Jack Smith Spying On Trump Donors Is Latest Dem Ploy To Chill Americans’ Political Speech
If Democrats can't convince Americans to switch parties, they will try to make them scared of expressing their political beliefs.If Democrats can't convince Americans to switch parties, they will try to make them scared of expressing their political beliefs.Feds Charge Two With Illegally Voting Months After 6600 Noncitizens Found On NJ Voter Rolls
New Jersey is one of 30 states the Department of Justice has sued for refusing to turn over voter rolls to be 'cross-checked effectively for improper registrations.'Democrat lieutenant governor RESIGNS after heinous sex accusations surface
When Mikie Sherrill picked Dale Caldwell to be her running mate on the gubernatorial ticket in New Jersey, she called the Methodist pastor a "voice for the voiceless."
Only a year later, Sherill called for Caldwell to resign from his office after an independent report documented numerous allegations of sexual and ethical impropriety against him.
'There has been a culture in Trenton, probably since the birth of our nation, to sweep this under the rug. ... Allegations would never be taken seriously, action would never be taken, and victims would just have to either quit their job or move on.'
The investigation into Caldwell began after an anonymous tip warning about his behavior with women. That investigation turned up "credible evidence" that he made an inappropriate comment to a female staffer and had sought a promotion for a state employee he was dating.
Sherrill announced Caldwell's resignation at a media briefing Friday.
"His decision will allow us to move forward with important work serving the people of our state," the governor added.
Caldwell had earned praise as the first black president of Centenary University in addition to being a pastor of the United Methodist Church.
He is accused in the report of saying to a staffer after being rejected by her friend, "You young women are looking for young sperm."
The report said he denied that allegation but that the investigators did not find the denial credible.
Caldwell denied the report's allegations and said he wasn't given the chance to provide his own witnesses or properly address the claims.
"This unnecessarily protracted and one-sided process lacked the requisite due process that should be afforded every citizen of this state," said his attorneys in a statement.
Sherrill did not have the authority to remove Caldwell herself, but his resignation prevents impeachment proceedings by the state legislature.
"There has been a culture in Trenton, probably since the birth of our nation, to sweep this under the rug," said Sherrill about the allegations. "You can speak to numerous people who’ve worked in the statehouse for decades who felt this day would never come, that allegations would never be taken seriously, action would never be taken, and victims would just have to either quit their job or move on."
RELATED: California Democrat probed over alleged 'inappropriate sexual conduct' with a staffer
A group that described itself as black "faith, civic, and community leaders" approved of Caldwell's resignation in a statement Friday.
"I will move swiftly and thoughtfully in choosing a new lieutenant governor who will represent my administration and the people of New Jersey with honor and integrity," Sherill added Friday.
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Thousands Of Noncitizens On Jersey’s Voter Rolls Represent Just ‘The Tip Of The Iceberg’
'Ladies and gentlemen, ... that’s called a cover-up,' said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-NJ, during a hearing on New Jersey's dirty voter rolls.CALIFORNIA IDLE: Iconic reality show ditches Hollywood after 24 seasons
After nearly a quarter-century, one of the world's most successful reality franchises is leaving Los Angeles.
It's the series that introduced America to Kelly Clarkson, helped turn Simon Cowell into an international celebrity, launched Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson, and made Randy Jackson a household meme.
'Every major production category in LA is going under water.'
It premiered when George W. Bush was president and survived a cancellation, a network change, countless judging-panel shake-ups, and the end of the monoculture that made it a phenomenon in the first place.
But apparently it couldn't survive California.
No golden ticket
"American Idol" will move production to the Atlanta area for its 25th season, ending a left-coast run that dates back to its 2002 debut, according to Deadline.
And the reason for the move makes the timing particularly awkward for the Golden State.
California has been desperately trying to stop film and television productions from fleeing to states such as Georgia and New Jersey. Last year, lawmakers dramatically expanded the state's film and television tax-credit program and, for the first time, opened it to a new category: large-scale competition shows.
You'd think “American Idol” might qualify; it didn't.
Under California's expanded incentive program, a “large-scale competition show” can qualify for tax credits if contestants compete over multiple episodes for money or another prize, with winners selected by judges, an audience, or another competitive mechanism.
That certainly sounds like “American Idol.” But California's rules also exclude “traditional reality, game shows, talk shows, or docufollow television programming” from the new category, and Deadline reports that “Idol” did not qualify for the state's credit.
Georgia presents a considerably more attractive proposition. The state offers qualifying film and television productions that spend at least $500,000 in Georgia a 20% base tax credit, with another 10% available under certain conditions. Unscripted and reality productions can qualify.
For a sprawling production such as “American Idol,” that's real money.
RELATED: Meet the 25-year-old building a Christian alternative to Hollywood
'Masked' mandate
And “Idol” isn't the only reality show California has lost.
“The Masked Singer,” another long-running competition series, announced earlier this year that it would move production from Los Angeles to New Jersey for its 15th season.
New Jersey offers a tax credit of up to 30% for qualifying television productions, including unscripted shows.
California, in other words, is now competing not merely with Georgia — which has spent years building itself into a major production center — but with states across the country willing to make Hollywood productions a better offer.
The departures come at a particularly bad time for Los Angeles.
A July report from FilmLA, the nonprofit organization that handles film permitting for Los Angeles and several surrounding jurisdictions, found that permitted on-location production fell another 12.7% during the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year.
Out of tune
Compared with the five-year average, the numbers are uglier still.
Feature-film shoot days were down roughly 40%. Commercial production was down about 46%, while television overall was down nearly 49%.
Reality television — the category that includes shows such as “American Idol” — was down nearly 63% from its five-year average.
TV drama was down 16%, while TV comedy was down roughly 67%.
And those weren't merely unfavorable comparisons against the five-year average. Each of those major categories also declined compared with the second quarter of 2025.
There were a couple of bright spots. TV pilot activity was up 40% against its five-year average, while FilmLA's catchall “Other” category increased 10% year-over-year.
But overall permitted on-location production was down 35.9% from the five-year average.
Those numbers don't capture every movie or television show being made in California. FilmLA measures permitted on-location filming in the jurisdictions it serves, meaning soundstage production and filming elsewhere in the state aren't necessarily included.
Still, California itself plainly recognizes the larger problem.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) signed a major expansion of the state's Film and Television Tax Credit Program last year, increasing the amount available annually and widening the range of productions eligible for incentives. The state says the expanded program is already attracting billions of dollars in projected economic activity.
The effort may yet help reverse California's production decline. But when it came to keeping “American Idol” in Hollywood?
That's gonna be a no from them, dawg.
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Woman accused of hiring Tinder hitman to kill cop ex-boyfriend and his daughter — prosecutors say it wasn't her first attempt
A New Jersey woman is now facing federal criminal charges after she allegedly attempted to hire a hitman from Tinder to kill her former boyfriend — a Philadelphia police officer — and his daughter.
As Blaze News previously reported, 28-year-old Jaclyn Diiorio was arrested in April 2025. At the time, she was charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder, one count of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, and one count of third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance.
'We haven't seen this in decades.'
Camden County dropped its case against Diiorio after she was hit with federal charges related to the accusations, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced last week that Diiorio was arrested again and was charged by indictment with two federal counts of using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire.
If convicted, Diiorio faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
The federal indictment, filed Sept. 3 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, accused Diiorio of using a cell phone to facilitate an interstate plan to kill two individuals.
The indictment said Diiorio, of Runnemede, started committing the alleged crimes around March 30, 2025.
WCAU-TV obtained the Camden County criminal complaint and affidavit of probable cause in April 2025, which said Diiorio met a man on the Tinder dating app.
Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay said during a press conference that the informant and Diiorio connected on Tinder with the intention of dating.
The pair exchanged several phone calls and text messages, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
The two first met at a Wawa convenience store in Runnemede on March 31, 2025.
The informant told detectives on April 4, 2025, that Diiorio was "adamant" about killing her ex-boyfriend.
The informant told detectives that Diiorio offered him $12,000 to murder her former boyfriend and his 19-year-old daughter.
Diiorio said she would pay the hitman $500 up front and the remaining balance split into installments.
Detectives determined that Diiorio's ex-boyfriend was a 53-year-old officer with the Philadelphia Police Department.
Investigators said they interviewed the ex-boyfriend on April 4, 2025, and he confirmed that he had dated Diiorio after meeting her when she was his hairstylist.
The officer told detectives that he broke up with Diiorio on March 6, 2025, according to the affidavit.
The probable cause statement said the former boyfriend told investigators that Diiorio had filed a temporary restraining order against him in the summer of 2024, but it was later dropped.
The informant told investigators that he agreed to meet Diiorio on the evening of April 4, 2025, at the Dollar General in Glendora, where she would give him the down payment for the murders.
According to the probable cause statement, the informant entered Diiorio’s white Honda Civic in a Dollar General parking lot around 6:45 p.m. on April 4, 2025.
Once inside the vehicle, Diiorio demanded to see the informant's driver's license and then gave him $500, the affidavit said.
Officers with the Gloucester Township Police Department then arrested Diiorio, according to investigators.
Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay at the time said murder-for-hire plots are "not common at all. ... In Camden County, we haven't seen this in decades."
WCAU reported that investigators said Diiorio had a bottle of alprazolam pills on her with the label ripped off. Alprazolam often is prescribed for panic attacks and anxiety.
Diiorio previously attempted to have the ex-boyfriend and his daughter killed, according to prosecutors.
The Inquirer reported that prosecutors claimed Diiorio told the informant she previously had been misled by others who had given her "fake pictures" of a supposed completed contract killing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Gloucester Township Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force – Camden Division, investigated the case.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kwambina Coker and Joshua Myers.
The Inquirer reported that Diiorio's defense attorney, Robert Gamburg, said his client planned to plead not guilty to the charges.
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Ex-special education teacher 'obsessed' with student sobs as judge blasts her for assaulting boy: 'You ruined him'
A former New Jersey special education teacher was skewered by a judge while being sentenced for sexually assaulting an underage student, according to multiple reports.
In January, 45-year-old Allison Havemann-Niedrach of Jackson pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault as part of a plea deal, according to NJ.com.
'I don't have the vocabulary to describe how serious and disturbing it is.'
On Aug. 28, Havemann-Niedrach was sentenced to 12 years in state prison, according to court records.
NJ.com, citing records, reported that Havemann-Niedrach will have to serve more than 10 years and two months before she's eligible for parole.
Patch Middletown reported that Havemann-Niedrach was ordered to surrender her teaching license, barred from future public employment, placed under parole supervision for life, and required to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law.
The judge also ordered Havemann-Niedrach to never contact the victim or his family.
The Asbury Park Press reported that Havemann-Niedrach was indicted on seven counts — including endangering the welfare of a child, endangering the welfare of a child by way of the manufacture of child sexual abuse materials, official misconduct, and sexual assault — but additional charges were dropped as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
The victim said the sexual abuse was "like a nightmare," which caused him sleeping struggles and issues with his grades, according to the Asbury Park Press.
"For two or three years, I thought it was my fault," the victim told the court, but added, "I forgive her for what she did."
Havemann-Niedrach told the judge, "I apologize profusely for my actions. I am moved by his forgiveness."
The victim's mother, speaking through a Spanish-to-English translator, told the judge that no child should suffer what happened to her son and that she hoped justice would be carried out.
The judge berated Havemann-Niedrach for sexually assaulting the 15-year-old student.
State Superior Court Judge Jill G. O’Malley proclaimed, "You are his trauma. You ruined him."
The judge pointed out that the victim had contemplated suicide in the summer of 2024 after revealing the abuse he endured.
"This is not a single episode of abhorrent behavior," O'Malley continued.
The judge said Havemann-Niedrach had groomed the boy months before the relationship became sexual, according to the Asbury Park Press.
As Blaze News reported in June 2024, Havemann-Niedrach was a teacher at Freehold Intermediate School, which educates students in grades six through eight.
Havemann-Niedrach had worked for the Freehold Borough School District since 2022, according to her LinkedIn page, which has since been deleted.
The former teacher describes herself as a "passionate, results-driven, and sincere educator. Poised and competent and thrives in performance-driven environments. Demonstrated history of a 'do what it takes' work ethic, and true differentiated instruction."
The Asbury Park Press reported that Havemann-Niedrach began to show up at the victim's sporting events and his place of work, "bringing him food and buying him gifts, including a sex toy" in the fall of 2023.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said Havemann-Niedrach started sexually abusing the student around January 2024.
Blaze News previously reported, "The Monmouth County Prosecutor Special Victims Bureau and the Freehold Police Department reportedly discovered more than 25,000 text messages between the teacher and the student."
Assistant Monmouth County prosecutor Danielle Zanzuccki said the thousands of text messages between Havemann-Niedrach and the 15-year-old student included the exchange of sexually illicit photos and videos.
During the detention hearing, Zanzuccki described Havemann-Niedrach as being "obsessed" with the boy.
Investigators said the former teacher sexually abused the victim at her house and at hotels from January 2024 through June 2024.
Superior Court Judge Vincent N. Falcetano stated during a detention hearing in July 2024: "Clearly, this is a very, very serious and disturbing offense."
"I don't have the vocabulary to describe how serious and disturbing it is," Falcetano said. "It's predatory, it is a breach of trust, it crosses the line. As a special education teacher, she should have known that line is even closer than for a regular teacher."
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Rutgers dean banned from campus after being hit with 'extremely disturbing charges' for allegedly recording 'upskirt' videos
A Rutgers University research dean has been accused of filming "upskirt" videos, according to authorities.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Division of Criminal Justice on Tuesday announced that 51-year-old Joshua Kohut of Cranbury was arrested for "allegedly recording 'upskirt' videos while working at Rutgers University."
'An invasion of privacy like this is not just disturbing, it is also a criminal act.'
Kohut, who is employed as the dean of research at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, was charged with fourth-degree invasion of privacy.
A fourth-degree invasion of privacy conviction has a maximum prison sentence of up to 18 months and a fine of up to $10,000.
The Daily Mail reported that Kohut was released on bail.
The attorney general said a search warrant was executed Monday following an investigation.
Law enforcement seized five devices belonging to Kohut, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The DA's statement indicated that "one of the seized devices was found to contain 'upskirt' videos of another individual’s undergarment-clad intimate parts."
"The defendant is alleged to have used his mobile phone to record 'upskirt' videos without his victim’s knowledge," Davenport stated. "An invasion of privacy like this is not just disturbing, it is also a criminal act. We will prosecute accordingly."
Officials did not say if the victim is involved with Rutgers, NJ.com reported.
The New York Post noted, "However, the criminal complaint indicates that Kohut and the victim may have known each other in some capacity."
The criminal complaint stated that an incident occurred in New Brunswick, home to Rutgers University's New Brunswick regional campus, where the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences is located.
Rutgers told the New York Post that Kohut has been placed on paid administrative leave after being informed of the "extremely disturbing charges."
The school added, "The research dean is also banned from campus pending the outcome of an investigation."
Rutgers University appointed Kohut to the position of School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Dean of Research/New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Director of Research on Jan. 1, 2025.
Laura Lawson, executive dean and executive director, SEBS/NJAES, said in the January 2025 announcement: "Josh came to Rutgers more than 27 years ago as a graduate student and has experienced the university in many capacities: student, staff, faculty, and administrator."
The statement continued, "His teaching responsibilities include contributing to first-year courses for students interested in Marine and Coastal Science research through the Oceanography House learning community and a research focused class that is currently undertaking an undergraduate student-led project to conduct the first circumnavigation of an autonomous underwater robot around the world."
The official Rutgers University website says of Kohut: "His research explores the use of ocean observing technologies — radar, sensors, gliders, etc. — to model ocean systems, enabling multidisciplinary process studies of the dynamics of the coastal ocean."
Kohut's biography on the official Rutgers University website states, "I am involved in many research and education programs that range in scope from storm intensity, offshore wind, and local water quality monitoring off the NJ coast; regional fisheries along the U.S. east coast; and environmental studies of polar ecosystems in the coastal waters surrounding Antarctica."
Open Payrolls — a nationwide public salary database — stated of Kohut: "One of the most recent records in 2025 lists a job of Sr Assoc Dir-Njaes/Dir Coop Re and a pay of $196,533.91."
The Daily Mail said Kohut's wife, Courtney Kohut — an assistant director at Princeton University — declined to comment on the charges against her husband.
The attorney general's office urged anyone who may have been a victim of Kohut to contact Lt. Jon Norcia at the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety at 609-780-5449.
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California Admits It Doesn’t Track Noncitizens On Voter Rolls As Federal Law Requires
California has now told the country that it doesn’t know how many noncitizens have been removed from its voter rolls and that it has no formal policy for investigating illegal voting when it’s reported.Massachusetts Won’t Let You Sell Puppies Under 8 Weeks But Lets You Abort Babies Until Birth
A year ago, Healey and her supporters celebrated different bills that protected animal life better than human life.Today's top stories
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