The Jaffe briefing - July 10, 2019
STATEWIDE - Local politicians who want to post unfiltered messages on social media - without any questions from those pesky reporters - are now out of luck. Following the barrage of famously unchallenged tweets by President Trump since 2016, a federal court has ruled that politicians are not allowed to block posted comments from the public. Seven people sued the President, after his Twitter people blocked them from commenting on his page, BBC News reports. Trump's lawyers argued Trump's Twitter page was his own and not subject to any of those annoying rules under the First Amendment. The judges disagreed, saying that tweeting politicians can't block any open dialogue that they don't happen to agree with. That means that any politicians' social media accounts are public forums, which should make for some interesting reading come election time.
STATEWIDE - The next time you go to the movie theater, not only will you plunk down $16 or so on a ticket, $5 or so on a soda and $6 or so on an unnecessarily large box of Raisinets. You will now also spend a ton more on that "ultra-value" tub of popcorn, with reports of an "imminent spike" in the cost of corn. Shucks, and why? That's because of all the heavy rains this spring in the Midwest severely limited the amount of corn plantings. Popcorn execs are bracing for 10 to 20 percent increases, with the uptick expected in a jiffy. A kernel of wisdom: You might be better off bringing your own.
TRENTON - State officials are hunting down employers who wrongly classify employees as "freelancers." And why? Because the state is losing millions of dollars in taxes a year, NJ Spotlight reports. Freelancers are deprived a "suite of rights," Gov. Phil Murphy says, including overtime, worker's comp, unemployment benefits and earned sick time. An audit of just 1 percent of employers last year showed 12,315 workers were misclassified, $462 million in wages were underreported and $13.9 million in contributions to unemployment, disability and family-leave insurance funds weren't made. Murphy says the state will shut down job sites where employers are misclassified as freelancers, or fine them $5,000 a day. Strong words from the governor, who vows to put New Jersey companies into compliance, or out of business.
NEWARK - For media desperate to report on the latest "study," they should look no further than WalletHub, which cranks out more questionable lists and rankings than any other clickbait site on the World Wide Web. The latest report focuses on the "best" and "worst" cities for first-time homebuyers, based on "27 key metrics." Typically, any real media would ignore such a study, but this one is particularly offensive, deeming Newark as the 294th out of 300 cities for first-time home buyers. Elizabeth didn't fare much better, coming in at 291st. The apparent "data set" ranges from affordability to taxes to crime. No one can stop WalletHub - a personal finance website - from generating report after report, and then seeking freebie news coverage from inexperienced/bored reporters. But all need to be wary of fact vs. marketing.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. - A local woman inspired by the U.S. women's soccer team knew she could never achieve such success, but was inspired to make her own mark on society. And so she is determined to become the owner of the most losing lottery tickets of any person on the planet. She tells WLOS-TV that her goal in life is to now collect 1 million losing tickets and she is already off to a great start, collecting more than 1,700 tickets in just two weeks. At that rate, she would be 90 when she reaches her goal. And, so, to claim her own slice of the American Dream, this woman needs your help, hoping you will send her your losing Powerball, Mega Millions and Cash 5 tickets, with a deadline of Jan. 1, 2021. An interesting Facebook comment from a friend, reminding this woman that she will soon be moving to a smaller place and wondering if she is now renting a storage locker.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Great minds think alike on this day in 1988, when Mike Tyson hires Donald Trump as a business advisor.
WORD OF THE DAY
Ossify [AH-sə-fye] - adjective
Definition: To harden
Example: It's hopeful that some of the polarizing positions Presidential candidates take to win primary elections don't ossify into the general platform of the campaign.
WIT OF THE DAY
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"Technology is nothing. What's important is that you have a faith in people, that they're basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they'll do wonderful things with them."
- Steve Jobs
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WEATHER IN A WORD
Celebratory
THE NEW 60
A Jaffe Briefing Exclusive
by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun
