>> tonight on NJ Spotlight News, impeachment inquiry.

House Republicans launched a corruption inquiry into President Biden.

Two out of three Republicans of signed on and Jersey Democrats say not so fast.

>> impeachment talk is weakness and desperation.

This is chaos.

>> offshore, off-limits.

State GOP members demand a moratorium on all offshore wind production, calling for a freeze on subsidies.

>> everybody wants a cleaner environment but I think we are going too fast, too much, and we don't know what the cost is going to be.

>> they do not work.

FDA bombshell finding a popular ingredient in most over-the-counter decongestant and allergy medicines does nothing to relieve your runny nose.

>> it is safe, the issue is efficacy.

>> after two years of development Jersey to celebrate the opening of a shelter.

>> made a new residence be filled with love, security and the hope of a better tomorrow.

>> NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

>> Funding for NJ Spotlight News is provided by NJM Insurance group, serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

And By the PSEG foundation.

♪ >> from NJ PBS this is NJ Spotlight News.

>> thank you for joining us this Wednesday night.

We begin with another clash on Capitol Hill.

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is ordering Republicans to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, alleging a culture of corruption , accusing him of profiting from his son, Hunter Biden's business dealings while he was vice president in the Obama administration.

Speaker McCarthy has been signaling and inquiry has been coming but the Tuesday announcement comes as he faces increasing pressure from the conservative wing of the party who are threatening and impeachment.

They found no evidence but it sets the stage for a mortal to Motorola's presidential election in 2024.

-- a more tumultuous presidential election.

Chris Smith and Jeff are backing the impeachment effort.

House Democrats are fuming over the announcement.

It shows the GOP does not give a dam about the American people and he joins me now.

Congressman, thank you for your time today.

You like many of your Democrats have called this baseless.

What's going on in Washington DC?

>> not much because they cannot even get enough votes for regular legislation.

And impeachment talk is sign of weakness and desperation.

This is chaos at this time.

They cannot even pass a defense appropriations bill.

Get that.

The party is doubling down on conspiracy theories.

>> where does this go from here?

I mean, what evidence is there at this point to warrant and the investigation from where you stand?

>> they have no evidence, they admit it.

Republican leadership is going on the air.

Saying we don't have any evidence, but maybe we will get some.

They've been looking at this for seven months.

Who are they kidding?

This is a total disgrace.

>> what do you make of the speaker's decision not to take this inquiry to a floor vote.

Obviously presumably the votes would not have been there.

>> Republicans did not do very well when they were trying to reach out after the election after it had been decided that Joe Biden did win legitimately.

60 judges said no, you are, Republicans.

You do not have any evidence that there was any kind of mass corruption.

You and I want democracy.

Americans should want democracy.

It is not something that is given, it is not some thing that falls out of the sky, it is earned.

So now McCarthy has to save his job, so he will tell them anything, he will do anything and that is very sad.

Very sad.

>> we know that this is going to affect the 2024 race, is it not?

>> you are absolutely right.

This did not start with Donald Trump, this started before he was the president of the United States.

When he took authority and power away from the members of Congress.

We were heading toward an authoritarian branch of government.

As Washington said, this needs to be protected.

It is a sanctimonious kind of thing.

If you do not have it in your heart what did you come to Congress for?

Why?

We had to do what we had to do because there was evidence in the former president's case.

There is no evidence here.

Whenever -- they will have to pay for it, defend themselves.

But do not accuse this as an act of vengeance.

There is no question that the inmates are running the asylum.

Take a look for yourself.

Democrats and Republicans, it has nothing to do with party affiliation.

This has to do with the people who are running the asylum right now.

>> Congressman Bill, certainly speaking up.

Thank you for your time and your thoughts today.

>> it is always an honor to talk to you.

Bless America.

>> New Jersey political circles are being engulfed in the issue of offshore wind development.

Republicans are calling on the legislature to get back to Trenton to pump the brakes on development.

The opposition though does not end there, it is spilling into criticism of Governor Murphy's new picked to head the BTU.

She is a longtime ally that helped create the clean energy plan.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan has the latest.

>> if you don't move you're going to get arrested.

>> police arrested half a dozen folks after they staged a sit in over a cable that would connect to turbines.

Designed to generate clean energy and combat climate change, that is not how these protesters see it.

>> where trying to stop or stead, try to save our beaches and our communities.

>> it has evolved beyond groups.

There have been multiple lawsuits to block the project fueled by funding from widespread contributions.

>> don't destroy the environment in order to save it.

There are better ways and there have to be better ways to go about this.

To solve climate change.

>> everybody wants a cleaner environment but we are going too fast, too much and we do not know what the cost is going to be to the taxpayers.

Sanity and -- Senator Anthony wants to call a special legislative session.

They opposed signing a billion dollars in federal tax credits and disapprove of Murphy's appointment to succeed the late Joe as head of Board of Public utilities.

Christine helped craft the Governor's energy master plan.

>> I would have loved to see somebody chaired the agency that was more balanced, that was able to hear both sides of the argument and make a decision.

I do not think we are getting that.

I think we are getting a rubberstamp for the Murphy administration.

>> these attacks against Christine are partisan in nature.

>> advocates who support the governor's goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035 back his new boss, but admit they have lost some edge in the political narrative.

>> over the course of this year we have seen some numbers diverge, a more partisan distinction.

The majority of New Jersey residents support offshore wind.

>> the advocates and Democrats were caught flat-footed and not really understanding how quickly these things can change in how the partisan tribalism that is driving politics today is going to take over almost every issue.

>> poll director Patrick Murphy's says public support for wind energy has eroded from 84% to just 54%, down 30 points.

It has tanked among Republicans.

>> it is happening across the country and you can track the money this is coming from two sources who want to drill off the coast it became part of the Republican orthodoxy to be against wind energy, renewable energy.

>> an underwriter of NJ Spotlight News is facing headwinds.

If it extended its Jersey project schedule 22020 six, leaving kinks in the supply chain and high interest rates.

Today's milestone gave ocean one a permit for underwater construction.

As long as orstead follows rules on 16 species, especially North Atlantic whales.

The company commented or stead prioritizes marine life and ocean neighbors.

This prohibits ocean wind from seriously injuring or causing the death of any Marine mammal.

Regardless, protests will undoubtedly continue.

I am Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

>> those are not the only controversy within the Murphy administration's clean energy goals.

The banning of gas powered vehicles by 2035 should be abandoned according to about 100 business groups across New Jersey.

The coalition sent a letter Tuesday to top Democratic legislative leaders asking them to stop Governor Murphy's plan.

The New Jersey business coalition argues the proposal is both impractical and misguided, saying it would put a big burden on families due to the higher cost of electric vehicles and the lack of infrastructure to charge them.

In the letter, the group led by the NJ BIA, says they support the administration's efforts to reduce carbon emissions but believes the state is not ready.

The timeline is too short, just 12 years from now.

The coalition of automotive retailers which goes by NJ car has supported the clean air rules, but is among the many groups that have come out against the proposal.

>> the reason we felt it was necessary to sign on to this letter is not because we deny climate change, is not because we don't think we have to act.

We have acted aggressively to put money where the mandates are.

The reason is because we think the Murphy administration has essentially made perfect the enemy of good through this proposal.

>> new questions are circulating around a law meant to protect judicial public servants by shielding their home addresses.

It was born out of tragedy.

The murder of U.S. District Court Judge Esther solace is signed in 2020.

As Ted Goldberg reports the full range of implications are being sorted out, including whether it interferes with freedom of speech.

>> not only the life that was lost but the lives of those who can and will be lost if we do not treat judicial security, privacy, and with the attention and respect and the caution that it deserves.

>> District Court judge Esther is the force behind Daniel's law which gives legal protection to the personal information of active or retired judges, prosecutors or law enforcement.

Three years ago a lawyer angry about one of the ruling showed up to her home, shot her husband and killed her son, Daniel.

>> this gentleman because of open source information was able to track my every move.

He knew my church, he knew my husband's office.

He had a list of Daniel's baseball games.

It is sad and unfortunate that this network came to be because Daniel was lost, but if we prevent one tragedy like this from happening in the future, we have done something worthwhile.

>> prominent legal figures gathered to talk about Daniel's law at Stockton University yesterday and described how New Jersey's team of redactors polls information from public facing websites.

>> if you have moved and you have a deed that shows you live in a new house, that may be discoverable.

We can help to block that, we can redact that residents information for you.

>> 8000 people in the law enforcement communities have signed up to protect their personal information.

Out of 15,000 people who are eligible.

Retired judge Julio Mendez served as a moderator and said Daniel's law is a good start to fixing massive concern.

>> the Internet is a cesspool in the dark web is constantly gathering additional information so it is a most impossible to keep up.

>> for some of the law raises a First Amendment question.

Does locking addresses interfere with freedom of speech?

The discussion came one day after state Attorney General Matt declined to get involved in a case where a journalist allegedly publish the address of North Brunswick's police director.

>> transparency and accountability are lofty goals and good ones.

But risking people safety in their own homes, let alone courtrooms or walking to their cars at night is not the price we should pay.

I am all for First Amendment rights, speaking, protesting, but do it at the courthouse.

And I'm all for appealing if indeed there is a ruling that I made a mistake on.

>> without the law the judge worries about the safety of other judges and what that means for American democracy.

>> it's vital for democracy, we need to protect our judiciary.

We need to send a strong message to attackers that in America we do not tolerate this type of intimidation.

We only need to look to history, Germany, Hungary, Venezuela, the toppling of democracies that they probably never saw coming.

>> a similar bill protecting federal judges was signed last year by President Biden.

It does not protect 30,000 or so judges at the state or local level.

That might have to be addressed state-by-state.

New Jersey's Daniel's law could possibly serve as an example for others.

For NJ Spotlight News I'm Ted Goldberg.

>> the food and drug administration dropped a bombshell on millions of Americans Tuesday after extensive research.

The government experts found the most popular over-the-counter nasal decongestants have a major flaw.

They do not work.

And meditation is no better than a dummy pill.

Turns out the main ingredient, phenylephrine used in Sudafed, Allegra, DayQuil and Benadryl is ineffective in tablet form.

It does nothing to relieve your stuffy nose.

Doctors have questioned the efficacy for years and Tuesday's announcement is expected to disrupt the billion-dollar market for cold and allergy sufferers.

Pharmacist Brian Pinto joins me to explain.

I think this just came to us as a shock to all of us, especially because this was a unanimous vote from this advisory panel for the FDA.

>> it had been on the horizon for a little bit and those of us in practice, it is something that we had discussed or had seen through some of the reviewed journals as early as 2007.

So not necessarily a surprise, but phenylephrine in terms of its usage really only came about because of Sudafedrine, its precursor, having not been necessarily polled but restricted to where it was only available behind the counter because of illicit use of pseudoephedrine, the chemical itself and it is used for crystal math and other drugs.

>> I'm curious why it took the FDA so long to come to this conclusion.

The change was made in the early 2000's.

So we are talking about quite a few years ago.

>> correct.

As to why it took so long, who knows what the background behind it.

At this point with regards to the over-the-counter products there is not many alternatives when it comes to a pill that you will have in multis symptom anti-histamine products.

With pseudoephedrine being restricted in most companies wanting to have as much access to patients as possible, whether that be in a supermarket setting were outside of the pharmacy, it was the best option out there.

Depending on if you are looking for decongestant Sudafed in its original form, it is still available.

I will correct one of the things you mentioned in your intro, Allegra, Claritin and dessert tech, antihistamines that were prescription that had gone over-the-counter, combined with a decongestant, they have pseudoephedrine as the decongestant in those.

Those will not be affected.

You are more common cold and sinus or multi symptom products that are on the market will be the ones that will be most affected.

>> pharmacist Brian Pinto, thank you for giving us more insight on this.

>> in our spotlight on business report, supply chain and labor shortages are being blamed for recent disruptions to the New Jersey River line.

For weeks passengers have had to deal with service interruptions.

According to New Jersey transit the service is operating on a Sunday holiday schedule which means trains come every 30 minutes.

The rail runs from Trenton to Campton with 21 towns along the Delaware River and carries 3 million passengers a year.

It's one of the few mass transit options for that area.

It is privately operated in New Jersey transit says most of the problems are related to operator availability and getting parts to maintain and fix those railcars.

The areas assemblyman Troy Singleton in a statement called the interruptions to riders shameful.

Investors are digesting inflation data showing consumer prices rose 3.7 percent in August compared to one year earlier, marking a month of inflation spikes.

It is a sign that the Fed's battle to tame rising prices may not be over.

Here is how the markets closed.

>> Support for The Business Report provided by the Chamber -- Junior achievement of New Jersey, providing skills and knowledge to explore and advance their career for a brighter future.

Online at JA and J. award.

-- janj.org.of Commerce Southern .

>> an increasing problem in the ever-changing city, redeveloping a neighborhood next to the Holland tunnel and bringing services to the residents who need them.

Senior political correspondent David Cruise has the story.

>> for local residents in Jersey City, Saint Lucy's church has been the mainstay of this ignored but suddenly real estate hot neighborhood near the Holland tunnel.

The church was a spiritual home for the poor and working-class neighborhood since the 1890's.

Closing in 1986.

Soon this neighborhood landmark would look like this.

Only its façade remaining as the base of a new 400 plus unit luxury high-rise.

>> I guess it reminds me of the changing needs a particular community faces and consistent response in finding somehow a spiritual meaning, a spiritual quest.

>> that quest has been serving the homeless population through Saint Lucy's emergency shelter down the block.

With signs of a rapidly changing neighborhood all around, Cardinal Joe, Mayor Steve and officials with Catholic charities cut the ribbon on the next phase, a new St. Lucie shelter.

>> it is very challenging for government or the public sector to build resources like this with our own dollars and we need to be creative to find creative solutions that are politically tough.

It has been a long road with a lot of partners in order to achieve this.

>> compromise including zoning variances that allow the developer to build a 23 story structure atop a historic landmark.

The benefit for the city says officials is a new facility with a greater impact.

>> we are increasing the size from 120 women and men to 150.

On the top floor 15 affordable housing permanent housing for homeless individuals.

>> more room for social services including mental health, substance abuse and more.

Tony Burke and spoke today.

Homeless after losing her job in the early days of the pandemic, she found shelter and support at the old Saint Lucy's.

Now she is a volunteer here at the new shelter.

>> I was glad to have a place where I was able to feel safe and connect with the people.

And I used my volunteer services to make me feel comfortable.

That is just me.

>> the shelter will be read across the street from the luxury tower and as this community further gentrified, its residents will serve as a reminder of the extremes in this city.

Luxury housing high in the sky with amenities like rooftop swimming pools and courtyards, just across the street from an emergency shelter where the amenities included clean bathrooms, warm beds, and affordable studio apartments.

I am David Cruz, NJ Spotlight News.

>> that's going to do it for us tonight, but make sure you tune into the season premiere of chat box tomorrow with David Cruz.

David sits down with Governor Murphy about the fallout from the Department of Justice report on New Jersey's veterans homes, parental rights, the upcoming legislative races and more.

Plus he will take your questions.

You can watch it Thursday at 6:00 p.m. on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel and a reminder to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen anytime.

I'm Brianna.

For the entire team, thank you for being with us, have a great evening, we will see you tomorrow.

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