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In Tuesdays mammoth ruling that puts a halt for now to almost all of the new gun law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy last year, there is a footnote that illustrates how New Jersey Democrats screwed the pooch on this one.

U.S. District Judge Rene Marie Bumb notes early in her ruling that attorneys representing the state failed to present sufficient historical evidence to support each aspect of the law, a requirement handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in its Bruen ruling on concealed carry laws.

Bumb then describes a moment from a November Assembly hearing where Republican Assemblyman Brian Bergen sparred with one of the bills authors, Democratic Assemblyman Joseph Danielsen, over the bills constitutionality.

Assemblyman Danielson, how confident are you that this bill will be upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court? Bergen asked him.

Im not answering that question, Mr. Bergen. Stay on the bill, please, Danielsen responded.

Moments later, Bergen asked, Assemblyman, did you read the courts decision for Bruen in its entirety?

Me reading the courts decision is not part of this bill. Please stay on the bill, Mr. Bergen, Danielsen responded.

As Bumb writes, The legislative record reveals the Legislature paid little to no mind to Bruen.

This isnt the only evidence that the bills architects didnt do their homework. In January, when Bumb issued her first temporary restraining order in this case, she chided the state for not being prepared to make arguments in favor of the bills constitutionality, a complaint she aired again in Tuesdays ruling.

Defendants must do more than promise they will justify the constitutional basis for its legislation later. Surely, defendants had or should have had the historical materials and analyses the state relied upon when it began its legislative response to Bruen, she wrote.

I wouldnt call myself a gun rights advocate, but its hard for me to see how Democrats intended to respond to Bruen without actually adhering to what Bruen demands. Cross their fingers and hope the conservative majority of the Supreme Court resigns while President Biden can replace them?

I get the bind Democrats are in here. Bruen makes it almost impossible to craft any kind of expansive law restricting gun use that will satisfy the Supreme Court. And making gun laws stricter is popular with voters who lawmakers like Danielsen count on (86% of Democrats and 60% of independent voters nationwide want stricter gun laws, per Gallup), so zero response probably would have hurt the Democratic majority politically.

But the Bruen decision is what we have until some future Supreme Court decides otherwise, so to craft a gun law without taking it into account was foolish. And the sneering tone legislative leaders took with Assemblyman Bergen Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin told him, You dont get to decide whether we think its constitutional or not, to applause from Coughlins Dem colleagues was a mistake now that it seems like Bergen may be on the right side of the legal argument here.

I asked Bergen about this and heres what he told me: Many people dont realize how important floor discussion is to the way our government works. I am proud to have exposed the flaws in the Democrats overreaching bill and to have assisted the courts in their process of overturning the worst parts of this legislation. As long as Im in the Legislature, Ill always stand up for freedom.

Danielsen did not respond to a request for comment.

Look, Bumb is only one judge, and maybe shell rule differently as the case marches on. Who knows, maybe the states attorneys will start doing the work shes asked them to do and convince her our gun law is constitutional.

I talked to Eric Ruben, a law professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas who specializes in gun regulation. He urged caution here, saying it would be premature to read Bumbs analysis as anything but preliminary (New Jersey is appealing her order).

Theres widespread confusion in trial courts about how to doBruens novel historical test. As a result, we are seeing courts reach opposite conclusions in Second Amendment cases across issues from where you can carry guns (as in this case) to who can possess them to what guns can be banned. Courts are applying different glosses on history and different methodologies.

Fair, Bumbs word is not final, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals may indeed feel New Jerseys gun law is constitutional. But the judges there wont be the final word, either; the U.S. Supreme Court will be. And Im skeptical Justice Clarence Thomas, who authored Bruen, and his conservative colleagues will feel any differently than Judge Bumb.

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Ruling on New Jersey gun law shows Democrats didn't do their ... - New Jersey Monitor

When a homeless man was choked to death on the New York City subway earlier this month by another passenger, Mayor Eric Adams had an uncharacteristically guarded response. For more than a week, he did not denounce the killing, as many of his Democratic colleagues immediately had, or express much sympathy for the victim, Jordan Neely.

Instead, the mayor chose a more detached view, noting that there were serious mental issues in play here.

I was a former transit police officer, and I responded to many jobs where you had a passenger assisting someone, he said on CNN. And so we cannot just blatantly say what a passenger should or should not do in a situation like that.

The mayors response was the most recent example of him tacking away from the citys left, creating a wedge with some of his Democratic colleagues. Mr. Adams has been pushing more moderate, sometimes even conservative, views on issues like rent, religion and his signature theme, improving public safety a sharp turn from his Democratic predecessor, Bill de Blasio, and from progressive leaders who have recently won mayoral elections in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles.

The latest example came on Wednesday, when Mr. Adams issued an executive order temporarily suspending some of the rules related to the citys longstanding right-to-shelter mandate, as officials struggle to find housing for asylum seekers arriving from the southern border. Themove was criticized by advocates for the homelessand Democratic officials like Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker.

The mayor has spoken ruefully about the separation of church and state, supported charter school expansion and called for reducing the flow of migrants in rhetoric that critics have called xenophobic. He has also proposed budget cuts that could hurt key services such as libraries, arguing that all city agencies must be fiscally prudent at a time when the citys cost of the spiraling migrant crisis is expected to be well over $1 billion a factor that was not in play for previous mayors.

And last week, the mayoral-controlled Rent Guidelines Board proposed another year of sizable increases for the citys roughly one million rent-stabilized apartments the highest back-to-back increases since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg was in office.

Left-leaning Democrats question whether Mr. Adamss approach sometimes more akin to Mr. Bloomberg or even the former Republican mayor, Rudolph W. Giuliani is appropriate for New York, one of the most liberal cities in the nation. But the mayor says that his brand of pragmatic politics is exactly what the city needs, and what his core constituency of working-class New Yorkers wants.

Its not comfortable for people when they cant put you in this box, Mr. Adams, the citys second Black mayor, said in an interview. I said from the time that I was running that people are not going to be able to fit me in a box.

He acknowledged that some of his views are considered conservative, but said that others were extremely liberal, pointing to his support for free buses and tax credits for poor New Yorkers. Mr. Adams, who grew up in the Church of Christ, said that many Democrats were religious and that his supporters agreed with his beliefs on faith and other issues.

The overwhelming number of New Yorkers know that this guy is trying his darnedest to fix the problems in this city and thats what were focused on, he said.

Mr. Adams emerged from a crowded field of Democratic contenders in the 2021 mayoral race as the most prominent and well-funded moderate candidate, focusing almost exclusively on a public safety message at a time when New Yorkers were anxious about crime. He won the primary by a slim margin only 7,197 votes under a new ranked-choice voting system where Mr. Adams was spared a primary runoff.

As mayor, Mr. Adams has mostly lived up to his campaign promises. He has been a charismatic cheerleader for the city as it recovers from the pandemic, keeping a relentless schedule of news conferences and community events. He has pushed for tighter bail restrictions, increased the citys police presence, delighted in killing rats and is not bashful about enjoying a night on the town.

Many Democrats in New York City are Black and Latino voters who may well support much of the mayors agenda, including his emphasis on faith. Mr. Adams has maintained strong support among Black voters at 52 percent, even as his overall approval rating fell to 37 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll in February. Black voters were also more supportive of the mayors handling of crime and homelessness than white voters.

But some voters have been disappointed by his new direction for the city. Mr. Adams has removed homeless encampments, pledged to remove mentally ill people from the streets involuntarily, defended the use of stop-and-frisk policing and resisted calls to close the Rikers Island jail complex by 2027. He was also endorsed by the citys major police union, only a year after the group backed President Donald J. Trumps re-election bid, and recently provided officers with generous raises as part of a new eight-year, $5.5 billion labor contract.

In the Crown Heights and East New York neighborhoods of Brooklyn, reaction to Mr. Adamss performance was mixed. Older voters tended to support the mayor, praising his effort, his energy and his devotion to public safety.

Hes fighting for the city, keeping the city cleaner, theres plenty of police all around, said Garfield Miller, 65, a carpenter who lives in East New York, and said he voted for Mr. Adams. Vibert David, 66, and his brother, Asworth David, 65, also voted for Mr. Adams, and said they would enthusiastically do so again.

You got to be visible, Vibert David said. As an old officer, hes doing good.

But others accused the mayor of trying to solve everything with more police, and said he was not doing enough to ease the citys problems with homelessness, mental illness and lack of affordable housing.

He parties at 3 a.m. when hes supposed to be helping the city, said Ineze Thompson, 25, a barista who lives in Washington Heights in Manhattan.

On Friday, Mr. Adams was confronted with more direct blowback: When he began speaking at the CUNY School of Law graduation ceremony, many graduates turned their backs to him.

When the mayor is cutting things like libraries and schools, it really begs the question: Who is the constituency who he feels accountable to, and what is the legacy he wants to leave behind? said Sochie Nnaemeka, the director of the Working Families Party in New York.

The Working Families Party and other progressive Democrats have made great strides in New York, winning seats and pushing a left-leaning agenda on the City Council and in the State Legislature. Earlier this year, progressive lawmakers were even were able to nix Gov. Kathy Hochuls nominee for the states top judge, Justice Hector D. LaSalle, because of fears that he was too conservative. But they have also been frustrated on some key issues because the two most influential elected officials in New York, Ms. Hochul and Mr. Adams, often do not align with their views.

Mr. Adams, who was a registered Republican in the 1990s, is friendly with Republicans and the real estate industry, appearing regularly on a conservative radio show. He chides woke members of his party and recently named Jimmy Oddo, a Republican, to head the Buildings Department, replacing another Republican who held the job.

The mayor has quarreled with left-leaning leaders, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, though they appeared to reach a dtente in March when Ms. Ocasio-Cortez visited Gracie Mansion for dinner. But after Mr. Neelys death, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez accused Mr. Adams of reaching a new low in his stoic response.

Killing the mentally ill is wrong, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter. Why is that so hard to say?

Some Democrats believe that Mr. Adams will face a challenge from the left in 2025, and their hopes were buoyed by recent mayoral victories by Karen Bass in Los Angeles and Brandon Johnson in Chicago, who were both endorsed by the progressive Working Families Party. Running against a tough on crime candidate, Mr. Johnson won on a public safety message that went beyond policing, focusing on youth employment and mental health services.

Eric Adamss bluster and rhetorical style has caught a lot of peoples attention, but his policy positions are deeply out of step with what most big, blue-city voters want, said Anna Bahr, a Democratic political strategist who worked on the Bass and Johnson campaigns.

Some of Mr. Adamss rhetoric may have frayed his relationship with President Biden. After the mayor harshly criticized the presidents handling of the migrant crisis, his name was quietly removed this week from an initial list of national surrogates for Mr. Bidens re-election campaign.

The mayor has, at times, seemed to acquiesce to the criticism. On Wednesday, the mayor delivered a speech designed to soften his stance on Mr. Neelys death, called for more help for homeless New Yorkers, and said clearly for the first time that Jordan Neely did not deserve to die.

Two days later, Daniel Penny, a Marine veteran who applied the chokehold to Mr. Neely, was charged with second-degree manslaughter, and Mr. Adams welcomed the news, saying, now justice can move forward against Daniel Penny.

In the interview, Mr. Adams said that he identifies as progressive just not the brand embodied by the Democratic Socialists of America. In fact, he said that the far left had won major successes during his administration on issues like the environment, including citywide composting, and programs to assist young people involved in the justice system.

Mr. Adams has also been a vocal supporter of abortion rights and Democratic social issues. During his campaign, he crafted a plan to help poor people, through tax credits, low cost child care and a new website to access city benefits, and he is following through on those measures.

I am a combination of just about every mayor, from Koch to Dinkins Im skipping over Giuliani to Bloomberg to de Blasio, he said. Im a combination of all those guys because I learned from all of them.

Liset Cruz and Nate Schwebercontributed reporting.

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Eric Adams Says He's a Progressive. Democrats Beg to Differ. - The New York Times

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and other U.S. lawmakers have rolled out a bill this week that would require car companies to have AM radio in their new vehicles, as the lawmakers aim to end the growing trend of electric vehicles getting made without that feature.

AM radio is a critical bulwark for democracy, providing a platform for alternative viewpoints and the ability for elected officials to share our efforts with our constituents, Cruz said in a statement Thursday.

Political pundit Sean Hannity made a similar point last month, saying leaving AM radio out of new EVs is a direct hit politically on conservative talk radio.

Markey, meanwhile, talked up the importance of the safety alerts that are broadcast over AM radio, echoing a point made by seven former Federal Emergency Management Agency administrators in a letter earlier this year.

For decades, free AM broadcast radio has been an essential tool in emergencies, a crucial part of our diverse media ecosystem and an irreplaceable source for news, weather, sports and entertainment for tens of millions of listeners, Markey said in a statement. Car makers shouldnt tune out AM radio in new vehicles or put it behind a costly digital paywall.

Some automakers have skipped having AM radio in their EVs, saying AM signals are subject to interference from those vehicles motors.

Markey said in March that eight car makers out of 20 that the senator contacted told him they have removed broadcast AM radio from their EVs. The eight were BMW BMW , Ford F , Mazda 7261 , Polestar PSNYW , Rivian RIVN , Tesla TSLA , Volkswagen VOW3 and Volvo VOLV.B .

Ford also plans to stop putting AM radio in most new gasoline-powered vehicles starting in 2024, according to a Detroit Free Press report.

Other backers of the new bill, called the AM for Every Vehicle Act, are Sens. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat; Deb Fischer, a Nebraska Republican; Ben Ray Lujn, a New Mexico Democrat; Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat; J.D. Vance, an Ohio Republican; and Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican.

The measure also has been rolled out in the U.S. House of Representatives, where its supporters include Reps. Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat; Tom Kean, a New Jersey Republican; Rob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat and son of Sen. Menendez; Bruce Westerman, an Arkansas Republican; and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat from Washington state.

I would think that if Elon Musk has enough money to buy Twitter and send rockets to space, he can afford to include AM radio in his Teslas, Gottheimer said in a statement, referring to the Tesla CEO who also leads SpaceX. Instead, Elon Musk and Tesla and other car manufacturers are putting public safety and emergency response at risk.

Tesla didnt respond to a request for comment, but a trade group for car makers criticized the AM for Every Vehicle Act.

Mandating AM radios in all vehicles is unnecessary. Congress has never mandated radio features in vehicles ever before, said the Alliance for Automotive Innovation in a statement.

Auto makers remain 100 percent committed to ensuring drivers have access to public alerts and safety warnings through the Integrated Public Alerts and Warning System (IPAWS) system, the industry group added, referring to a key FEMA system that the alliance said can distribute warnings in a number of ways, including by internet-based radio or satellite radio.

The point is this: whether or not AM radio is physically installed in vehicles in the future has no bearing on the various methods of delivering emergency communications that alert the public. This is simply a bill to prop up and give preference to a particular technology thats now competing with other communications options and adapting to changing listenership.

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Elon Musk 'can afford to include AM radio in his Teslas': Democrats and Republicans agree AM should go in EVs - MarketWatch

Workers' rights

Exclusive: group that helped elect lawmakers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez embraces policy popular with leftwing leaders

The progressive organization Justice Democrats has adopted a four-day working week, a policy that has received praise from leading leftwing leaders like Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Justice Democrats, which has helped elect progressive lawmakers like Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, shifted to a four-day working week for its 20 employees starting last August on a six-month trial basis. In March, the group decided to extend the policy indefinitely after its employees reported the change allowed them to better manage the grueling nature of campaign work.

A big reason why we ultimately decided to do a four-day week indefinitely is because of how much we trust everyone in the organization to prioritize what they need to prioritize, said Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats. That extra space has, at least for us, improved productivity and peoples attitudes as they show up to work.

The shift comes as progressive leaders have embraced the idea of a shorter week, arguing that the 40-hour week established by the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938 no longer reflects the reality of Americans working lives. In March, congressman Mark Takano of California reintroduced his bill to set the standard working week at 32 hours, and Sanders has now joined the cause.

Its time to reduce the work week to 32 hours with no loss in pay, Sanders wrote in a Guardian op-ed earlier this month. Its time to reduce the stress level in our country and allow Americans to enjoy a better quality of life. Its time to make sure that working people benefit from rapidly increasing technology, not just large corporations that are already doing phenomenally well.

Although few American companies have adopted a four-day working week, the idea is not novel. France has mandated a 35-hour work week since 2000, and some French politicians have called for lowering that threshold to 32 hours. Iceland has also seen success in its trials of a four-day, 35-hour working week. In comparison, Americans work an average of 43.1 hours per week, according to a 2022 Gallup survey.

Critics fear that the shift to a 32-hour week could increase employers labor costs and further decrease employee productivity at a time when American workers output has slumped. Data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows US productivity declined for three straight quarters last year, although labor output has still increased by nearly 500% overall since 1947.

But Justice Democrats employees said the switch to a 32-hour, Monday to Thursday schedule had made them more efficient and focused with their tasks.

Im highly productive during my work hours, and honestly I procrastinate less, said Becca Rast, a managing director at Justice Democrats. It allows me to have a tighter, more focused work schedule, which I really thrive under.

Trial studies of companies with 32-hour working weeks have shown similar results. One pilot program launched in the United Kingdom last year found that employees who worked fewer hours per week reported higher levels of job satisfaction while 23 participating companies witnessed an average revenue increase of 1.4%. When the program concluded, 56 out of 61 organizations said they would keep the policy in place at least temporarily.

The reduced stress levels among those with shorter working weeks can also help reduce employee burnout and turnover, ultimately making companies more productive in the long run. The UK pilot program found that 39% of employees with reduced working hours reported feeling less stressed, and 71% said they had reduced levels of burnout by the end of the trial.

Its really good for our health our mental health and our physical health, Rast said. When Im overworked and overrun with thinking about work, I am not able to actually show up for my team and make the kinds of change that were talking about. And so its been really healthy for me to be able to get there, and I see that for our whole team as well.

For Becca Rose, a senior strategist at Justice Democrats, the four-day week has given her the time and flexibility to address some chronic health conditions without feeling stretched thin by her other responsibilities at work and at home.

I need these extra eight hours in a week to be able to feel like I can both do my job and also manage some personal things that came up, Rose said. Those trials come up in life, whether its chronic health [issues] or something completely different. Those things come up for everyone. So what seems like a luxury quickly becomes something that feels very essential.

The switch has felt particularly necessary because of the grueling nature of campaign work, Justice Democrats staffers said. Particularly in the immediate run-up to an election, campaigns and their partner organizations are often expected to put in long hours with few days off to get their candidates across the finish line.

Especially for progressive challengers, because we have to launch so far out to be able to put up a competitive campaign [and] to build the infrastructure, a whole year of just go, go, go is not sustainable, said Supreet Kaur, candidate coordination manager for Justice Democrats.

Justice Democrats first started its four-day week policy last year at the close of the primary season, which is generally the organizations busiest time in the election cycle as they go toe to toe with more centrist Democratic candidates. Rojas acknowledged that it may be challenging to adjust the four-day working week to the demands of the primary season, but she still expressed a commitment to the policy, encouraging other progressive organizations to consider making the change as well.

Its better work. Its healthier workers, Rojas said. And when we think about our movement, everybody shows up better.

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Progressive organization Justice Democrats adopts four-day work week - The Guardian

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump said Monday that former FBI Director James Comey and Democrats need to be held accountable for spending years investigating alleged collusion between Trump and Russia now that Special Counsel John Durham has released a report that says the Trump-Russia probe never should have been launched.

"I, and much more importantly, then American public have been victims of this long-running and treasonous charade started by the Democrats started by Comey," Trump told Fox News Digital. "There must be a heavy price to pay for putting our country through this."

Durham's report found that the Department of Justice and FBI "failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law" when it launched the Trump-Russia investigation.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said the activities surrounding the FBI's original Trump-Russia investigation were "a total disgrace," and said "public anger over this report is at a level that I have not seen before."

READ DURHAMS REPORT ON THE ORIGINS OF THE FBIS RUSSIAN COLLUSION PROBE

Former President Donald Trump said the Durham report is a "total disgrace" for the Justice Department. ((Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images))

"This report took a long time because John Durham is a very thorough investigator," Trump said. "But the result is unequivocal and an absolute disaster in terms of justice."

Trump added that "the national security implications of what they did are very grave."

"It turned out to be a giant and very dangerous hoax," he said, adding that he would have "further comment in the near future."

Durhams report was released Monday afternoon after his years-long investigation into the origins of the FBIs original investigation, known as "Crossfire Hurricane." That investigation looked into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election, and his report spanned more than 300 pages.

DESPITE ACQUITTAL, DURHAM TRIAL OF SUSSMANN ADDED TO EVIDENCE CLINTON CAMPAIGN PLOTTED TO TIE TRUMP TO RUSSIA

Special Counsel John Durham released his final report on the Trump-Russia probe on Monday. (Photo by Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images)

"Based on the review of Crossfire Hurricane and related intelligence activities, we conclude that the Department and the FBI failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law in connection with certain events and activities described in this report," the report said.

DURHAM PROBE: FBI OFFERED CHRISTOPHER STEELE $1 MILLION TO CORROBORATE TRUMP ALLEGATIONS IN DOSSIER

Durham added that his investigation also revealed that "senior FBI personnel displayed a serious lack of analytical rigor towards the information that they received, especially information received from politically-affiliated persons and entities."

"This information in part triggered and sustained Crossfire Hurricane and contributed to the subsequent need for Special Counsel Muellers investigation," the report states. "In particular, there was significant reliance on investigative leads provided or funded (directly or indirectly) by Trump's political opponents."

The leadership of James Comey, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was questioned in Special Counsel John Durham's report on the Trump-Russia probe. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"The Department did not adequately examine or question these materials and the motivations of those providing them, even when at about the same time the Director the FBI and others learned of significant and potentially contrary intelligence," the report states.

Durham is referring to past FBI leadership in his report specifically former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

Durham's report "does not recommend any wholesale changes in the guidelines and policies that the Department and the FBI now have in place to ensure proper conduct and accountability in how counterintelligence activities are carried out."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In a statement to Fox News Digital reacting to Durham's report, the FBI said:

"The conduct in 2016 and 2017 that Special Counsel Durham examined was the reason that current FBI leadership already implemented dozens of corrective actions, which have now been in place for some time. Had those reforms been in place in 2016, the missteps identified in the report could have been prevented," the FBI said. "This report reinforces the importance of ensuring the FBI continues to do its work with the rigor, objectivity, and professionalism the American people deserve and rightly expect."

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Trump says there 'must be a heavy price to pay' for Comey, Democrats after release of Durham report - Fox News