NYC NOW - Marcn 18, 2024: Morning Headlines

Episode Date: March 18, 2024

Get up and get informed! Here's all the local news you need to start your day: New Jersey State Attorney General Matt Platkin says he will not defend a lawsuit against the county line, a controversial ballot system giving preferential treatment to some candidates. Meanwhile, the Adams administration is looking to trim funding to New York City’s Anti-Discrimination Watchdog Agency by a half-million dollars. Plus, several teams from the tri-state area are going to the NCAA basketball tournament.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Monday, March 18th. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. The New Jersey State Attorney General says he will not defend a lawsuit against the county line. That's a disputed ballot system that gives preferential treatment to some candidates. W&MRC's Nancy Solomon reports it's likely to have an impact on the state's Senate race. In a letter to the federal judge, Attorney General Matt Plattkin says, not only will he not intervene in the case, but he believes the county line is unconstitutional. It's an astonishing development about a little understood feature of New Jersey elections that has blown up in the face of the governor and first lady. Tammy Murphy is on her way to obtaining the preferential ballot placement, but Congressman Andy Kim has sued, saying the ballot design is not fair.

A federal judge will still decide the case, but the Attorney General's five-page letter against the county line is the most high-profile opposition to it so far. The Adams administration is looking to trim funding to New York City's anti-discrimination watchdog agency by half million dollars. Members of the City Council and social justice advocates have some other ideas for the Commission on Human Rights. They say the panel needs a $3 million funding boost. Aid Employment Attorney Rebecca Cook-Mack says the panel is struggling. The Commission is in crisis. It is unable to meet its mandate. Just a handful of attorneys cannot be expected to enforce the strongest human rights law in the country. Cook-Mack testified at a City Council hearing late last week. Commission officials say the

agency is doing fine and working efficiently with 25 enforcement attorneys. That's down from 61 in 2018. Several teams from the Tri-Sense. state are going to the NCAA tournament, basketball tournament for the men, the University of Connecticut Huskies, grabbed the number one overall seat as they look to defend last year's national title. Other teams include St. Peter's, Yale, and Colgate. Wagner College on Staten Island will take part in one of the so-called first four games. On the women's side, Princeton, Fairfield, Yukon, and Syracuse all punched their tickets to the tournament, while Columbia and Sacred Heart made it in as first four teams. Game start this week and run through early April. They start tomorrow,

as a matter of fact. Forty-five with clouds now, mostly sunny today and going up to the low 50s. It'll be windy on this last day of winter. And then tomorrow, mostly sunny and 49. Windy as spring begins. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC. Be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you get. your podcasts. See you this afternoon.