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Briana: Tonight on "NJ Spotlight News" solving the drone mystery.

President Trump bounced to get to the bottom of what lit up New Jersey skies, calling the lack of transparency from the previous administration ridiculous.

Plus, George Norcross is back in court, trying to get his racketeering charges tossed.

Also, what does it mean for health care in New Jersey as the U.S. pulls out of the World Health Organization?

>> It's 2025 and we know we are a global community.

So we are choosing to say were not going to be part of the health global community, despite of the fact we continue to be part of the financial and economic world.

Briana: And more uncertainty for the industry's future here in the state.

>> It's going to increase our energy prices, it's going to pollute our air, it's going to give away thousands of good, high-paying jobs.

Briana: "NJ Spotlight News" begins right now.

♪ >> From NJPBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight News" with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: Good evening and thanks for joining us on this when said night.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

We begin with a few top headlines, first a federal judge has rejected former U.S.

Senator Bob Menendez request for a new trial paving the way for his sentencing to take place one week from today.

Defense attorneys argued Menendez's conviction should be thrown out because jurors were given a laptop with evidence that was supposed to be excluded from the trial.

But Manhattan judge Sidney Stein said in a written opinion it was highly unlikely jurors ever saw the material and said defense attorneys as well as the prosecutors were responsible for making sure the right evidence was given to the jury.

An index of course was convicted last July on 16 counts of federal bribery and corruption charges including acting as a foreign agent to Egypt.

He could face as much is 15 years in prison.

Also tonight New Jersey is facing a critical blood shortage.

The heads of the New York blood Center and its New Jersey blood services division say they have seen a 30% decline in donations just in recent weeks.

According to North Jersey.com, blood supplies for types of negative and be negative, which are essential for trauma care and medical emergencies, or down to a 1- to 3-day supply.

They said's typical to see donations drop following the holiday season due to bad weather and seasonal sickness and just a general lull in blood drops in school and workplaces.

But it makes blood donor month all the more important to maintain a healthy supply.

In order to give blood you need to be at least 17 years old or 16 with consent from parent or guardian, Whately's 110 pounds and be symptom-free from any illness for at least 72 hours.

You can find a local blood drive by checking with the American Red Cross.

And we may finally get answers to the whole drone three Asko -- fiasco.

President Trump on Monday promised to get to the bottom of the mystery that plagued the state for weeks and even resulted in temporary flight restrictions over dozens of towns.

While signing executive orders on Monday at the White House, the president directed his chief of staff to find out who and what was behind the drone sightings after a reporter asked for an update on the situation.

Thousands of unexplained Rome sightings were reported to the FAA in December, including near trumps national golf course at Bedminster, after there were viral reports of people spotting drones in the skies with pictures and videos being shared across social media.

The FBI and aviation experts have since set a majority of people saw were actually manned aircraft and not impact drones.

Officials also said there was no specific threat identified and the FAA justice we can lifted nearly all of the restrictions on no-fly zones throughout the state.

The lake act is poised to be the first piece of immigration legislation Congress sends to President Trump's desk for his signature.

It passed the Senate Monday evening and is expected to pass the house today.

The bill requires federal agents to detain undocumented migrants accused of that and Don in crime.

Named after a Georgia nursing student who was murdered by Venezuelan man last year, he became a rallying cry for more border security and immigration reform.

As David Cruise reports, activists in New Jersey are now bracing for what comes next.

>> The bitter cold of this week served as an apt signal for what the immigrant community is feeling as the second Trump Administration, with his harsh rhetoric and promises of mass deportations, begins.

With bills like the lake and Miley act which could jail and deport immigrants who are charged with a crime, there is fear and anger as immigrants and their advocates prepared to mobilize against it.

Beginning with the vigil outside the Hackensack office, some will vote yes on the bill.

>> It's an attempt to categorize all of us as criminals and enforce mass deportations to unjustly continue and expand the racial profiling of black and brown communities, and again, our representatives in closing representative Josh Gottheimer, has a responsibility to stand up with New Jersey and stand up for our values and vote no.

>> The bill has already passed both bodies and after an amendment, will be back in the house where Josh Gottheimer is the only New Jersey Democrat to vote yes.

But that is just the beginning.

>> All illegal entry will immediately be halted and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.

>> An inch to birthright citizenship, DACA status and more, are part of the presidents agenda.

She says the uncertainty of that next four years is already proving to be difficult to handle.

>> It's overwhelming, so much anxiety, so much pressure to have a backup plan.

I don't know, it's hard to think what else can I do.

I have a degree, but if I don't have a status, how can I really support myself?

>> Sylvia Hernandez is undocumented and his live to have her 42 years in the U.S., establishing a life of hard work and multiple jobs.

She considers her self and American and now fears that the country she loves is about to make her a target.

>> Whether you have been prepared for this or not, the fear is always there.

For instance, my biggest fear is that I will be arrested and I will go to jail, even I haven't committed a crime.

I've never been in jail.

I'm never even stepped foot in a courtroom.

Of never even had a parking ticket.

And that is a big fear for working people.

>> There are an estimated half million undocumented residents in New Jersey, according to the pew research Center, around 10 million across the country.

It's unclear what their forced removal would due to the economy, culture, and psyche of a country built to immigrants.

But ridding the nation of their presence is a day one priority for the president, so we may have the answer to that question very soon.

David Cruz, "NJ Spotlight News".

Briana: Amid the flurry of executive order signed by President Trump this week was a directive largely ringed by New Jersey GOP Conner Smith Jeff Van Drew, pulsing offshore wind, leasing and per meeting in all federal waters and land.

The White House says it wants to do its own assessment on the environmental impact of wind projects on wildlife and on the economic cost of the growing industry.

New Jersey has already got one project ready for shovels to go in the ground and is Ted Goldberg reports, the new order means the future of wind energy is now unclear.

>> The executive order on offshore wind is still being analyzed.

>> The city's going to pause giving out any new leases and they will study the leases they have given out.

I'm not sure what that means yet, so we will have to dig in.

>> Governor Phil Murphy has repeatedly said that offshore wind is a big part of the states go to have 100% renewable energy a decade from now.

He hasn't ruled out suing over the executive order, which would stop new leases and review permits for current ones.

As of now, one New Jersey project is fully permitted and leased, ready for construction.

>> Are we prepared to use our legal muscle?

Yes, absolutely.

But it will depend on the situation at hand.

>> People who oppose offshore wind are declaring victory.

Congressman Jeff Van Drew has attacked offshore wind for years and said his office worked closely with Trump team on crafting language for the executive order, much of which is reflected in the final version.

Those of us who care about protecting our oceans and wildlife and for hard-working Americans already struggling with rising energy costs, this is a significant victory.

Unsurprisingly, advocates for offshore wind don't see it that way.

>> Were going to increase our energy prices, it's going to pollute our air, it's going to give away thousands of good, high-paying jobs.

>> The incongruence with the Trump Administration on one hand suggesting importance of energy dominance and a strong economy, and then on the other hand, curtailing American-made power.

>> The executive order pauses permits for an assessment that would consider the environmental impact of onshore and offshore wind projects upon wildlife, including birds and marine mammals.

The assessment should also consider the economic cost associated with the intermittent generation of electricity in the affective subsidies on the viability of the wind industry.

The assessment would be led by the Secretary of the interior, who was asked about renewables during his confirmation hearing.

>> Would you agree that renewable resources, solar and wind for example, can be developed if they are adequately -- if they can be integrated into the grid in a safe and reliable way?

>> Yes, they can.

>> Former Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is Trump's nominee for that position and why he didn't -- while he didn't rule out wind energy as a possibility going forward, he said wind has its limits.

>> There intermittent, and until we have storage solutions, we are years away from having significant cost effective storage, the intermittent doesn't even have a life.

>> But it can be integrated, in North Dakota, 35% of your electricity comes from wind power.

I presume your grid works.

>> Well, it is super stressed.

>> Wind energy in North Dakota nearly threefold while Bergen was governor but he is also echoed from feelings about using more fossil fuels.

Advocates for offshore wind are split on how Burgum will handle offshore wind.

>> If someone doesn't stay in line with him, they are out the very next day.

I'm not sure how much individual freedom members of his cabin and are going to have and how much least they're going to be given in the administration.

It has been clear that the president has made it a priority to line the pockets of oil and gas.

>> We know they need additional studies and information and education.

The industry stands at the ready to provide whatever information the administration needs to make these decisions.

>> Another Trump executive order lift the ban on oil drilling in the Atlantic Ocean.

He says he can sign whatever he likes but President Trump cannot unilaterally change laws.

It would take an act of Congress to allow offshore drilling off the East Coast, period.

Good luck with that.

Some executive orders have been struck down by courts for.

So expect a long legal battle if Murphy decides to challenge this.

Briana: And another significant move this week, President signed an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization.

Finishing what he started during his first term when his administration formally begin exiting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his order, the president said, the World Health Organization ripped off the U.S., the largest funder of the group and a major contributor to its work, cues the organization of mishandling the pandemic, of being politically influenced by other members like China, and of not adopting urgently needed reforms.

But many public health experts say the move makes the U.S. and other countries less safe from infectious disease and other threats.

For more on what the decision means for people here and around the world, I'm joined by the Dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health.

Good to talk to you.

Let me ask you first, what does leaving the World Health Organization mean specifically for the U.S. and provokes here in New Jersey?

>> Thank you for that question.

Leaving the World Health Organization has enormous implications for the United States.

If you think about WHO as a collection of countries that inform and help each other during health crises, and we are choosing to not be part of that group.

It is an effective network of sharing information, of letting each other know about infectious diseases that are emerging, letting each other know about humanitarian crises that are existing, and then collectively working as nations of the world to help solve those problems.

So what it does mean for us is that potentially, we become disconnected from all of this helpful information.

Now, perhaps if it was 1000 or 1200, the year we were in and we were this isolationist country that didn't cross borders and people didn't come in and supplies didn't come income that might be fine.

But in fact, it's 2020 five and we know we are a global community.

So we're choosing to say were not going to be part of the health global community, despite being part of the financial and economic global community.

Briana: Will the impacts be obvious, immediately felt, or are these things that are perhaps long-term?

Especially looking at infectious diseases, and preventing say another pandemic.

>> Were not going to feel it tomorrow, for sure.

It would take years process to be out of the organization completely.

I don't actually believe we are going to leave.

I think is a tactic on the part of the new administration to get the WHO to rethink some of its infrastructure issues and some of its financial issues.

But in the long term, what it means is that we become somewhat disconnected from relevant and timely and global world decision-making around health issues.

And we empower, which is interesting to me, the one country that remains in the WHO to have the most power at that point is China.

We know perfectly well that China did not exactly play openly and fairly during the Covid pandemic, and yet they are going to have the biggest stake in the WHO, potentially, if the United States steps outside it.

Briana: Isn't that part of the Trump Administration's criticism, that the World Health Organization has been too lenient or has may be taken China at its word when it perhaps should have known better than to do that?

>> Yes, and I'm not going to sit here and say that the Trump administration is completely wrong and being critical of the WHO.

The WHO has missteps, like all organizations, like the Trump organization has missteps for 50 years in its dealings in financial matters.

But overall, the benefit has outweighed the negative.

The question about China and the fact that the population is bigger also and potentially they should pay more, maybe that should be revisited.

So I don't think everything is completely ludicrous that is being asked for.

The financial restructuring potentially, the potentially looking at the system, every organization should be involved.

But the way of doing that is working with the WHO directly instead of using bully tactics to try to get what we want.

Briana: So with withdrawing and essentially taking that money with us, does that then disable the WHO from making any of those reforms?

Have they shown that they have already taken steps in that direction?

>> The WHO has taken major steps after COVID recognizing the problems that we face.

Many people work in public health have realized that we made missteps and how we approach the disease, how we approach vaccination, how we approach prevention and treatment.

The WHO has been part of it.

The United States withdrawing that money, yes, absolutely what it does is prevent the organization from being able to continue to evolve, but it also creates somewhat of a global crisis in countries that are less affluent, countries where disease spreads but don't have the resources of the United States.

If you believe part of our responsibility is to make sure we are a good global citizen and we make some its wealth, they we should be helping others.

But it potentially has much worse ramifications ultimately for those countries, although we, too, will be affected.

If we think that somehow smaller countries without wealth are going to survive on their own and we think those diseases are not want to enter our country either through trade or travel, we are being extremely foolish because we will ultimately be affected by this.

Briana: The Dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, good to talk to you as always.

>> Thank you, my pleasure.

Briana: George Norcross was back in court today is his defense attorneys argued for the 13 count racketeering charges against him and five co-defendants to be dropped.

Norcross, his younger brother Phil Norcross, former Camden Mayor Dana read and three others are accused of executing a criminal enterprise, using extortion and coercion to enrich themselves.

A Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports, lawyers today contended that just because the political kingmaker is well connected officials, that doesn't make it a crime.

>> It would be extraordinary for the court not to present the case.

>> Presenting him as the ultimate dealmaker with admittedly brass knuckle tactics, but they argue he didn't commit any actual crime.

In a highly unusual legal maneuver, the defense asked the judge to dismiss the case against Norcross, his brother Philip and four other codefendants.

Dubbed Norcross enterprise, they are accused of using threats and extortion to manipulate a New Jersey tax credit program and take over a lucrative development on Camden's waterfront.

But the defense said there is no evidence of anything beyond wielding influence, having access to power.

>> The allegation is that he had control because of his political influence.

That cannot be punished.

>> The defense noted Norcross has a big Rolodex and he and his brother get significant input like when lawmakers drew up legislation for the economic opportunity act which benefited the so-called enterprise as they scored deals in Camden.

At that access was not criminal, they argued.

>> If you don't get it by violating the law, by paying a bribe or corrupting of public official, then you haven't committed a prime -- a crime and godless rehabbing better axis, having won the favor and trust of people who make these decisions.

>> Attorneys for the defense did not dispute the facts of the case.

The indictment is rife with recorded conversations and displays Norcross as foulmouthed and intimidating, but they said that's business, nobody should expect a level playing field.

>> Wears it written that the field must be level?

Where is it written that as the first sentence, government is supposed to be open to everyone?

Is that Pollyanna-ish, is a utopian?

It certainly isn't the way life really is.

All these defendants may believe they are entitled to a different type of criminal process and everyone else, but they are not.

>> Prosecutor said there is no case law to backup the extraordinary argument of no crime, no case.

>> It was concluded that these defendants have violated our laws, it by conspiring to strong arm private citizens into giving up their property rights so that defendants could profit through their tax credit scheme.

>> And they said the grand jury obviously found crimes were committed, not just Norcross flexing political muscle.

>> You have to accept the threats not only of economic harm, but also threats of reputational harm.

>> The defense not only denied that Norcross had committed any crimes, they also questioned the grand jury process that produced the indictment.

>> They were told this is a crime, that we know.

We don't have to hear what the witnesses said or anything else.

>> But Prosecutor shot back the judge could not just toss this case without considering all the reams of evidence that the motion to dismiss was not legally valid.

>> The reality is that if we accept that premise that this was a valid motion, that you could take a snapshot of the states evidence and make a decision, a legal decision about whether or not it would have a perverse result.

>> The judge listened intently and seemed very intrigued by defense arguments.

He wanted to hear all sides including jerseys NAACP and trade unions that filed reefs supporting Norcross before rendering a decision.

In Trenton, I'm Brenda Flanagan, "NJ Spotlight News".

Briana: In our spotlight on business report, New Jersey transit and its union engineers have 60 days left to reach a contract agreement or risk a possible strike.

For the second time now, a Presidential advisory board sided with the rail agency over the issue of locomotive engineer salaries, releasing a final report today that states New Jersey transit's final offer to the Brotherhood of locomotive engineers and trainman is the "most reasonable."

The two sides have been deadlocked in negotiation since 2020, unable to agree on wage increases.

In JT has reached deals with 14 other rail units agreeing to an average 2%-3% pay hike over the life of the contract.

The rail agency offered the same offer to the engineers union but members and leadership argued locomotive engineers at other railroads like Amtrak and Metro-North are paid more, at least $10 an hour extra.

The engineers proposal would increase wages by 36% over the duration of the contract.

Both sides now enter what is called a cooling-off period, to continue negotiating.

That will do it for us tonight, but before we go, quick reminder.

You can download the "NJ Spotlight News" podcast so you can listen to us anytime.

I'm Briana Vannozzi, for the entire team at "NJ Spotlight News" thanks for being with us.

Have a great night, we will see you right back here tomorrow.

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