New Jersey
Democratic calls for a new nominee ramp up as Biden camp pledges to stay the course • New Jersey Monitor
WASHINGTON — Ten more congressional Democrats called on President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid Friday, the most in a single day since a poor debate performance shook confidence among his fellow Democrats in his ability to win November’s election.
The 10 Democrats on Friday, the day after former President Donald Trump officially accepted his party’s nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, brought the total to 31, increasing the pressure on Biden to withdraw from the race.
While no member of congressional Democratic leadership has publicly called for Biden to step down, several top Democrats who were either involved with handling Trump’s impeachment trials or with investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol have raised their concerns, citing the former president’s threat to democracy.
California Rep. Adam Schiff, who was the lead impeachment manager in Trump’s first impeachment trial, called on Biden to drop out, saying in a statement that he had “serious concerns” about the president’s ability to win a second term.
And Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, who was a member of the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol, stopped short of explicitly calling on Biden to step down, but urged the president to reconsider whether he should remain in the presidential race.
Biden remained at home in Delaware with no public events scheduled after testing positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday evening.
In an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” early Friday, Biden campaign co-chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said the president remained “absolutely” in the race, even as a growing number of Democrats voiced unease about his ability to defeat Trump.
“Absolutely the president is in this race, you’ve heard him say that time and time again,” she said. “He is the best person to take on Donald Trump.”
But reports also surfaced Friday that Vice President Kamala Harris, a potential replacement for Biden if he takes the unprecedented step of withdrawing from a race less than four months from Election Day, was scheduled to speak by phone with top Democratic donors in the afternoon.
Harris did not respond to reporters’ questions at an appearance at a Washington ice cream shop Friday, according to a pool report.
And 10 more congressional Democrats, including more senior members than had previously broken ranks with the president, said Friday that Biden should step aside.
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois wrote an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune.
Reps. Jared Huffman of California, Marc Veasey of Texas, Jesús “Chuy” Garcia of Illinois and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin wrote a joint open letter to Biden that they posted on social media.
The quartet represents important constituencies in the House Democratic Caucus.
Veasey is the first member of the influential Congressional Black Caucus, which has been among Biden’s staunchest Democratic backers, to join the call for him to step down. He is also a member of the moderate New Democrat Coalition.
Pocan is the co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus and a former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Garcia is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Reps. Greg Landsman of Ohio, Zoe Lofgren of California also released their own statements. Betty McCollum of Minnesota told the Star Tribune newspaper she wanted Biden step aside and allow Harris to lead the ticket with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
Rep. Morgan McGarvey, of Kentucky, posted a statement on X.
The calls came a day after Sen. Jon Tester, in a difficult reelection race in Montana, said in a statement to the Daily Montanan that Biden should withdraw.
Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, who was one of few Democrats who called on Biden to step down two weeks ago, expanded on his view in an op-ed Friday.
Moulton wrote in the Boston Globe that when he went on a June trip to Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the president didn’t recognize him, despite their decade-long relationship.
“Of course, that can happen as anyone ages, but as I watched the disastrous debate a few weeks ago, I have to admit that what I saw in Normandy was part of a deeper problem,” Moulton wrote. “It was a crushing realization, and not because a person I care about had a rough night but because everything is riding on Biden’s ability to beat Donald Trump in November.”
New Jersey
Scrap metal barge fire is under control, vessel moving to Camden
Scrap metal burned for more than 24 hours
Firefighting efforts lasted more than 24 hours until Wednesday morning when thermal imagery showed the fire extinguished, according to the Coast Guard’s Petty Officer First Class Matthew West.
The Delaware Emergency Management Agency assisted the Coast Guard in its response.
“Multiple fire companies worked diligently to extinguish the fire, while state agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard coordinated resources to support response operations and minimize impacts to federal waterways, coastal communities, and the surrounding environment,” according to a statement by the Delaware Emergency Management Agency.
It remains unclear what exactly was burning or what was released into the atmosphere from the scrap metal, but it was likely “a very toxic mix,” according to Jane Clougherty, professor of environmental and occupational health at Drexel University.
“Remember that because this is scrap metal, it’s from an earlier era, potentially, when a lot of lead was used, both in metals and in the paints on those metals,” Clougherty said.
New Jersey
Heavy police presence prompts concern in South Jersey neighborhood
MILLVILLE, N.J. (WPVI) — Residents in a Millville, New Jersey, neighborhood spent hours trying to understand what was happening after a New Jersey State Police helicopter circled overhead, and troopers eventually entered a home while searching for a suspect.
Video from a Ring camera shows state police and officers in tactical gear taking over the front porch of a home on the 100 block of Third Street.
Officers are heard speaking into a doorbell camera moments before entering the residence.
A woman who lives in the home and did not want to be identified said she was at work at the time of the incident, but her son was inside when police surrounded the house. She said her son later described the encounter to her.
“My son was here, he was a little freaking out, they actually made him come out with his hands up and guns were drawn,” she said.
The woman said her son told her troopers explained they were pursuing someone on foot in the area.
“They just said they were on a foot pursuit and the guy was jumping the fences behind my house. A construction worker saw him go down my steps, but didn’t know where he went from there. That’s why they need to make sure everything is safe,” she said.
Nearby residents also noticed the heavy police activity.
Michele Brown of Bridgeton said she was walking her dogs when she saw officers in the area.
“It was a lot I didn’t understand what was going on,” Brown said.
Brown said the scene was alarming for people nearby.
“Definitely startling cause you see all these cops with their guns out, and you’re just looking like, ‘Whoa’,” she said.
Action News reached out to New Jersey State Police for more information, but we did not receive a response.
In a statement, Millville police say the suspect was not apprehended after fleeing state police on foot.
There is no suspected threat to the community, the department added.
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New Jersey
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