New book exposes the grip of greedy parasites on American democracy

A new book published by Mehring Books delivers a sweeping indictment of American political life, arguing that the United States has fallen under the control of a corporate-financial oligarchy that has cast aside democratic forms of rule in pursuit of unprecedented wealth and global dominance. “Oligarchy: Trump and the Breakdown of American Democracy” details how a financial aristocracy seized control of the United States.

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Team Trump caught lying about the national debt and economic growth

Trump administration officials are facing sharp criticism for lying --or making what economists and government watchdogs politely describe as "misleading claims"-- about the nation’s $40 trillion federal debt. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently claimed, “There’s nothing magic about the $40 trillion number, and we can grow our way out of that.” Bessent repeated the lie before the Group of 20 finance ministers meeting in North Carolina, saying: “The world is awash in debt and the only way for us to get out of this is to grow our way out of this.”

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Gov. Sherrill defends silence amid investigation of lieutenant governor

by Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor Gov. Rebecca 'Mikie' Sherrill, in her first public comments since news broke that her administration is investigating Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell over alleged inappropriate conduct, defended herself Tuesday amid GOP calls for her to oust Caldwell and provide the public with more information about the probe. In a statement that did not refer to Caldwell by name, Sherrill says she has a duty to safeguard victims and, while investigations are ongoing, those they have accused.

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Deadly Nepal flood shows climate crisis’s costs fall hardest on those with the least

Disaster exposes a global 'reverse Robin Hood' dynamic in which profits and wealth accumulate at the top while ordinary people bear an increasing share of the costs of a warming planet A catastrophic wall of water, ice and rock swept through Himalayan communities in Nepal this week, killing hundreds and offering a devastating illustration of an increasingly well-documented feature of the climate crisis: The people who have contributed the least to global warming are frequently paying the highest price for it.

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The cowards of Washington abdicate responsibility to stop tyranny

By James J. Devine If loose lips sink ships, a president with a few loose screws can probably flounder the entire fleet. And what are we to make of the men and women in Washington who watch this happening—who see a moron with no naval expertise, no engineering background, and no discernible interest in national security beyond its aesthetic appeal—and do absolutely nothing?

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Roselle educator questions school district business administrator’s troubled past

A prominent educator and city council candidate is raising concerns about an $87 million school bond referendum set for a Sept. 15 vote, questioning whether the district’s recent financial control history and the proposed appointment of a business administrator with a troubled employment record should give taxpayers pause. Marie M. Dupont, MS.Ed., Ph.D., a Roselle resident and educator, published an analysis of the two-question referendum that would authorize $79.7 million for a new Pre-K through second grade school on Chandler Avenue and $7.4 million for renovations at existing facilities…

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CBO projects soaring federal deficits and record debt, sounding fiscal alarm

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a pair of reports painting a stark picture of the nation’s fiscal health, projecting that federal debt will reach unprecedented levels over the next decade. The agency attributes the unsustainable trajectory to the 2025 reconciliation act, which permanently extended tax cuts for the wealthy, and a chaotic tariff policy that has backfired, blowing a $200 billion hole in this year’s budget.

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Rollerball

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CEO pay soars as working-class wages lag further behind the cost of living

S&P 500 chief executives averaged $22.8 million in compensation — 312 times the typical worker’s pay — as organized labor points to a widening divide between corporate wealth and household finances Chief executives at America’s largest corporations received an average of $22.8 million in compensation last year, 312 times the pay of the median U.S.Continue reading “CEO pay soars as working-class wages lag further behind the cost of living”

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Nearly 25 years after attacks, Supreme Court asked to bring closure to 9/11 case

By Kelsey Reichmann | Courthouse News Service WASHINGTON (CN) — As the country prepares to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the Supreme Court has been asked to weigh in on the disposal of controversial plea agreements that could provide closure to the long-delayed death penalty trial. Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, the man accused of plotting the attacks, and one of his coconspirators, Mustafa al-Hawsawi, sought to enter guilty pleas under a deal that would have spared them the death penalty.

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US sanctions Italian tech collective, in politically motivated crackdown on dissent

The Trump administration today announced sweeping sanctions against an Italian technology collective and several other organizations, accusing them of providing digital infrastructure and support to “violent far-left terrorist groups.” The move, which designates the Autistici/Inventati (A/I) Collective as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist,” represents a significant escalation in the use of post-9/11 counterterrorism tools againstContinue reading “US sanctions Italian tech collective, in politically motivated crackdown on dissent”

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Trump directs VA to launch clinical trial for veterans treated with psychedelic drugs

Veterans with treatment-resistant depression will receive experimental doses of psilocybin at five VA hospitals, including Philadelphia, as researchers test a promising but still unapproved psychedelic treatment The Trump administration is moving ahead with an experiment that will give psychedelic drugs to veterans suffering from severe depression, putting some of the nation's former service members at the center of an accelerating federal effort to determine whether psilocybin can become a legitimate psychiatric medicine.

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Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell’s daughter cashing in on father’s clout as lobbyist

The daughter of New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale G. Caldwell has joined a prominent Trenton lobbying firm, a move that positions her at the intersection of state influence and her father’s role in the administration of Governor Rebecca 'Mikie' Sherrill. Ashley Caldwell has been hired as a government affairs associate at Capital Impact Group (CIG), a bipartisan public affairs firm that boasts “access to key decision-makers” in New Jersey government.

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Despite record low in veteran homelessness, half the states saw increases

by Robbie Sequeira, New Jersey Monitor Veteran homelessness dipped slightly from 2024 to 2025, according to the latest results from the January 2025 point-in-time count. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development counted 32,495 veterans experiencing homelessness, 387, or 1.2%, fewer than the previous year. HUD counted 18,877 veterans in shelters, and 13,518 livingContinue reading “Despite record low in veteran homelessness, half the states saw increases”

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Call for accountability in New Jersey’s capital city after financial scandal

Former Trenton City Councilwoman Robin M. Vaughn, citing a previously undisclosed forensic audit, has formally called on county, state and federal prosecutors to launch a criminal investigation into what she describes as a systemic pattern of financial misconduct within the city government. The demand, contained in a letter sent Friday to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and the U.S.

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GRANDPA’S GOT GAME: Markey vs Moulton asks Democrats: progressive or young moderate

Ed Markey is 80 years old, the oldest senator Massachusetts has ever sent to Washington. He’s been in Congress since before his primary challenger, 47-year-old Rep. Seth Moulton, was born. One week from today, he is expected to prove that for Massachusetts Democrats, ideology matters more than age. A Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll shows MarkeyContinue reading “GRANDPA’S GOT GAME: Markey vs Moulton asks Democrats: progressive or young moderate”

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NJ residents share stories of masked ICE agents in push to retain mask ban

by Sophie Nieto-Munoz, New Jersey Monitor New Jersey is asking a federal judge to throw out the Trump administration’s legal challenge to a new state law banning immigration agents from wearing masks, a request it made in a new legal filing that is backed with more than a dozen sworn declarations describing masked federal agents chasing elementaryContinue reading “NJ residents share stories of masked ICE agents in push to retain mask ban”

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Trump orders renaming of Lake Ontario, sparking Indigenous outcry

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing the Department of the Interior to officially rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” on all federal maps and records, a move that has drawn sharp condemnation from Indigenous nations, Canadian officials and state leaders. The president cited deteriorating trade relations with the Canadian province of OntarioContinue reading “Trump orders renaming of Lake Ontario, sparking Indigenous outcry”

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Absentee Congressman Tom Kean Jr. deserves to get booted out of Congress

By James J. Devine NJTODAY recently reported that Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. — who was absent from Capitol Hill for nearly four months and missed more than 140 roll call votes during his unexplained hiatus from March 5 to June 30, 2026— is using taxpayer money to fund social media posts that appear to promote his reelection campaign. There is no more hollow symbol of our broken politics than a representative who vanishes, then proceeds to spend taxpayer money on his own re-election, except one who lies to the public when confronted with incontrovertible facts.

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Trump to American travelers: Stay out of the United States

Administration bars U.S. citizens who visited Congo from boarding flights home for 21 days, even as CDC says risk to Americans remains low The Trump administration is telling some Americans abroad that they cannot get on a commercial airplane to come home. Under extraordinary travel restrictions imposed in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, U.S.

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Republican senator wants Trump to fire Hegseth for ‘inept management’ of Pentagon

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who voted to confirm the appointment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on Wednesday called on President Donald Trump to fire the Pentagon chief, accusing the former Fox News host of “inept management” that has driven experienced military leaders from their posts as U.S. forces confront an expanding war with Iran and mounting concerns about military readiness.

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New Jersey joins 22-states accusing Amazon of rigging auctions & overcharging sellers

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the state Division of Consumer Affairs have joined the Federal Trade Commission and 21 other states in a lawsuit accusing Amazon of secretly manipulating its advertising auction system to overcharge hundreds of thousands of businesses by billions of dollars. The lawsuit, filed Monday, alleges that the e-commerce giant systematically replaced the results of its advertised "second-price" auctions with hidden surcharges, a practice that affected approximately 1.2 million advertisers and generated more than $20 billion in additional revenue for the company.

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National Day of Action set for Sept. 4 to protest AI takeover of healthcare

A national day of rallies and protests is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 4, at hospitals and clinics across the United States, as health care workers and advocates demand an end to the unchecked proliferation of artificial intelligence in patient care and call for a single-payer health care system. The coordinated actions come amid growing outrage over the recent layoff of 12 veteran nurses at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx who were replaced by AI-powered software just months after winning a hard-fought contract that explicitly included protections against automation.

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19 people hospitalized after Walmart unknown hazmat incident

A mystery irritant inside a Walmart sent 19 people to the hospital Tuesday and forced a full evacuation, though fire officials said hours later that no hazard had been found. Firefighters and hazmat crews responded to the store on Cooper Street around 4:15 p.m. after multiple 911 calls from people reporting respiratory issues and a burning sensation in their throats.

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Camden County police officer hit and killed a 19-year-old man

Officials said a 19-year-old man was hit and killed by an off-duty Camden County police officer on Tuesday morning. The crash happened around 12:50 a.m. in the area of Admiral Wilson Boulevard and 16th Street.  Angel Saravia-Estrada of Camden walked into the roadway and was struck by the off-duty officer, according to Camden County officials. Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay said officers with the Camden County Police Department responded to the area of westbound Admiral Wilson Boulevard and 16th Street for a motor vehicle crash involving a pedestrian who had entered the roadway and been struck by a vehicle.

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Dating sites discover all’s not fair in love in New Jersey

Texas-based internet dating giant Match Group, Inc. will pay $650,000 and implement sweeping changes to its business practices to resolve allegations that it violated New Jersey’s consumer protection and internet dating safety laws by misleading users about its criminal background screening policies, state officials announced Wednesday. The settlement, filed as a Consent Order with the Division of Consumer Affairs, resolves an investigation into Match Group and its affiliates—which include popular platforms such as Match, Tinder, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, and Our Time.

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America has been at war for 233 of its 250 years

By James J. Devine The United States celebrated its 250th birthday this year with fireworks, flags, military flyovers, and solemn speeches about liberty and peace. The fireworks, at least, were historically appropriate. America was born shooting and for most of the quarter-millennium that followed, somebody, somewhere, has been on the receiving end of American gunfire. By a broad accounting of wars, interventions, and armed campaigns, U.S.

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Denville Republican charged in federal court with illegally stockpiling explosives

A Morris County man has been charged with unlawfully possessing and storing explosives and explosive materials at his Denville residence, according to U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer. Joseph Rizos, 37, of Denville, is charged by complaint with one count of unlawful receipt of explosive materials; one count of unlawful storage of explosive material; and one count of unlawful possession of plastic explosives without a detection agent.

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Authorities identify two killed in Trenton block party mass shooting

Authorities have identified the two people killed in a mass shooting at a weekend block party in Trenton as investigators continue searching for multiple gunmen who opened fire on a crowd of about 100 people, leaving eight others wounded. Anthony Howlett, 42, and Tyasiah West, 33, were both killed in the shooting in Trenton. The Mercer County Homicide Task Force and Trenton Police Department identified the victims Monday as Anthony Howlett, 42, and Tyasiah West, 33, both of Trenton.

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Is Epstein a racketeering case? French probe widens after death of model scout

By James J. Devine Daniel Siad died before French investigators questioned him, but prosecutors say their investigation will continue as newly released records renew scrutiny of the modeling agencies, recruiters, financiers and powerful associates who repeatedly intersected with Jeffrey Epstein over decades. An independent researcher argues those connections should be examined as a potential racketeering enterprise — a theory that goes substantially beyond what prosecutors have established — but with President Donald Trump's personal lawyer confirmed as Attorney General, it is doubtful that any American agency could conduct such a probe.

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