-19">reported</a>. Host Chuck Todd asked Hutchinson about seasonal waves of the coronavirus.
“So if we assume we’re going to get hit seasonally now, what do you need in the next five months before your summer – if it is another summer surge like you dealt with – what do you think needs to be done by the federal government to let you have the tools you need to handle your summer surge?” Todd asked.
Hutchinson responded by saying that cases are going on and the U.S. needs to focus on the infrastructure surrounding the pandemic as well as testing and therapeutics. He also insisted the country needs to move away from “panic mode”:
<blockquote>And I do believe that we need to move from a pandemic status and mode of operation, to more endemic, where we’re normalizing taking it very seriously, preparing, but I think we need to move out of the panic mode. I think we need to handle this to make sure that we continue with our normal lives.</blockquote>
Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) also attended the meeting with governors and Biden, and said there was a “lot of good discussion about what does the road from pandemic to endemic look like? How do we keep score?&#8221;

President Biden Hosts Meeting Of The National Governors Association

Democrat, Republican Governors Tell Biden To ‘Move Away From The Pandemic’

Asa Hutchinson

COVID

Joe Biden

I lived in New Jersey and worked on campaigns the last time a Democratic president faced a first-year referendum on his performance. Now I live in Virginia, where Tuesday night the state sent a clear message to President Joe Biden and Democrats: Stop the bullying.
Living in these two states at such pivotal moments has given me a unique insight into what these elections mean and what they have meant over the past 12 years.
This week, in Virginia, Republican challenger Glenn Youngkin defeated former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) in a state Biden won by 10 points in 2020. Last year, Biden won the state by the biggest margin since President Franklin D. Roosevelt trounced Thomas Dewey by 25 points in 1944.
When all the votes had been counted, Youngkin defeated McAuliffe by two points. That’s a huge swing from Democrat to Republican in just under a year.
In New Jersey, Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli lost to the incumbent, Gov. Phil Murphy (D), by fewer than 60,000 votes. In the days ahead of the election, Murphy was on track for an easy win. The fact that the race ended up being so close was its own win for Republicans in the state.
Another big story out of New Jersey that shows just what a good election this was for Republicans is the fact that a commercial truck driver who reportedly spent just $153 on his primary campaign ousted state Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford), who has held his leadership position since 2010 and has served in the senate since 2002. That Sweeney was vulnerable at all in such a Deep Blue state that has such powerful entrenched politics is a sign that Republicans are on to something.
Going back to 2009, when Republican Chris Christie won in New Jersey and Republican Bob McDonnell won in Virginia, we can see those races were pretty equally seen as referendums on the states themselves and the president in power. In 2009, President Barack Obama was in office, and people across the country opposed his stimulus and healthcare plans by the time the Virginia and New Jersey elections occurred. Virginia had two Democratic governors prior to McDonnell’s election, and New Jersey had incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine (enough said). In 2009, Chris Christie was seen as a law-and-order guy to Corzine’s Soprano State stylings.
Flash forward to 2017, when the media tried to make the state gubernatorial races a referendum on President Donald Trump. As I <a href="https://observer.com/2017/11/election-was-win-for-democrats-not-a-loss-for-donald-trump/">argued at the time</a>, Blue States voting for Democrats was hardly a referendum on Trump. Trump lost Virginia and New Jersey in 2016, so it wasn’t like he won those states and then his party lost them the next year &#8212; which is what happened to Obama in 2009 and now Biden in 2021.
In 2021, these elections are indeed a referendum on Biden and the Democratic agenda, but also largely a reflection of those states what Democrats have done to them. The economy and education were listed as some of the top issues in the state, and, in Virginia, Youngkin beat McAuliffe on both of them. These issues were also important in New Jersey, but Ciattarelli, I’m told by people who still live in the state, didn’t put up much of a fight in the Garden State. His being at all close in the race is definitely a sign that many people were fed up with Murphy and the way he handled the pandemic and the economy in New Jersey. Taxes in the Garden State are a perennial issue, with Republican candidates constantly promising to lower taxes even as the state remains one of the highest taxed in the nation.
The big, overarching issue in each state, however, really came down to the bullying tactics of the Left. Whether the issue was COVID-19 or education or anything else, people are getting sick of how the Left treats them. You can see this tactic in the responses to the election losses. As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meltdown-a-collection-of-the-most-insane-tweets-from-election-night">pointed out</a>, numerous Democratic commentators resorted to lies and insults to explain away the loss, most of them focusing on allegedly rampant “white supremacy.”
People are fed up with being called racists for opposing the Left’s agenda, especially when the racism claims are just campaign tactics at this point. Virginians elected the first black female candidate statewide in Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, as well as the first Latino attorney general with Jason Miyares, yet still Democrats claimed racism reigned supreme in the election.
They just refuse to accept that America isn’t a racist country, even that’s clear to everyone outside their elitist bubble.
These pundits also falsely claimed that critical race theory either doesn’t exist or that it does exist but is not being taught in schools, even though <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/critical-race-theory">mountains of evidence</a> exist to the contrary.
Democrats are shooting themselves in the foot. They shut down schools in their cities and states for 18 months even though children are less likely to have serious COVID cases. By forcing students to attend schools remotely, parents were given a glimpse into what they were learning &#8212; and they were not pleased. So parents went to school board meetings to complain &#8212; not about math or science or most subjects &#8212; but about how issues of race were being handled in the schools. These parents didn’t want the history of slavery not to be taught to their children, they just didn’t want their children to be segregated into groups of alleged victims and oppressors. It wasn’t just white parents speaking out either, many parents of color disagreed with teaching their children that they are constant victims.
As the dust settles, the Left seems to be coalescing around white women as the target to blame for their election losses. Yes, suburban white women helped Biden win in 2020, but they turned back to the GOP because of the way the Left is treating their children. As a side note, Youngkin got a higher share of votes from black women than Trump received in the state in 2020.
Democrats seem intent on blaming racism for all their failures. The tactic didn’t work in 2021, and if they keep it up, they’re looking for a repeat of the 2010 congressional trouncing they received. Only this time, because the House and Senate are so close already, they’ll likely lose both houses.
The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Virginia Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Glenn Youngkin Holds Election Night Rally

I’ve Lived In New Jersey And Virginia. Here’s What You Need To Know About This Week’s Election.

Glenn Youngkin

Virginia

New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli leads Democrat incumbent Phil Murphy in Tuesday&#8217;s race for New Jersey&#8217;s governorship with three-fourths of precincts reporting.
The race has not been called and no projected winner has been named, but with 86% of precincts reporting, Ciattarelli leads Murphy 49.7% to 49.56%, according to The New York Times. Murphy is expected to win.
Katherine Landergan, a reporter for Politico, attended Murphy&#8217;s election night event and noted that there was a change in mood in the room as election results came in.
&#8220;Initially, crowds were cheering when early CNN results were coming in. Now, everything is quieting down. The crowd seems to be thinning out,&#8221; she wrote on Twitter. &#8220;Things are definitely tense here.&#8221;
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Things are definitely tense here.
&mdash; Katherine Landergan (@klandergan) <a href="https://twitter.com/klandergan/status/1455727229653196800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2021</a></blockquote>
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If Murphy does manage to win, a close race will be bad news for Democrats as Democrat President Joe Biden won the state by nearly 16 points in 2020.
Democrats already received bad news on Tuesday night when Republican candidates in Virginia won the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-republican-glenn-youngkin-wins-governors-race-in-virginia-experts-project">governor&#8217;s race</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-republicans-projected-to-win-virginia-attorney-general-lt-governor-lead-so-far-in-house-of-delegates">attorney general&#8217;s race, and lieutenant governor&#8217;s race</a>.
This is a developing news story; refresh the page for updates.

New Jersey Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Jack Ciattarelli Casts Ballot

Republican Jack Ciattarelli Leads Democrat Phil Murphy In The New Jersey Governor’s Race

As President Joe Biden’s poll numbers continue to drop amid a slew of crises affecting the American people, the embattled president plans to campaign for struggling Democrats seeking governorships in New Jersey and Virginia.
As Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/playbook">reported</a>, the White House is hoping for a good news cycle in the week before voters in New Jersey and Virginia will decide who will be their next governors. Biden is in New Jersey on Monday to stump for Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ), who is expected to win re-election in what has become a much tighter race in the past few weeks.
In May, polls <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2021/governor/nj/new_jersey_governor_ciattarelli_vs_murphy-7372.html">showed</a> Murphy up 26 points over Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli. Last week, <a href="https://emersonpolling.reportablenews.com/pr/new-jersey-2021-gov-murphy-with-six-point-lead-over-republican-challenger-ciattarelli">a poll</a> from Emerson College showed the race had tightened considerably, with Murphy leading by just 6 points. Politico reported that New Jersey pols have warned “that there is a serious lack of enthusiasm among Democrats in the state.”
On Tuesday, Biden will travel to Virginia to campaign for former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) who is running to be one of the few politicians in state history to serve two non-consecutive terms as governor (Virginia law prohibits governors from serving two consecutive terms). McAuliffe had led Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin in every poll, but in the past week, the race has become <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2021/governor/va/virginia_governor_youngkin_vs_mcauliffe-7373.html#polls">tied</a>.
Biden&#8217;s approval rating is currently hovering in the low 40s.
Earlier this month, McAuliffe acknowledged that Biden’s unpopularity was creating “headwinds” in the Old Dominion. The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-terry-mcauliffe-joe-bidens-unpopularity-creating-headwinds-for-my-campaign">reported</a> that McAuliffe made the comments during a virtual campaign event, suggesting the president had become a liability in Virginia.
“We got to get Democrats out to vote. We are facing a lot of headwinds from Washington,” McAuliffe told supporters during the event. “As you know, the president is unpopular today, unfortunately, here in Virginia so we have got to plow through.”
A McAuliffe spokesperson told Politico after the event that “Terry’s point was clearly that Democrats can’t take anything for granted and must turn out to vote this year: Glenn Youngkin is running on a divisive, Trumpian agenda that puts election conspiracy theories and banning abortion first.”
The race in Virginia has especially tightened around education issues. Late last month, at the final gubernatorial debate, McAuliffe said he was “not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions.”
“I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach,” McAuliffe added.
Youngkin jumped on McAuliffe’s comments, releasing TV ads featuring McAuliffe’s statements. McAuliffe later doubled down on the comments and then released his own ad claiming he had been taken out of context.
In New Jersey on Monday, Biden and Murphy visited East End Elementary School, where Biden apparently apologized for knocking over a student’s infrastructure project. “Whoa! I’m sorry, that was my fault,” Biden said, according to Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs.
Jacobs reported that Biden then gestured to Murphy and his wife, saying, &#8220;See this man here? He&#8217;s the governor of the state. He runs the state. And this is his wife, who runs him.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Whoa! I&#8217;m sorry, that was my fault,&#8221; Biden says as child&#8217;s mini infrastructure project collapses.
Gesturing to <a href="https://twitter.com/GovMurphy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovMurphy</a>, Biden tells kids at East End Elementary in NJ: &#8220;See this man here? He&#8217;s the governor of the state. He runs the state. And this is his wife, who runs him.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/ghltjMuEH0">https://t.co/ghltjMuEH0</a>
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) <a href="https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1452662851278082053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2021</a></blockquote>
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President Biden Attends Ceremony For 10th-anniversary Of MLK Jr. Memorial

Biden To Stump For Struggling Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates In NJ, VA Despite Crumbling Poll Numbers

Terry McAuliffe

The fines against a New Jersey gym that has publicly resisted Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy&#8217;s COVID-19 lockdown measures have amassed to more than $1 million, but the gym owner is refusing to back down.
Ian Smith, the co-owner of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, New Jersey, has repeatedly made headlines for fully opening his gym in defiance of Murphy&#8217;s mandates, which restrict the number of people allowed in gyms and compel people to wear masks.
“Governor Murphy has thrown everything he possibly could to shut us down. He has arrested my partner and I, given us over 60 citations, some of them criminal. He fines us $15,497.76 per day for every day we’re in operation. Our fines are totaling over $1.2 million, but every single day, Frank and I open our gym,” Smith told “<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/shows/americas-newsroom">America’s Newsroom</a>” earlier this week.
Maintaining that more than 83,000 visitors have come to his gym without a single case of COVID-19, Smith said, “What’s happening to the middle class and small businesses in America is nothing short of a complete tragedy. I would go so far as to call it criminal. You are putting people out of business for good. You are making them reliant on big government. You are taking away their civil liberties under the guise of pretending like you care about public health.”.
In a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CEsZYP5JhKz/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">video posted to Instagram in September</a>, Smith wrote:
<blockquote>Our COVID-19 safety protocol has been proven effective.
As expected, the simple and easy to implement practices we put into place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 met and exceeded all other required government protocol. Small businesses have been held hostage for political purposes. OUR SCIENCE IS CLEAR. We now DEMAND that our elected officials show us the science in which they used to shutter our businesses and keep us isolated. It is time to reopen this country. No more shutdowns. No more masks. Kids back in school. IN PERSON VOTING. It’s time to make some noise. Lets share this and hold these elected officials accountable.</blockquote>
Smith was featured on &#8220;Tucker Carlson Tonight&#8221; for the stand he took, as The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-not-afraid-of-tyrants-new-jersey-gym-owner-arrested-after-disobeying-lockdown-order" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>:
<blockquote>The owner of a gym in Bellmawr, New Jersey, who was arrested Monday after remaining open in defiance of the governor’s lockdown order, said he will not back down because he is “not afraid of tyrants.”
Atilis Gym owner Ian Smith, 33, and his co-owner Frank Trumbetti, 51, were charged Monday with contempt, obstruction, and violating the Disaster Control Act, after a state judge ruled that authorities could shut down a gym and lock its doors. They also face daily fines for each day they remain in contempt and must pay the state’s cost in its pursuit of the contempt-of-court motion, according to <a href="https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/2020/07/24/atilis-gym-bellmawr-coronavirus-covid-murphy-persichilli/5503045002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Cherry Hill Courier-Post</a>.
Their arrest is the latest event in their months-long standoff with Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, whose lingering lockdown order has shuttered non-essential businesses for more than four months.
Speaking with Fox News host <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA1Ar35dpZw&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tucker Carlson</a> on Monday, Smith remained defiant despite his arrest. “From the last time that we spoke, we had lost our newest case of contempt of court, and that was on Friday of last week,” Smith said, referencing when he told Carlson he planned to reopen his gym in May. “The governor said and requested in court to take ‘extraordinary measures’ to stop us from operating a business. And Judge Robert Lougy agreed with him.”</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-not-afraid-of-tyrants-new-jersey-gym-owner-arrested-after-disobeying-lockdown-order" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘I’m Not Afraid Of Tyrants’: New Jersey Gym Owner Arrested After Disobeying Lockdown Order</a>

New Jersey Gym Owner Opens His Gym Despite Recent Violations Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

‘Criminal’: Fines Against Defiant NJ Gym Surpass $1 Million

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