Good Monday morning!

The pro-Trump crowd loves to complain about the media. But they're awfully good at drawing attention -- no less than three major New Jersey media outlets showed up to cover a rally with several dozen people in attendance.

This time, it was a small gathering that started in Bedminster and ended near Gov. Phil Murphy’s house in Middletown. It was billed as both an anti-COVID restriction rally and an effort to “Stop the Steal,” referring to false claims by the president that the election was somehow rigged against him. NJ Advance Media, The Asbury Park Press and NJ 101.5 all covered it. And like another recent anti-COVID restrictions rally, someone showed up holding a confederate flag — this time dressed in confederate flag garb, too. According to an attendee’s Twitter video, members of the far-right violent group Proud Boys also showed up.

An ad for the event lists mainstream Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli as a scheduled speaker. Ciattarelli also attended the Morristown rally, though his campaign said he didn’t see the confederate flag there and opposes it.

I talked to David Winkler, a GOP state Senate candidate from Hudson County, who attended. Winkler, who said he’s of Black-Latino descent, said he didn’t agree with the flag being there and that he talked to organizers about not allowing it at their next rally. He said that the person holding the flag and wearing the flag outfit was a Hispanic recent immigrant who didn’t understand its significance. Although he got all that out of the guy, he said he didn’t get his name.

“What I’m telling you right now is none of the people there are racist,” Winkler told me. “I swear, if you write an article that says I’m racist, I will take you guys to court.”

Freedom of speech means you can carry any flag you want. Protest organizers also have a choice of whether or not they want to allow this symbol to be part of their event. And mainstream political candidates can choose whether or not to stand with these people. This may not hurt in a primary election, but in a diverse state like New Jersey, you can bet it will be an issue in the general. So will attending a rally to support the Trump campaign’s fruitless attempts to disenfranchise voters in cities with large Black populations.

WHERE’S MURPHY? In Trenton for a noon coroanvirus press conference

CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: 3,851 newly-reported cases for a total of 384,114. 13 more deaths for a total of 15,149 (and 1,829 probable deaths). 2,877 hospitalizations, 559 in intensive care.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “To those of you in New Jersey who remained steadfastly speechless, loyal and partisan until very, very recently when it became clear which way the wind was blowing — I’m looking at you, former governor and presumed statesman Tom Kean, and you, GOP gubernatorial wannabe Jack Ciattarelli, and you, Rep. Chris Smith, to name just a few — I would like an answer to this question: How is it that otherwise intelligent people like you, people who grew up playing by the rules, people who usually recognize the difference between right and wrong, between a lie and the truth, between cheating and fair play, indeed people who have frequently lectured us on the merits of patriotism and family values — how is it that you so readily and willfully constructed a blind spot around everything Trump?” — Former State Commission of Investigation Executive Director Lee Seglem in a Star-Ledger column

AT NEXT PRESS CONFERENCE, PERSICHILLI WILL LITERALLY NEED NO INTRODUCTION — “NJ health commissioner to quarantine after staffer tests positive for COVID-19,” by The Record’s Tom Nobile: “Employees at the state’s top health agency will quarantine for the next two weeks following a positive COVID-19 test among its ranks. New Jersey’s Department of Health announced Saturday that an unspecified number of staff at the state Health Commissioner’s office, including Commissioner Judith Persichilli, will work from home and voluntarily quarantine until Dec. 8 as a result. Persichilli, who was a frequent guest in Gov. Phil Murphy’s televised COVID-19 briefings, will not participate in in-person press conferences during her quarantine period, the office stated in a release.”

PUT THE SMOKE IN THE BONG’S CHAMBER, NOT THE JUDGE’S — Grewal directs prosecutors to suspend cannabis prosecutions after legalization bill stalls, by POLITICO’s Sam Sutton: Three weeks after New Jersey voters backed a constitutional amendment to legalize the sale and recreational use of cannabis, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal has issued guidance to municipal prosecutors directing them to stop pursuing low-level cannabis cases. The details: Grewal said Wednesday that municipal, county and state prosecutors should adjourn any juvenile or adult case solely involving marijuana- or hashish-related possession offenses until “at least” Jan. 25, 2021. On cases involving multiple charges, the AG’s office directed prosecutors to use their discretion to either postpone the case in its entirety or seek dismissal, without prejudice, of the marijuana possession-related charge. Distribution charges, or possession with intent to distribute, are not included in Grewal’s guidance.

— Ruling: New Jersey was ‘arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable’ in awarding 2018 cannabis licenses, by POLITICO’s Sam Sutton: The process by which New Jersey awarded licenses to six new medical marijuana dispensaries in 2018 was “arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable,” the state appellate division ruled Wednesday, throwing even more uncertainty into the Murphy administration’s efforts to expand the state’s medical cannabis industry. The ruling, which addressed complaints stemming from an RFA issued by the state Department of Health shortly after Gov. Phil Murphy took office, found major flaws with how 146 applications for six available licenses were assessed. A review of the scorecards for those applications, which were judged by six state officials whose identities remained anonymous, found “that the scoring system produced arbitrary results that have gone unexplained,” the court ruled.

HOSPITALS — “A ‘bad case of déjà vu’: New Jersey hospitals brace for Covid-19 surge, but hope this time will be different,” by STAT’s Gabrielle Galder: “The initial wave in New Jersey crested in late April, and life in the hospital slowly returned to a semblance of normalcy. But now Long Njaka — and thousands of health care workers in New Jersey — are bracing themselves to do it all again. The positivity rate in Newark, the state’s largest city, has hit 30% in some neighborhoods, and Mayor Ras Baraka is begging residents to stay at home for the 10-day period beginning on the day before Thanksgiving. 'It’s coming back, and all we can do is put on our masks, use our face shields, treat everyone like they have Covid, and sanitize, sanitize, sanitize,' Long Njaka said. 'I believe God made me a nurse. I care about my patients and I am here to take care of them. So that is what I will do.' Doctors and nurses say that they feel better prepared to deal with the coronavirus than in the spring, when so little was known about it. Because it was hit so hard in the first wave, New Jersey’s per capita death rate remains the highest in the country. But the recent numbers are discouraging … While they are far short of the 8,000 who were hospitalized in April, as the days shorten, the temperature drops, flu season deepens, and the holidays loom, many depleted frontline workers are preparing for another season of difficulty.”

SCHOOLS — “N.J. governor wants schools open. Local officials have other ideas,” by The New York Times’ Tracey Tully: “Last week, as New York City was reeling from the mayor’s decision to close the nation’s largest school district, Mr. Murphy joined with six other governors — including New York’s — to release a public statement about the importance, and relative safety, of in-person instruction. His own schools weren’t listening: While most districts in New Jersey had reopened for some in-person instruction, many announced plans this week to return to all-remote learning through all or part of the holidays. The tensions point to the difficulty governors across the Northeast have had in persuading districts to reopen more fully — decisions that often require school boards to buck powerful teachers unions and to live with the inherent risk of outbreaks as the virus surges. Parents and children are often caught in the middle, forced to quickly shift routines and expectations in a year already marred by the extraordinary challenges of remote instruction.”

TUNNEL RAT — “Cuomo’s surprise mischief of the Hudson tunnel,” by The Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran: “What did Cuomo do? He suggested that the existing tracks can be replaced without closing down the tunnel, by squeezing in the work on nights and weekends, over five years. The plan until now has been to shut them down entirely and rebuild them from scratch, once the new tunnel is in place. It’s a big deal for two reasons. One is that everyone but Cuomo thinks the plan is wildly unrealistic, and would inevitably lead to massive disruptions of the morning commute for the next five years. ‘This could leave thousands of New Jerseyans stranded and cause significant economic harm to our region,' said Sen. Robert Menendez … But that’s just the start of it. Cuomo’s idea could put federal funding for the new tunnel at risk, as Malinowski suggests, by allowing opponents to question the need for a new tunnel at all, especially if Republicans control the Senate.”

—“Report: 37% of working families in NJ struggled to make ends meet prior to COVID pandemic”

—New Jersey scraps travel advisory guidelines, but warns against unnecessary travel

—New unemployment claims in New Jersey drop for 6th consecutive week

—Stile: “NJ's 2020 top political turkeys: Racist Trump tweets — and yes, we know who Judy Persichilli is”

—“New Jersey's veterans — a crucial group — are underrepresented | Opinion”

—“State Sen. Singer: Marijuana taxes should benefit all of New Jersey”

— “Schools in 18 N.J. counties should now ‘consider implementing fully remote learning”

YEAH, CENSURE THE GUY CALLING OUT THE GUY FILING FRIVOLOUS LAWSUITS — “House Republicans seek to censure top Trump critic Pascrell,” by NJ Advance Media’s Jonathan D. Salant: “Some of the most conservative Republicans in the U.S. House don’t like Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr.’s attacks on President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and moved Friday to censure the New Jersey congressman. Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, chair of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, introduced a censure resolution with four of his colleagues, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Andy Harris of Maryland, Debbie Lesko of Arizona and Randy Weber of Texas. Former New Jersey Rep. Scott Garrett was a co-founder of the group. Pascrell, D-9th Dist., on Saturday called the lawmakers ‘fascist wannabes.’ ‘Those supporting this pathetic resolution are complicit in Trump’s attempt to become a dictator,’ Pascrell said.”

PEOPLE CLAIMING ‘UR MOM’ WAS TRUE WINNER OF 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION MAKE BETTER POINTS THAN ‘STOP THE STEAL’ ATTENDEES — “Nixon, Rick Astley, 'Ur mom' — 13K NJ voters skipped Biden and Trump and wrote these in instead,” by The Record’s Terrence T. McDonald: “The number of New Jersey voters who tossed their presidential vote to Mickey Mouse, Betty White or Tulsi Gabbard this year dipped dramatically after skyrocketing in 2016. Election results from most of New Jersey's 21 counties show 13,600 people cast personal choices for president in 2020, down from 29,000 four years ago (Essex and Middlesex have not reported their totals). The 2016 contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump saw six times as many voters cast write-ins compared to the previous presidential race in 2012. The personal choices of this year’s voters are the usual mix of legitimate politicians like Gabbard and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, celebrities like Michael J. Fox and Megan Thee Stallion and cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Scooby-Doo. Two Burlington County voters wrote in Joe Exotic, the imprisoned star of Netflix series ‘Tiger King.’ A voter in Gloucester gave their nod to ‘Barbie the doll’ and Kermit the Frog. Someone in Bergen County cast a vote for ‘The Fly On Pence’s Head,’ a reference to the bug that landed and lingered on Vice President Mike Pence during an October debate.”

—“Detained immigrants at Bergen County Jail stage hunger strike, get support from protesters”

—“Here are N.J.’s richest (and poorest) members of Congress”

—Becchi concedes to Sherrill in New Jersey’s 11th District

MAYOR'S MEDICAL ADVICE MISSES THE MARK — “After facing public scrutiny, Fulop walks back tweet about COVID-19 vaccine,” by Hudson County View’s John Heinis: “After facing public scrutiny on social media, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop walked back a tweet where he said the COVID-19 vaccine would require residents to be ‘injected with small doses of Corona virus [sic].’ ‘This part of my tweet from yesterday deserves some clarification as I shouldn’t have written ‘asking residents to be injected with small dosages of the virus’ as that isn’t how the 1st vaccines will work,’ Fulop tweeted at 5:15 p.m. this evening. ‘My overall sentiment of the tweet is accurate on lack of public awareness, tools, and information. Overall, It’s an important conversation to have if it’s going to be a vaccine widely accepted when it becomes available. We will continue to work with the public health experts best we can to get this right.’ The original tweet, the third in a four-part tweet thread that went out shortly after 9 a.m. Friday morning, prompted dozens of replies that said COVID-19 mRNA vaccines ‘do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19,’ per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).”

LOOKS LIKE HE’S RUNNING —Rob Menendez Jr. (@robthishandle): “Earlier this month Americans voted against disinformation and for honesty, accountability, transparency and a science-based approach to combating COVID-19. Jersey City voters will get to make the same decision in 2021.”

TWO-THIRDS OF A MASTRO — $6 million demand on Cumberland over canceled energy facility for county jail,” by The Daily Journal’s Joseph P. Smith: “A South Jersey firm that develops private energy grids is demanding more than $6 million in “out of pocket” expenses from Cumberland County for allegedly backing out of an agreement to build a facility to provide electricity and other utilities for a contemplated new county jail. The lawsuit, filed Nov. 19 in Cumberland County Superior Court, discloses negotiations to settle the breach of contract dispute short of a court fight with CCJ Energy Partners LLC of Mays Landing.”

THEY DID NOT RETURN CALLS SEEKING COMMENT — “N.J. town rehires mayor’s son 3 years after paying $125K sexual harassment settlement against him,” by NJ Advance Media’s Bill Duhart: “A borough in Camden County has approved a plan to appoint the son of the mayor as a temporary, part-time business administrator. Stratford’s council voted to appoint John Keenan Jr. to the position even though the borough had previously paid $125,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit against him from a former male worker. Keenan had previously worked for the town for more than two decades and had, himself, won a $75,000 judgement against the borough in 2009 when the town sought to cut his pay -- he claimed without merit. That was before his father John ‘Josh’ Keenan became mayor. Josh Keenan, John Keenan Jr. and acting borough clerk Michaela Bosler all did not respond to phone calls and emails requesting comment.”

HE IS PROUD TO SHOW OUR YOUTH HOW TO AVOID RESPONIBILITY BY SAYING YOU WERE HACKED — “Burlington County superintendent says account 'compromised' amid backlash over tweet,” by The Burlington County Times’ George Woolston: “A Burlington County superintendent claims his Twitter account was compromised after a tweet accusing journalists of teaching the country’s youth to hate the U.S. President was met with swift backlash. Northern Burlington County Regional School District Superintendent James Sarruda’s Twitter account, @nbcsuper, sent a retweet of CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins with the caption ‘And they are proud to show our youth how to hate a Presidsnt (sic). Nicely done!’ just after 6:30 p.m. Friday. Collins had tweeted a photo of herself, along with others, congratulating themselves on successfully getting President Donald Trump to answer questions from reporters for the first time since Election Day … “It’s a little bit hurtful,” said Jon Blake, who graduated from the high school in 2011. McCabe, Kohn and Blake all replied to the tweet on Friday night asking for an explanation. By Saturday, all three were blocked from seeing the superintendent’s tweets. ‘Unfortunately, instead of getting a reply we got blocked. It was sad to see it handled in such a poor manner,’ Blake said.”

—“Trenton sets single-year record for murders after 2 killings in 5 hours”

—“Dumont HS teachers made homophobic comments on Zoom, says mayor, who wants investigation”

—“Ridgewood files appeal over November vote to consolidate elections”

—“Closing Nabisco factory would put 600 out of work, end 40-year chapter for one N.J. family”

—“NJWF Director Altman tees off on Hudson County freeholders for renewing ICE contract”

WHY ARE YOU LEAVING OUT UNCLE FLOYD? — “Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Jon Stewart tell Jerseyans to wear friggin' masks,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Chris Jordan: “Call it a PSA — Jersey style. Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and Jon Stewart have teamed for an ad campaign to encourage New Jerseyans to wear masks to protect others and themselves from COVID-19. The three are pictured standing in front a barn door wearing masks on a New Jersey Turnpike billboard in a Wednesday, Nov. 25, tweet by New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy.”

BEFORE THE PANDEMIC NOBODY COULD HAVE KNOWN THAT MALLS WERE AN OUTDATED FORM OF RETAIL — “New Jersey’s American Dream mall is still waiting to fully open,” by The New York Times’ Sapna Maheshwari and Michael Corkery: “When the American Dream mall, a massive shopping and entertainment complex next to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., finally opened its doors to the public last October, its owner, the Triple Five Group, was eager to prove naysayers wrong … But only months after portions of the complex began opening, starting with its ice-skating rink and a Nickelodeon amusement park, the pandemic hit. ‘It was extremely, extremely unfortunate, the timing of it all,’ Don Ghermezian, chief executive of Triple Five and co-chief executive of American Dream, said in an interview. ‘The shutdown came in March, only a couple of days before we were planning to open the balance of the center.’ Mr. Ghermezian said he was upbeat about the future of the mall, which reopened some of its attractions on Oct. 1. But the pandemic has battered many retailers and shopping malls and left many shoppers skittish about much of what Triple Five was betting on — travel, crowds and the allure of indoor spaces. It has also put a spotlight on the money tied to the success of the complex, which is now facing the threat of yet another shutdown during the all-important holiday shopping season as coronavirus cases spike again.”

RANDY QUAID LED TRUMP SUPPORTERS HERE FROM MURPHY’S HOUSE — “Light display at N.J. house brings Griswold’s ‘Christmas Vacation’ to life,” by NJ Advance Media’s Tim Hawk: “Griswold fans rejoice, the house on Legends Court will shine very bright once again this holiday season enabling you to have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas. The popular holiday light display at the Mickleton home of Steve and Gina Harbaugh, that mimics the home in the movie ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ will include the same cast of characters as years before, plus a few new ones, but with a pandemic twist.”

—“Slow start to Black Friday in North Jersey as few shoppers head to malls”