PHIL MURPHY

Sundiata Acoli, 85, has been in prison for almost five decades for the 1973 murder of a policeman.

Sundiata Acoli was an activist with the Black Liberation Army when he was involved in murdering a New Jersey State Police trooper in 1973. His parole was blocked for years despite an exemplary prison record. On Tuesday, he won his freedom.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy reveals the strange room former President Trump had right next to the Oval Office.

More than a dozen facilities will sell pot as New Jersey joins other states with legal recreational marijuana markets.

On Thursday, the doors will finally open on what analysts believe could be a $2 billion market for adult-use, or recreational, marijuana in the Garden State by 2025.

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File) (Julio Cortez)TRENTON, N.J. — (AP) — Recreational marijuana sales in New Jersey for those 21 and older will begin April 21, Democratic Gov. The news comes about a year after the state's regulatory commission started operating, and a year and a half after voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot question to permit recreational marijuana for people 21 and older. New Jersey is one of 18 states, along with the District of Columbia, that have legalized recreational marijuana. How much tax revenue New Jersey gets from recreational marijuana isn’t clear. In 2019, as legalization of recreational marijuana was still just pending before voters, he had estimated about $60 million in revenue.

TRENTON, N.J. — (AP) — Recreational marijuana sales in New Jersey for those 21 and older will begin April 21, Democratic Gov. Murphy's announcement on Twitter comes just three days after state regulators green lighted permits for seven facilities that already sell medical cannabis to begin retailing recreational marijuana. New Jersey is one of 18 states, along with the District of Columbia, that have legalized recreational marijuana. How much money the state will get in tax revenues from recreational marijuana isn’t clear. In 2019, as legalization of recreational marijuana was still just pending before voters, he had estimated about $60 million in revenue.

Recreational marijuana sales in New Jersey for those 21 and older will begin April 21.

Before former President Donald Trump's baseless assault on the U.S. voting system, candidate concessions were taken for granted. No more.

Conservative media have pointed to sample lesson plans to claim young students will be taught in detail about gender identity. But they aren't actual school curriculum.

Phil Murphy has tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced on Thursday. >> Read more trending newsMurphy, 64, took a rapid antigen test Thursday afternoon as part of his regularly scheduled testing regimen, and the results came back positive, Mahen Gunaratna, the governor’s communications director, said in a statement. Murphy then took a PCR test that also had a positive result, NJ.com reported. This afternoon, as part of a regularly-scheduled testing regime, @GovMurphy took a rapid antigen test that came back positive for COVID-19. He subsequently took a PCR test, which also came back positive.

Governors and state lawmakers throughout the U.S. are floating proposals to send checks to help residents cope with soaring inflation at a time when state budgets are bursting with cash.

The BA.2 variant more than doubled in prevalence in only a week in New Jersey and New York.

Gov. Phil Murphy proposed a 'one-year fee holiday' during his budget address Tuesday that would eliminate various state payments.

The jackpot was an estimated $126 million with a cash option of $86.1 million.

Murphy aims to sever financial ties with Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, but he noted that Lukoil stations are franchised by New Jersey locals.

"It feels very much like we are on that road from pandemic to endemic," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told CNBC.

Starting Monday, businesses will no longer be required to ask for vaccination cards, and masks will no longer be mandated in public schools for children ages 5 and older.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the public health emergency declared in response to omicron will end on Monday.

Gov. Phil Murphy has proposed property tax relief for nearly 1.8 million New Jersey households, including renters. Here's what residents need to know.

The party has traditionally dominated on education issues, even when the GOP has outperformed it on the ballot. That may be changing.

"I was confused, like, why they saw me as a bad person," the teen said of the police officers who pinned him down while the other boy sat on a couch.

"I was confused, like, why they saw me as a bad person," the teen said of the police officers who pinned him down while the other boy sat on a couch.

In video posted to social media of a shopping mall fight, an officer tackles the Black youth who's involved and handcuffs him with the assistance of another officer as the white participant looks on.

After several states, including California, lifted indoor mask mandates on their own, the CDC assures that updated COVID-19 guidance is on the way.

The following is a transcript of an interview with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy that aired Sunday, February 13, 2022, on "Face the Nation."

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and more appear on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sunday.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and more appear on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sunday.

Democratic governors in several states ease COVID-19 mask mandates even as President Biden and the CDC continue to press for mask use.

The politics around COVID restrictions appear to be changing. "[I]t's time to give people their lives back," tweeted Rep. Sean Maloney.

Democratic governors opt for the Ron DeSantis route.

California, Delaware, New Jersey and Connecticut have announced they are rolling back mask mandates.

Nationwide, the number of new COVID-19 cases is in decline, with the seven-day national average more than 60% lower than January's peak.

Phil Murphy will end a statewide mask mandate to protect against COVID-19 in schools and child care centers, his office said Monday, Feb 7, 2022. New Jersey Gov. John Carney said his state’s school mask mandate will run through March. J.B. Pritzker’s statewide school mask mandate, the Democratic attorney general said Monday he will appeal the ruling. In New Jersey, it is unclear how many and how soon the state's 600-plus school districts might end the wearing of masks.

Gov. Phil Murphy cited the state's rapid decline in virus cases, calling the move "a huge step back to normalcy for our kids."

Gov. Phil Murphy cited the state's rapid decline in virus cases, calling the move "a huge step back to normalcy for our kids."

It's a sign the two Northeastern states are changing how they manage the COVID-19 pandemic as cases from the omicron surge continue to drop.

New Jersey was one of just a dozen states with mask mandates for all schools, according to the nonpartisan National Academy for State Health Policy.

Phil Murphy will end a statewide mask mandate that was instituted to protect against COVID-19 in schools and child care centers, his office said Monday. The end of the mandate goes into effect March 7 and comes as New Jersey's caseload drops after an spike around the holidays fueled by the omicron variant. It's not clear, for example, if individual school districts could continue to require a mandate. Republicans claimed credit for pushing the governor to end the mandate. News that Murphy would end the mandate was first reported by The New York Times.

The governors of four states have announced plans to lift statewide mask requirements in schools a month or two from now.

Gretchen Whitmer , D-Mich., listen as President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with the National Governors Association in the East Room of the White House, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, in Washington. A White House staffer who was wearing a surgical mask when Biden entered the room was quickly handed an N95 version. For months, Biden aides have fretted that the people who are most protected against COVID-19 remain the most cautious, a dynamic they view as a drag on the nation’s economic and psychological recovery. Since even before Biden was elected, his aides have gone all-out to protect the now-79-year-old president from potential infection. As the nation’s virus response and vaccination campaign has become increasingly politicized, White House officials have expressed both political and policy concerns over a possible Biden infection.

You can see it in the masks, in the seating charts and even in the distribution of water glasses at the White House.

Biden President Joe Biden listens during a meeting with the National Governors Association in the East Room of the White House, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, in Washington. Biden welcomed governors to the White House on Monday as part of the winter meeting of the National Governors Association, and he cajoled them on the importance of infrastructure. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican and chairman of the National Governors Association. Landrieu said he has already spoken with 43 governors and more than 250 mayors as part of the push. Not all the infrastructure money is able to go out as the federal government is operating on a continuing resolution that runs through Feb. 18, instead of an annual budget.

Officials from Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, Kansas and California have all announced new or renewed Covid emergency orders since the start of the month.

(MattGush/Getty Images/iStockphoto, File)PASSAIC, N.J. — Authorities responded Friday night to a 11-alarm fire at a building housing a chemical plant and a furniture manufacturer in New Jersey. The company manufacturers chemicals for swimming pools, though Trentacost noted that the flames had not reached the main chemical plant as of late Friday. Phil Murphy urged people in Passaic to stay safe as firefighters battled an eight-alarm fire at a chemical plant on Passaic Street. “Praying for the safety of our first responders on the scene.”We urge everyone in Passaic to stay safe as firefighters battle a large eight-alarm fire at a chemical plant off of Route 21. https://t.co/70QQwbyqzt — Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) January 15, 2022Video obtained by WCBS-TV showed the massive fire that sparked around 8:30 p.m. Friday.

It's not yet clear what caused the fire or if anyone was injured.

Murphy said the state is seeing nearly 35,000 new cases a day and in the past two weeks, more than 10,000 residents have required hospitalization due to Covid.

With his state experiencing an “omicron tsunami,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a new public health emergency Tuesday in a bid to keep safeguards in place to thwart the spread of the coronavirus. >> Read more trending newsMost notably, Murphy’s declaration recommitted to mask requirements in schools, just hours before those measures were slated to expire, NJ Advance Media reported. More coronavirus pandemic coverage:>> Coronavirus: How long between exposure to the virus and the start of symptoms? This tool will tell you>> How to not let coronavirus pandemic fatigue set in, battle back if it does©2022 Cox Media Group

They issued mask mandates, vaccine requirements and even quarantines in some places for people who had traveled to out-of-state hot spots. Even Democratic governors who passed strict mandates early on are now relying more on persuasion than dictates. But students are back in classrooms across the state, and he continues to resist imposing any statewide business shutdowns. “We don’t have the practical ability to really put on a statewide mask order at this point,” DeWine said in late December. Cooper has taken this tack even though the Republican-controlled legislature has lacked veto-proof majorities necessary to overturn his previous statewide COVID-19 mandates.

Governors across the U.S. took sweeping action during earlier surges of the COVID-19 pandemic, but are taking a much different approach during the record-setting caseloads caused by the omicron variant.

Virginia officials have promised to review the state's response, though how exactly how they will do that is unclear. In Virginia, state lawmakers, local officials, at least two members of Congress and the AAA auto club called for action. She said she called Moran at 1 a.m. Tuesday and that by daybreak, state officials had begun deploying resources, including helicopters to survey roads and see where the worst chokepoints existed. In Virginia, officials said they had enough employees, but at least one locality cited staffing shortages. But Simpson said governments everywhere need to do a better job planning to provide aid to stranded drivers.

Virginia officials have promised to review the state's response, though how exactly how they will do that is unclear. In Virginia, state lawmakers, local officials, at least two members of Congress and the AAA auto club called for action. She said she called Moran at 1 a.m. Tuesday and that by daybreak, state officials had begun deploying resources, including helicopters to survey roads and see where the worst chokepoints existed. In New Jersey, which regularly confronts winter weather on its highways, Democratic Gov. In Virginia, officials said they had enough employees, but at least one locality cited staffing shortages.

With more bad weather looming, Virginia officials are seeking to reassure the public they are prepared as they reacted to harsh criticism of their response to a storm earlier this week that left hundreds of motorists stranded on Interstate 95.

TRENTON, N.J. — Tammy Murphy, the wife of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, has tested positive for COVID-19, the governor’s office announced Sunday. pic.twitter.com/fCmOWxErXn — Tammy Murphy (@FirstLadyNJ) January 1, 2022Gov. The governor and first lady tested for COVID-19 after a recent known non-family contact was in their home, according to the statement from the governor’s office. Tammy Murphy posted a photo on Twitter on Saturday celebrating the new year with the governor and two of their children.

2022 is the third calendar year of dealing with the coronavirus​ pandemic

School threats: School officials said the anonymous threats on TikTok were not credible but said security would be tightened on Friday. ( Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Educators announced plans to increase security in response to social media posts warning of shootings and bomb threats at schools nationwide on Friday. >> Read more trending newsOfficials said the anonymous threats on TikTok were not credible but assured parents that security would be tightened, The Associated Press reported. Police in the Chicago suburb of Glenview, Illinois said the social media threats online were not credible, according to a news release on the department’s Twitter and Facebook pages. He said that even with the protections from Section 230, TikTok and other social media platforms can act to prevent harmful or potentially dangerous content.

This month’s elections may have offered a preview of the Spanish-language misinformation that could pose a growing threat to Democrats.

New Jersey Republican Jack Ciattarelli says he spoke to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and conceded the election, but adds he plans to run again in four years.

New Jersey Republican Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign denies that there was fraud in this year’s governor’s election but says the margin could shrink enough to warrant a recount.

Republicans are increasingly optimistic about flipping governor’s offices in key battleground states next year.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was declared the winner in his reelection campaign after results from mail ballots and Democratic-leaning counties helped him extend his lead over Republican Jack Ciattarelli.

New Jersey’s longtime state Senate president, Democrat Steve Sweeney lost reelection, falling to a Republican newcomer who spent little money and underscoring Democratic woes in the Biden era.

Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey narrowly won reelection in his reliably blue state while a Republican political newcomer delivered a stunning upset in the Virginia governor’s race.

Democrats are blending finger-pointing, optimism and a renewed push to unstick their stalled legislative agenda as they scramble for Election Day lessons from a jolting loss in Virginia and a closer than expected win in New Jersey.

New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has won reelection over Republican Jack Ciattarelli.

Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey narrowly won reelection in his reliably blue state while a Republican political newcomer delivered a stunning upset in the Virginia governor’s race, sending a warning to Democrats that their grip on power in Washington may be in peril.

New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and Republican Jack Ciattarelli were virtually deadlocked early Wednesday after a campaign centered on the incumbent’s progressive policies and handling of the pandemic.

Tight races for governor were unfolding in Virginia and New Jersey late Tuesday with the Democratic candidates narrowly trailing their Republican rivals in states that President Joe Biden easily captured a year ago.

New Jersey's decidedly liberal shift under first-term Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is facing a test as he seeks reelection against Republican Jack Ciattarelli.

First lady Jill Biden has campaigned for Democrats in Virginia's and New Jersey’s governors' races.

Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders might be running for governor of Arkansas, but she's not talking much about the state.

President Joe Biden has approved major disaster declarations greenlighting federal aid for people six New Jersey counties and five New York counties affected by devastating flooding last week from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

As residents and businesses across New Jersey spent the holiday weekend trying to clean up damage from last week’s storm, rescue workers resumed the search for two friends whose car was caught up in the floodwaters.

The destruction left by the remnants of Hurricane Ida have officials and experts agreeing that infrastructure including roads, sewers and housing in New York and New Jersey must be quickly improved.

The National Weather Service says a tornado that ripped through Mullica Hill, New Jersey, is believed to have had an EF-3 rating, with winds of up to 150 miles per hour.

Residents across the waterlogged Northeast are clearing mud and tearing out soggy carpets after deluges dropped by Tropical Storm Henri.

President Joe Biden visited the U.S. Capitol in search of Democratic support for his multitrillion-dollar domestic agenda.

Gamblers will be able to light up again in Atlantic City's casinos starting Sunday.

With COVID-19 cases declining and vaccinations increasing, governors across the U.S. are wrestling with decisions about when to declare an end to the emergency declarations they have issued and reissued throughout the pandemic.

New Jersey’s embattled corrections commissioner has announced his resignation, a day after Gov. Phil Murphy said the state would shutter its long-troubled and only women’s prison.

One person is under arrest following what authorities say was a targeted shooting at a birthday party in New Jersey that left two people dead and 12 injured.

The governor of New Jersey has cleared the way for the Giants and Jets to play games at MetLife Stadium at full capacity for the upcoming NFL season.

State police in New Jersey say at least two people were killed and 12 people were wounded in a shooting at a house party.

A Massachusetts company plans to build a high-voltage line to bring electricity from a future New Jersey offshore wind farm onto land, and connect it to the power grid.

Many educators in the U.S. say they’ve heard a demand from students for fuller Black history lessons beyond what was already offered.

Nearly half of new coronavirus infections nationwide are in just five states — a situation that is putting pressure on the federal government to consider changing how it distributes vaccines by sending more doses to hot spots.

About 54,600 people in New York tested positive for the virus in the last week, a number that has begun to inch up recently. The situation in New York and New Jersey mirrors a national trend that has seen case numbers inch up in recent days. AdNeither New York nor New Jersey is experiencing anything like what they saw last spring, when hospitals — and morgues — were overflowing. New Jersey hospitals are reporting about 2,200 virus patients — up by roughly 300 in the past couple of weeks. New York City's Public Advocate Jumaane Williams urged New York to pause reopening plans.

(AP Photo/Aaron Doster, File)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Big West Conference will hold its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments without spectators, including family and guests of the teams. The Big West’s board of directors decided to start the season without fans in attendance. AdPelicans officials say they are hoping to allow as many as 4,000 fans per game later this season. The Cleveland Browns and Cavaliers have been permitted to have a limited number of fans at games during the pandemic. AdThe governor said about 1,700 to 1,800 fans should be allowed to attend Devils games under the new rules.

A medical worker prepares a shot of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in a local rural medical post in the village of Ikhala in Russias Karelia region, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)MEXICO CITY — Mexico has received its first shipment of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. Mexico received its first shipment of vaccines from Pfizer in mid-December, but turned to Sputnik V in January when other expected vaccine shipments were delayed. The company reiterated that it will have capacity to provide 100 million vaccine doses to the U.S. by the end of June. ___WASHINGTON — The White House now says it expects to catch up by mid-week on deliveries of coronavirus vaccine doses that were delayed by severe weather.

The winter weather prompted school districts to cancel in-person learning on Monday, and many COVID-19 vaccination sites were closed and rescheduling appointments. As much as 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow was predicted to fall in areas throughout the day Monday and overnight. 11:30 a.m.BOSTON — The second phase of Massachusetts’ coronavirus vaccine rollout is being disrupted by a winter storm that’s causing schedule changes and at least one vaccination location to shutdown. A winter storm warning remained in effect until Tuesday for much of the state. Most of the state remained under winter storm warnings or winter weather advisories that were expected to remain in effect through Tuesday morning.

Although the heaviest parts of the storm had moved through the metropolitan area by Monday evening, lighter snow showers were expected to continue virtually all day Tuesday, forecaster James Tomasini said. “We’re looking at a long two days here,” New York Gov. Across the Northeast, many coronavirus vaccination sites closed Monday. AdHundreds of flights and many trains and were canceled, and aboveground New York City subway service stopped at 2 p.m. In recent days, a storm system blanketed parts of the Midwest, with some areas getting the most snow in several years.

In past decades, the Census Bureau has given Virginia and New Jersey priority in receiving their redistricting data so they can complete the process in time to run their elections. That’s too late to accommodate Virginia and New Jersey, so they will have little choice but to conduct elections this year under the existing boundaries. He said if legislative redistricting were rushed in time for the 2021 election, it would likely be with incomplete census data. AdThe House of Delegates lines that were created in 2011 were drawn by a Republican-controlled chamber to benefit the GOP. That in turn fueled a Democratic gain of six seats in the 2019 House elections, flipping the chamber to Democratic control.

The others are the lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, insurance commissioner and Kansas Supreme Court chief justice and four Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature. The legislative leaders and the state’s Republican attorney general passed, for now, because not all health care workers and nursing home residents have received theirs. The governor also said Wednesday that “hundreds” of other, non-elected state officials have been made eligible for early vaccines by their agencies. The others are the lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, insurance commissioner and Kansas Supreme Court chief justice and four Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature. Most of those Republicans said they didn’t want to jump in line ahead of health care workers, nursing home residents or other vulnerable Kansans.

(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)BEIJING — Authorities in China’s northeastern port city of Dalian are testing millions of residents after seven new coronavirus cases were reported there in the last 24 hours. It has a deal to secure up to 100 million doses of the potential vaccine produced by AstraZeneca. Koca said the first shipment of three million doses of CoronaVac would be shipped to Turkey on Sunday and arrive Monday. He said Turkey could get 4.5 million doses until the end of March and would have the option buy up to 30 million doses. Indonesia has reported nearly 700,000 COVID-19 cases, the largest caseload in Southeast Asia and second in Asia only to India’s 10.1 million confirmed cases.

A woman waits for a Long Island Rail Road train in the Queens borough of New York as snow falls at the start of an oncoming snow storm, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)NEW YORK – Snow continued to fall Thursday during a key period in the coronavirus pandemic, days after the start of the U.S. vaccination campaign and in the thick of a virus surge that has throngs of people seeking tests daily. Snow fell from northern Virginia to parts of New England on Wednesday. But we are on it and following it,” he told Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.”The need for vaccines prompted New Jersey Gov. The National Weather Service reported that parts of Centre County were hit with as much as 13 inches (33 centimeters) of snow by Wednesday night.

“Our theme today ought to be, ‘If it’s not one thing, it’s another,’” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said as he gave residents storm guidance that's new this year — mask up if you help your neighbors shovel. In New York City, officials braced for the biggest storm in about three years. But they are being told to secure outdoor furniture, remove heaters and take other steps to make way for plows. Gina Raimondo suspended the scheduling of coronavirus tests for Thursday and said some outdoor testing sites may close, though others will remain open.

Nurse Melissa Valentin shows a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be applied to medical personnel at the Ashford Presbyterian Community Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. Packed in dry ice, shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine began arriving Tuesday at more than 400 additional hospitals and other distribution sites. That projection assumes swift authorization of the Moderna vaccine, which also requires two shots for full protection. Elsewhere around the world, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is being given in Britain and Canada. The Moderna vaccine was more than 94% effective overall at preventing COVID-19 illness, and 86% effective in people 65 and older.

The New Jersey restaurant that hosted the political gala put on by the New York Republican Club was ordered temporarily closed Friday, Dec. 4, 2020, over potential violations of coronavirus guidelines. (Courtesy New York Republican Club via AP)A New Jersey restaurant that hosted a political gala put on by a New York Republican club was ordered temporarily closed Friday over potential violations of coronavirus guidelines. Phil Murphy, also a Democrat, has tightened restrictions on indoor gatherings recently in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases. New York Young Republican Club President Gavin Wax scoffed at the criticism online, saying the group had done nothing wrong. New York state reported 30,000.

Phil Murphy said Monday as he restricted indoor gatherings to 10 people, down from 25. The move closes many nonessential indoor businesses and requires the wearing of masks outside homes, with limited exceptions. Philadelphia banned all indoor dining at restaurants and indoor gatherings of any size, public or private, of people from different households, starting this Friday. Fourteen men were charged earlier this fall in an alleged plot to kidnap the governor in anger over her COVID-19 restrictions. Still, several other GOP governors were taking incremental steps, or resisting even those — continuing to emphasize “personal responsibility” rather than government edicts.

Kim Reynolds has dropped her opposition to a statewide mandate for mask use to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The mandate applies only when people are within six feet of others for 15 minutes and they aren’t members of their households. ______NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Johnson & Johnson has begun a new late-stage trial of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine, this time on a two-dose regimen. Gavin Newsom said he was pulling the “emergency brake” Monday on the state’s efforts to reopen its economy as coronavirus cases surge more dramatically than during a summer spike. ___BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday the number of new coronavirus cases is flattening following two weeks of new restrictions, but it’s too early to tell whether more will be necessary.