Vogue the Vote campaign works to encourage LGBTQ voting

Busy first day at the polls for early voting in Passaic County

Early voting gets underway in Westchester and across New York

Former Mount Vernon political activist sentenced to prison for defrauding restaurant employees and COVID-19 relief workers

VOTE 2024: What to know about early voting in NYC

Bronx residents prepare for early voting

newyork

News 12 Staff

NJPP1016Brev

Welcome back to New Jersey. Power and Politics. I'm W King. She is nothing short of a political legend in New Jersey State Senator Loretta Weinberg served in Trenton for more than 20 years, rising to the level of senate majority leader. She was outspoken on issues concerning gender equality. She was also nearly 80 years old when she finally burst into the national spotlight, leading the investigation into former Governor Chris Christie and the Bridgegate scandal, whether the governor knew before during or after is almost irrelevant. The governor set this atmosphere, Governor Christie and that's what he's responsible for now. Weinberg finds herself in the spotlight again. She is the subject of a new documentary titled Politics is a mother raising hell is part of the job. The film was directed by her daughter and I'm very pleased this week to be joined by former state Senator Loretta Weinberg and her daughter, filmmaker Francine Weinberg. Graf. Thank you both for being here. Well, uh, sir, Senator Senator, uh, must have been odd for you to see yourself portrayed in a documentary. What do you think? Well, first of all, I had a little trepidation, uh, seeing my face on such a large screen. For the first time I kinda watched the first few minutes like that, I had really not seen the whole film put together the music, the graphics and some scenes that I had not seen before. So once, once it was underway and I could feel the audience responding, I relapsed a little bit and uh I'm very proud of my daughter who not only directed it but she wrote it. Francine. When did you realize your mom was not like other moms? And how did that shape you and, and who you became? Do you think? No, I was probably five years old and I'm an observer of life and I noticed that she got like the others. We didn't go to the park. We didn't. Um she was not a girl scout leader, but we did hang out in dusty Moldy Democratic headquarters which are usually a burnt out campaign or burnt out building where the landlord was waiting for the insurance to come in and they would let uh one of the campaigns use it for free. And that's where we spent our childhood. I want to show a clip from the documentary. This is from the Bridgegate hearings eight years ago. Uh Let's take a look at some of what went on there. Despite my mother's interviews, the spin was spun. One town has three lanes dedicated to it. That kind of gets me saucy. There are no lanes over the George Washington Bridge for Fort Lee residents only I have repeated that quite, uh, almost weekly. Senator you were taking on one of the most powerful men in the country at that time, Chris Christie, not only the governor but mentioned as a possible future president. What was that experience like for you? Well, it, the whole bridge gate, um, the whole Bridgegate situation and the gradual unveiling of it kind of reminded me of what it was like raising adolescents. That's the experience I do want. I knew from the first time I laid eyes on at least two of the uh co-conspirators in this, that something was going on. It would be like coming home and saying my son, what do you mean you didn't have a party there while we were gone? I saw the beer cans in the garbage can. So it was kind of like that experience and it was step by step. It was important because again, I think what's important even about this whole film and about that era is that Chris Christie, that the environment that the stage set, the ability to practice that kind of politics that led us in 2016 and married three years after birthday, led us Donald Trump. So I think this is cautionary tale here that uh as political people, as elected officials, we have to respect the people we represent. And this should not be an issue of punishing people because they didn't toe the line or they didn't support one of us or didn't support all of us. So, um, that's what Bridgegate was like. For me, it was like unraveling in history. So Francine, I'm so sorry. Uh, Senator Francine. Uh, did you learn anything in the course of, uh, making this film? Did you learn something about your mom that maybe you didn't know before? Well, yeah, I think that my mother has always been in it for the long slob and Bridgegate was a very long and complicated slob and she did not care about. She continues, this is how she's always been. She didn't care about how sh like you said, she burst onto the national stage. E I think I really understood her tenacity. Um, and how, no matter how hard she gets punched down, she bounces back up. And I think that instead of having political celebrities like Chris Christie who has books and, um, slots on ABC news, perhaps we should be, uh, giving the politicians who haven't been involved in scandals, some of those slots on news shows instead. All right. Uh Francine Weinberg, Graff, Loretta Weinberg, thank you so much for being with us. There's new legislation in Trenton that sponsors say will help protect used car buyers from vehicles with dangerous recalls. So why do so many advocates say it could do the opposite and actually make things worse? I'll break down that issue when we come back. This is New Jersey Power in politics.

https://vod.prod.alticeustech.com/transcode/518f03eb-418c-4e45-8c6a-0bf11f970f82/518f03eb-418c-4e45-8c6a-0bf11f970f82.transcribe

NJPP1016C_2024-10-26-15-01-35

Welcome back to New Jersey, Power and Politics. I'm Walt Kane. New Jersey. Lawmakers are considering a bill they say will protect used car buyers. But many consumer advocates say the bill could have the opposite impact giving buyers little recourse if they buy a used car with an open potentially dangerous recall. Very serious. This back in 2018, we told you how Trinity Wix got stuck with a used car. She was afraid to drive, the car had an open recall and the manufacturer said it had no way to fix it cause my car to catch fire, it could stop while I'm driving. New Jersey lawmakers are now considering a bill that would require used car dealers to notify buyers about any open recalls. Consumer advocates say while it sounds good, the bill could make things worse. It makes it easier for car dealers to get away with selling unsafe vehicles that have potentially lethal safety recall defects. Rosemary Shahan is president of consumers for auto reliability and safety. She says if lawmakers really want to protect car buyers, they should just require used car dealers fix any recalls. I mean, why should a dealer be able to sell a car that has bad brakes or steering wheel that could come off into your hands. But car dealers have long been opposed to being forced to fix recalls on used cars. And our investigation finds they've spent a lot of money getting that message across over $329,000 in campaign contributions made through their political action committee car pack. Some of the biggest recipients of that funding are now sponsoring the legislation. They include Senator Joe Pinocchio assembly members, John Demeo and Lou Greenwald and Senate President Nicholas Scutari. The consumer groups have this all wrong. One of the bill's sponsors says requiring car dealers to fix recalls on used cars would be a mistake. Dealers have the capability of looking up any car that's coming in to be traded in and could say, hey, you have an open recall. You have to remember that before, before we'll take it as for the $12,000 demeo received from car pack. Does that money impact how these decisions are made? Not at all. Listen, we have a lot of campaign donors across the spectrum. It, it does not and cannot influence whatever we do. As, as members of the, of the uh of the legislature, the legislation would prohibit used car dealers from selling cars that are under do not drive orders. But consumer advocates say those orders aren't always issued even in the case of serious recalls, that'll do it for this week. I'm Walt Kane in for Eric Lank Corner. Thank you for watching New Jersey Power in Politics.

https://vod.prod.alticeustech.com/transcode/816621f0-40b4-4d2d-8dbd-1202f44959d1/816621f0-40b4-4d2d-8dbd-1202f44959d1.transcribe

Wrapping up a busy week in New Jersey politics. 

Choose Your Region

Be the first to know

Change

Be the first to know

Power & Politics: Election Day looms; new doc explores career of state Sen. Loretta Weinberg

Wrapping up a busy week in New Jersey politics.

More Stories

Vogue the Vote campaign works to encourage LGBTQ voting

Busy first day at the polls for early voting in Passaic County

Early voting gets underway in Westchester and across New York

Former Mount Vernon political activist sentenced to prison for defrauding restaurant employees and COVID-19 relief workers

VOTE 2024: What to know about early voting in NYC

Bronx residents prepare for early voting

Vogue the Vote campaign works to encourage LGBTQ voting

Busy first day at the polls for early voting in Passaic County

Early voting gets underway in Westchester and across New York

Former Mount Vernon political activist sentenced to prison for defrauding restaurant employees and COVID-19 relief workers

VOTE 2024: What to know about early voting in NYC

Bronx residents prepare for early voting

More from News 12

Busy first day at the polls for early voting in Passaic County

VOTE 2024: What to know about early voting in NYC

Bronx residents prepare for early voting

VOTE 2024: Rep. Nick LaLota & John Avlon face off in News 12 debate

US Senate candidates Curtis Bashaw, Andy Kim, face off in News 12 debate

Vote 2024: Closer look at Congressional District 4