Puzder withdraws nomination for labor secretary

WASHINGTON — Andrew Puzder, President Trump's choice to serve as the next labor secretary, withdrew his nomination Wednesday amid growing resistance from Republicans and Democrats in the Senate.

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"After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor," Puzder said in a statement. "I am honored to have been considered by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor and put America's workers and businesses back on a path to sustainable prosperity."

He continued: "I want [to] thank President Trump for his nomination. I also thank my family and my many supporters — employees, businesses, friends and people who have voiced their praise and hopeful optimism for the policies and new thinking I would have brought to America as Secretary of Labor. While I won't be serving in the administration, I fully support the President and his highly qualified team."

In the hours leading up to Puzder's withdrawal, 12 Republican senators "at a minimum" were withholding support, according to one GOP senator, who asked for anonymity to avoid political retribution. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) had told the White House that Puzder lacked the votes needed to win confirmation, according to a senior Senate aide.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.), who as chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee would have led the hearing, said Puzder had the experience and ability to serve as labor secretary. "I respect his decision. He understands the difficulties American workers face in a rapidly changing workforce, and I look forward to continuing to hear his insights."

Democrats cheered the news, celebrating that they had finally helped pressure Republicans to withdraw support for a Trump nominee.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) said the withdrawal "is a victory for the American worker. Puzder should never have even been nominated to lead the Labor Department, and Senate Republicans clearly recognized this, too." He called on Trump to nominate someone who "champions workers' rights rather than suppresses them."

Puzder, a restaurant executive and Trump campaign supporter, had attracted widespread criticism regarding his business record and personal background. Additionally, a prominent conservative publication announced its opposition to the pick on Wednesday, saying that Puzder's support for more legal immigration is at odds with Trump's position.

Some Republican senators initially said they were withholding support until they could see how the political novice fared at his confirmation hearing, which was scheduled for Thursday morning. But it became clear to Republican Senate leaders Wednesday that they did not have the votes to confirm him.

Puzder, the chief executive of CKE Restaurants, was set to appear before the HELP Committee for a long-delayed hearing amid a protracted review of his vast personal wealth, details of a rancorous divorce more than 25 years ago and revelations that his family once employed an undocumented immigrant as a housekeeper.

Democrats on the panel who opposed Puzder were vowing to show racy images of bikini-clad models eating hamburgers who appeared in television commercials run by his restaurant chains. His supporters were planning to eat biscuits from Hardee's - one of Puzder's burger chains — for breakfast while tracking the hearing from a makeshift war room.

Before the hearing, Republicans were showing a notable level of skepticism about one of Trump's last Cabinet nominees - and certainly the most imperiled — to proceed through Senate confirmation.

"He's got an awful lot of people who speak highly of him, but all these nominees have a process that they have to go through where they've got to respond to the questions people have on their backgrounds and their records, and I want to have that opportunity," said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the third-ranking Senate Republican, who was among those withholding support.

Although Republicans had questions about Puzder's personal employment practices, Democrats had planned to question him about allegations — long since recanted — that he assaulted his ex-wife, his past criticism of minimum-wage laws and his personnel practices, as well as advertising campaigns at his restaurant chains that women's groups consider sexist.

"I expect straightforward and clear answers," Sen. Patty Murray of  Washington, the top Democrat on the committee, said Wednesday as she met with representatives from women's organizations that opposed Puzder.

As a restaurant executive, Puzder has spent much of his career speaking out against wage and labor regulations. The former commercial trial lawyer has been a staunch opponent of rules finalized by the Labor Department last year — and since put on hold - that would have expanded the number of people eligible for overtime pay. He also has been critical of substantially increasing the minimum wage, arguing that it could push companies to cut jobs and encourage businesses to invest more money in automation.

Puzder would have been the first labor secretary since the Ronald Reagan era to take the job without some public service experience. He made a minor foray into politics in 2011, when he served as an economic adviser and spokesman for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who recently endorsed his nomination.

In 2016, Puzder was an avid Trump supporter. In addition to serving as an economic adviser to his campaign, he and his wife, Deanna Puzder, contributed a total of $332,000 to Trump's bid, joint fundraising committees and to the Republican National Committee, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Despite public resistance to Puzder, White House officials and top Republican aides insisted as late as Wednesday morning that the confirmation hearing would proceed as scheduled and that Puzder would be confirmed.

"I'm a strong supporter of Andy Puzder. I think he's uniquely qualified for this job," McConnell said Tuesday. "We hope we'll be able to get his hearing this week and deal with him when we get back" after next week's congressional recess.

Senators often do not weigh in on a nominee publicly until after a confirmation hearing, but Republicans have been mostly in lock-step to support Trump's top Cabinet nominees. Only one other pick — Rex Tillerson to serve as secretary of state — drew as much public wavering among Republicans before his hearing, when five GOP senators expressed doubts. Ultimately, all of them voted for Tillerson.

In addition to Thune, Republican Sens. Rob Portman, Ohio; Thom Tillis, N.C.; Susan Collins, Maine; Johnny Isakson, Ga.; Lisa Murkowski, Alaska; and Tim Scott, S.C., said this week that they were on the fence regarding Puzder. Collins, Isakson, Murkowski and Scott sit on the HELP Committee while the others do not — signaling that the concerns about Puzder were widespread.

Thune's hesitancy was notable because his leadership role makes him responsible for helping to build support for big-ticket GOP causes. But he told reporters Wednesday that he wanted to know more about why Puzder employed an undocumented housekeeper and how he paid her. Tillis cited the same concerns to reporters.

Puzder revealed to a Senate committee this month that he was unaware of the woman's immigration status when he hired her. She was terminated and Puzder later paid federal and state back taxes.

Collins and Murkowski also voted against Betsy DeVos, Trump's choice for education secretary, forcing Vice President Mike Pence to become the first vice president to cast a tiebreaking confirmation vote for a Cabinet member. Both senators are among several who have seen footage of a 1990 Oprah Winfrey Show episode in which Puzder's former wife appeared in disguise to describe allegations of domestic violence.

The HELP Committee requested that Winfrey's production company provide copies of the episode for senators to review. Puzder has always denied the allegations, and his ex-wife, Lisa Fierstein, recanted the accusations in a letter to senators last month.

Aides said before Puzder's withdrawal that Portman was still reviewing his history and did not want to weigh in yet, but the senator represents a state where labor unions were building support against the nomination. Portman won reelection last year with the endorsement of several labor unions, a rare feat these days for a Republican.

On Wednesday, Puzder's nomination was dealt another blow when the conservative National Review announced its opposition. The publication cited Puzder's past support for increased levels of legal immigration for high-skilled or seasonal workers — a position at odds with Trump's calls for limited legal immigration.

"The case for his confirmation has diminished to the point of disappearing," the publication wrote in an editorial. "Not only is Puzder a representative of the worst reflex of corporate America on one of Trump's signature issues, he is now significantly weakened."

The magazine's editors acknowledged "the impulse of the White House and the Senate to try to bulldog through rather than to give obstructionist Democrats a scalp." But they added, "The country, and the administration, can weather a redo on this one."

Amid that opposition, Puzder's allies had been preparing for an aggressive campaign to boost his chances. Restaurant groups especially had been intensifying attempts to persuade skeptical senators.

The National Restaurant Association arranged for 10 senators, including Isakson and Scott, to meet Wednesday with a group of CKE employees who the association says enjoy working for Puzder's restaurants.

On Thursday, the association had planned to host a "war room" with other industry groups, including the National Retail Federation and the International Franchise Association, that would have been able to respond quickly to issues raised during the hearing.

The group had also planned to munch on those Hardee's biscuits, delivered from one of the chain's restaurants in Glen Burnie, Md.

"It is extremely unfortunate that the confirmation process has resulted in a qualified and dedicated man withdrawing from the labor secretary nomination," said Cicely Simpson, executive vice president of the National Restaurant Association. "Andy Puzder would have made a great labor secretary. We hope that President Trump's next labor secretary nominee, like Andy, has experience creating jobs and a deep understanding how to get business and government to work together to grow the economy."

Published: February 15, 2017 — 4:24 PM EST | Updated: February 15, 2017 — 5:48 PM EST

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Pentagon boss to NATO nations: Increase military spending

BRUSSELS (AP) - In an ultimatum to America's allies, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told fellow NATO members Wednesday to increase military spending by year's end or risk seeing the U.S. curtail its defense support - a stark threat given Europe's deep unease already over U.S.-Russian relations.

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Echoing President Trump's demands for NATO countries to assume greater self-defense responsibility, Mattis said Washington will "moderate its commitment" to the alliance if countries fail to fall in line. He didn't offer details, but the pressure is sure to be felt, particularly by governments in Europe's eastern reaches that feel threatened by Russian expansionism.

Trump's Russia policy remains a mystery for many of America's closest international partners. As a candidate, the Republican president steered clear of criticizing Moscow for its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he wanted a new era of cooperation between the former Cold War foes.

But that possibility grew murkier this week as Trump fired his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, over the retired Army lieutenant general's communications with Russia before Trump took office. The departure of Flynn, who also promoted the idea of working with Moscow, has added to speculation about how the U.S.-Russian relationship might evolve.

Amid the uncertainty from Washington, the Kremlin may be testing the West's resolve. A U.S. defense official said this week that Russia has deployed a cruise missile in violation of a Cold War-era nuclear arms control treaty. And violence has sporadically re-ignited in eastern Ukraine, where the U.S. and its partners say Moscow continues to back a separatist insurgency.

"No longer can the American taxpayer carry a disproportionate share of the defense of Western values," Mattis told the alliance's 27 other defense ministers, according to a text of his remarks. "Americans cannot care more for your children's future security than you do."

The entire alliance seemed to hang on Mattis' every word Wednesday. Officials crowded around televisions at the NATO meeting in Brussels to watch the retired general's initial appearance with Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Defense ministers clustered around Mattis as he entered the meeting room.

Citing danger from Russia, Mattis told the closed meeting of ministers they must adopt a plan this year that sets dates for governments to meet a military funding goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product. He called the funding increase a "fair demand" based on the "political reality" in Washington, an apparent reference to Trump's past criticism of NATO as "obsolete" and his much-touted "'America First" mantra.

Noting the threat posed by the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, Mattis said: "Some in this alliance have looked away in denial of what is happening."

"We have failed to fill gaps in our NATO response force or to adapt," he added.

Trump has challenged the alliance to take on a greater share of military costs, even rattling European nations by suggesting the U.S. might not defend allies unwilling to fulfill their financial obligations as NATO members.

Mattis didn't go that far, and Wednesday's focus appeared to be on simply increasing military funding if not fully reaching the target. Many European governments face hostility to more military spending, especially as their slow economic recoveries force belt-tightening elsewhere.

The United States is by far NATO's most powerful member, spending more on defense than all the others combined. It devoted 3.61 percent of American GDP last year to military spending, according to NATO estimates - a level that has somewhat tapered off in recent years.

Germany, by contrast, spent 1.19 percent of its overall budget on defense. Ten countries commit even less, and seven - including Canada, Italy and Spain - would have to virtually double military spending to reach the target. Luxembourg would require a fourfold increase to get close.

Along with the U.S., the other countries that do reach NATO's benchmark for military spending are Britain, Estonia, Poland and debt-ridden Greece.

British's defense chief, Michael Fallon, said Mattis appeared to welcome a British proposal to create a road map for increased spending. "An annual increase that we're asking them to commit to would at least demonstrate good faith," he said.

Asked about Mattis' ultimatum, NATO chief Stoltenberg said allies need time to develop plans. Many are already talking about increasing commitments, he said.

"This is not the U.S. telling Europe to increase defense spending," Stoltenberg said, noting that allies committed three years ago already to increase spending over the next decade. He said: "I welcome all pressure, all support, to make sure that happens."

Despite the sharpness of his demand, Mattis appeared to recognize Europe's worries and its leaders' desire for clarity on America's commitment to NATO.

In a brief public statement, made while standing alongside Stoltenberg, Mattis called the alliance "a fundamental bedrock for the United States and for all the trans-Atlantic community."

___

Associated Press writer Lorne Cook contributed to this report.

Published: February 15, 2017 — 2:42 PM EST

Closer monitoring on tap for City Council's ethics training

The city’s Board of Ethics said Wednesday that it would offer more ethics training sessions and better monitor the attendance of the 17 City Council members.

A review this month found sporadic attendance by Council members over the last five years and some years in which training sessions — mandated annually by the city ethics code — were not offered. On Wednesday, the board vowed to make training available several times a year and to more closely track who attends.

Starting this month, staff from the Ethics Board will send to each Council member a letter about the mandatory training, deputy executive director Nedda G. Massar said at the meeting.

“The code establishes members are required to take annual training," Massar said, "and that’s a mandate that has not been met.” 

The letter will provide information about available training dates and ask the Council member to respond with a preferred session. Council members who do not respond will be sent a reminder. Following all the available training, board staff will reach out to any members who did not attend, alerting them to a make-up session.

If a Council member still doesn’t comply, he or she could face a fine.

The annual training requirement also pertains to all elected city officials, cabinet members, department heads, and members of advisory boards and commissions.

It’s not just City Council whose attendance has lapsed. The city has more than a dozen boards and commissions, with hundreds of members on each. With only one staff member dedicated to training, it is nearly impossible to get to everyone, Massar said.

In addition to the recurring training, each year about 1,300 new employees get an ethics primer.

An online system could help with all ethics training needs. In the next two to three months, Massar expects the board will enroll in a city-wide “Learning Management System,” which would allow people to register for training online and staff to track who has completed what. The board is hoping to hire an additional staff person to help with training.

Councilman Kenyatta Johnson introduced a bill last month doubling down on the existing regulations for Council members and additionally requiring Council staff to attend training every year.

Shane Creamer, executive director of the Ethics Board, said after the meeting that he was all for more training but that the issue was capacity.

“I certainly appreciate the intention there, which is to make sure everyone knows the rules and gets annual reminders, and I think that's a valid idea,” Creamer said. “Whether that’s necessary for all staff may not be the case... but we’re happy to talk about that requirement and, if necessary, certainly with online training on the horizon we’d be able to accommodate that much easier.”

The board on Wednesday also voted to offer a decreased payment plan for fines to people who submit campaign-finance reports late. Under the new protocol, a first-time filer who pays within 30 days would avoid fines. A first-time offender who pays within 30 days would be offered decreased fines.

The penalties would still be made public, but the process would simplify things for the board, which previously handled late filers through a lengthier settlement agreement process.

Sleep with the fishes: Condos coming to former Snockey's seafood site

The site of storied South Philadelphia seafood house Snockey's is going from flounder to flats.

Developer V2 Properties LLC has begun work to convert the former restaurant property near Second Street and Washington Avenue into a seven-unit condominium building, company president Vincent Viney said in an interview Wednesday.

The project consists of three two-bedroom condos of 1,000 to 1,200 square feet each in Snockey's former three-story home at 1020 S. Second St., Viney said. Four more similarly sized units are planned in a four-story addition to the Snockey's building under construction behind the restaurant, facing Moyamensing Avenue.

Snockey's owners, Ken and Skip Snock, shuttered the restaurant and oyster bar for financial reasons in November 2015, more than a century after it was founded by their grandfather.

V2 paid $825,000 for the property in April 2016, according to records filed with the city. Viney said he aims to finish building the condo project by September.

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Published: February 15, 2017 — 4:16 PM EST

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N.J. bill aims to ban marriage under age 18

In New Jersey, you have to be 18 to vote, 19 to smoke, and 21 to drink. But there isn’t a minimum age to get married.

From 1995 to 2015, more than 3,600 children in the state married – the youngest at 13, according to state health records. A judge has to approve marriages of children 15 and younger, while 16- and 17-year-olds can marry with parental approval.

Lawmakers are considering making New Jersey the first state to bar child marriage, a practice that – while not common – poses serious dangers, particularly to girls, advocates say.

“I was surprised that there was an issue, that we even allowed 14-year-olds to get married,” said Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D., Mercer), one of the bill’s sponsors.

“A lot of it may be cultural,” he said. “Nonetheless, as a public policy, New Jersey should not be encouraging” child marriage.

Nearly three-quarters of children nationally who married between 2000 and 2010 were girls married to adults, “sometimes with an age difference that constitutes statutory rape,” said Fraidy Reiss, the founder of Unchained at Last, a nonprofit based in Westfield, N.J., that helps women and girls escape forced marriages.

Data provided by 38 states to Unchained showed that more than 167,000 children married during that decade, with 31 percent of children marrying someone 21 or older, according to Reiss.

Pennsylvania was among the states that did not provide marriage data.

The marriages tend to be pushed by parents, including for cultural or religious reasons — but not limited to a specific community. Unchained has heard from girls who are Christian, Jewish, and Muslim, Reiss said.

Some parents want to control a child’s behavior or sexuality, she said. In other cases, money comes into play, with a bride price or dowry.

“We’re not helping children by allowing them to so-called marry,” Reiss said. “It’s not a right; it’s a human-rights abuse.”

All states have exceptions that enable children to marry, Reiss said. Her organization is pushing to change those laws, including in New Jersey, where she helped write the bill moving through the Legislature.

The bill, which would eliminate the authority of parents and judges to approve marriages of children, passed the Assembly 64-0 in November, with seven lawmakers abstaining.

It recently cleared a Senate committee, although one senator voted against it.

“There’s a huge percentage of people that actually do stay together” after getting married “very young,” Sen. Mike Doherty (R., Warren) said during a hearing on the bill this month. “That’s got to be hundreds of thousands of people in the United States, every year, that have successful marriages."

A member of the military, Doherty said that while he was stationed in Germany, “a lot of our troops, they would get married pretty young. … I could see one of the benefits of getting married, they love each other, and one’s in Germany and one’s back in the United States.” He also raised the issue of whether marriage was warranted in cases of pregnancy, which Reiss called “exceptionally bad public policy.”

Pregnancy exceptions can be used to cover up rape, while “pregnant girls who stay single have better long-term outcomes,” Reiss told Doherty. Fathers can establish paternity without getting married, allowing benefits to transfer to the baby, she said.

Reiss argues banning marriage under 18 wouldn’t take away anyone’s right to marry. “We’re delaying it,” she said.

Reiss, who grew up in an Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, N.Y., and was forced by her family into a marriage when she was 19, started Unchained to help women leave forced marriages. As the nonprofit became successful — it has helped 300 clients, according to Reiss — it began getting “more and more calls” from girls under 18.

“We discovered there was no way we could help them,” Reiss said. Children who leave home can be considered runaways. They can’t easily retain attorneys, because contracts with children can be deemed voidable, Reiss said.

While it’s difficult for a woman to leave a forced marriage, “for a child, even if they reach out for help, there’s no escape,” Reiss said.

New Jersey doesn’t provide identifying information about children who are married. Of the 3,600 who married between 1995 and 2015, 166 were 15 or younger, according to state data.

For those children, the state also doesn’t provide information about the judges who married them — or confirm the marriages had judicial approval, Reiss said.

New Jersey would be the first state to ban marriage under 18 completely, according to Reiss. While Virginia passed a law last year, it still allows 16- and 17-year-olds who are emancipated minors to marry.

Published: February 15, 2017 — 3:23 PM EST

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Progress in saving preemies on the edge of viability

For premature babies born at the edge of viability, the chance of survival without serious health problems has gotten slightly better, at least at the nation’s top neonatal care centers — a small change with potential implications for the bitter abortion debate in  Pennsylvania and other states.

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Researchers from the 11 centers analyzed the records of more than 4,200 babies born at 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy between 2000 and 2011. While the grim picture at 22 weeks did not change — 96 percent of newborns died — the outlook for the rest of the “periviable” infants improved over the 12-year period.

In the final four years of the study, more than a third of babies born at 23 and 24 weeks survived. By the time those survivors were toddlers, about 20 percent — one in five — had no developmental impairments.

The findings, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, are sure to add to the debate about whether to change the threshold of fetal viability — the point at which the fetus can survive independently outside the womb — from the current medical consensus of 24 weeks.

For professional medical groups, lowering that standard has implications for when and how intensively to treat newborns that average just over a pound. For foes of abortion, a change could help further restrict the procedure, because the Supreme Court has said states can ban abortion of viable fetuses except when the mother’s health is at stake.

Even though late-term abortion is uncommon and often involves devastating fetal abnormalities, 19 states have enacted laws banning abortion at 20 weeks.

Pennsylvania’s Senate passed such a bill this month. Mayor Kenney and Gov. Wolf held a joint __news conference decrying the measure on Wednesday, and Wolf said he would veto it.

“A lot of medical societies are struggling with this, what to do about babies born at 22 and 23 weeks,” said Prakesh S. Shah, a University of Toronto neonatologist and health policy researcher who wrote an editorial accompanying the new study. “The majority would say 22 weeks is the age of nonviability.”

Shah’s editorial cited recent studies from developed countries that also show the drastic difference a week or so can make. Rates of death or developmental impairments were over 94 percent for infants born at 22 weeks, 80 to 90 percent at 23 weeks, and 51 to 72 percent at 24 weeks.

Last summer, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine updated its guidance on periviable birth. While resuscitation of a newborn is “recommended” at 24 weeks, it is something to “consider” at 22 and 23 weeks, and “not recommended” at earlier gestational ages, the group said.

Infants born long before completing a full 40-week gestation pose huge biological challenges; most survivors have lifelong disabilities such as cerebral palsy, hearing and vision loss, mental impairment, and movement problems.

“All of the organ systems are immature,” said Duke University neonatologist Noelle Younge, lead author of the new study. “They’re at risk for brain injury because of bleeding in the brain. The lungs are very immature as well. They just haven’t developed enough to sustain life.”

Vincenzo Berghella, director of maternal-fetal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University, who was not part of the new study, said: “It’s true that we ... can keep babies alive earlier and they have slightly better outcomes. But the average IQ of babies born at 24 weeks is 70.”

Still, medical technology to protect and support immature organs has advanced. For example, steroids and gentler ventilation reduces preemies’ respiratory distress, which improves circulation, which in turn reduces the risk of bleeding.

“The culture of neonatal intensive care units has really changed in the past decade,” said senior author C. Michael Cotten, a Duke neonatologist.

Authors of the study caution that their results may be better than the norm. The 4,200 babies were born in academic medical centers — including the University of Pennsylvania/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia — that are part of a federally funded neonatal research network. Those babies represent only 5 percent of periviable infants born in the United States.

And even though the  study is one of the largest to date, the numbers in each category are small enough that the researchers say the improvements could “reflect random variation alone.”

Out of all the periviable infants — including the 22-week-olds, who did not have improved outcomes — the total number who survived without neurodevelopmental impairment rose from 217 (16 percent) in 2000-03 to 276 (20 percent) in 2008-11.

The number who survived with impairments increased, but just barely — from 207 in the initial years to 211 at the end.

Total deaths decreased from 967 (70 percent) at the outset to 861 (64 percent) at the end.
“We think we saw a significant change in outcomes over time,” said Younge, the lead author. “This needs to continue to be tracked. But this really is moving in the right direction.”

Published: February 15, 2017 — 5:44 PM EST | Updated: February 15, 2017 — 6:17 PM EST
The Philadelphia Inquirer

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N.J. limits opioid prescriptions, requires insurers to cover drug treatment

New Jersey doctors will be able to prescribe only five days' worth of opioid painkillers for most patients under a law Gov. Christie signed Wednesday as part of his pledge to fight addiction.

The law also requires insurers to cover 180 days of drug treatment, although inpatient treatment can be reviewed after 28 days.

"Today, we are taking action to save lives," Christie said Wednesday afternoon at a Statehouse __news conference, where he signed the bill 15 minutes after it passed the Democratic-led Assembly, and a little more than a month after he promised to spend most of his final year in office tackling addiction.

The law contains exceptions for cancer and hospice patients. The restriction had been 30 days, and the new law has drawn fire from the physicians' lobby. It is "the country's strongest maximum limit," Christie said.

The new law takes effect in 90 days. The Attorney General's Office, which had said it would use emergency rule-making powers to enact the limits, plans to use that power by the end of the month, a spokesman said Wednesday night.

Christie said the law's insurance mandate would prevent people from being denied drug treatment during a "preevaluation that can take weeks to complete."

Now, "people cannot be denied access in a time of need," Christie said.

The governor, who cited statistics about rising overdose deaths in New Jersey, said that the more addiction is treated and regulated as a disease, "the more people will finally get the idea that asking for help is not a sign of weakness."

"This is the only way we are going to change this problem across our state, and hopefully across our nation," Christie said.

The governor, who, along with his wife, Mary Pat, had lunch Tuesday at the White House with President Trump, said that he "spent a good amount of time" talking with Trump about drug abuse and that Trump was interested in New Jersey's legislation.

"I'm sure we are going to have further conversations about the way we can deal with this problem on a much broader level," Christie said. (He said the conversation "did not include any discussion of me joining the Trump administration in some drug-abuse role.")

While some doctors have criticized the five-day limit as overly rigid, Christie said he would reject any change to the law that would allow for seven-day prescriptions — a proposal mentioned by a Republican assemblyman Wednesday. Christie pointed to federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which say three days or less "will often be sufficient."

"I took the midpoint" between three days and seven, a limit imposed in some other states, Christie said.

Asked about the law's costs, the governor said he didn't know, because the state does not know how many people will receive treatment.

The law will require insurers to cover 180 days of treatment for substance-use disorder per plan year. Outpatient treatment will count as half a plan day, meaning people could be covered for 360 days of treatment "without any interference" from their insurer, according to the governor's office.

The law provides for an appeals process if insurers determine inpatient treatment is no longer necessary after 28 days. In terms of costs to the patient, "at no time will any covered person pay more than their co-payment, deductible, or co-insurance," according to the governor's office.

"Whatever the cost is of this, it's certainly less than 1,600 lives a year," Christie said, referring to the number of overdose deaths in the state in 2015.

The insurance mandate does not apply to the federal Medicare or Medicaid programs, or most large-employer plans, which states cannot regulate.

It will apply to 18 percent of New Jerseyans in commercial markets — including individual, small, and midsize employer plans — and 10 percent in the State Health Benefits Program and the School Employees Health Benefits Program, according to the New Jersey Association of Health Plans.

The association has said the law will carry "a significant cost" to the State Health Benefits Program and "significantly increase premiums for all policy holders who buy insurance in the commercial marketplace."

In the Assembly, where the bill passed, 64-1, Wednesday, Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon (R., Monmouth) predicted that the mandate would not result in unnecessary treatment costs.

But "we have to accept the costs," he said. He called the bill imperfect — and said he was open to loosening the limit to seven days — but necessary.

O'Scanlon, whose brother died one month earlier of alcohol addiction, said his family had scrounged for money to send his brother repeatedly to treatment.

If they hadn't, "my brother would have been dead two years ago," O'Scanlon said. The two years were hard, but "I wouldn't give them back. They were worth every penny."

Staff writer Andrew Seidman contributed to this article.

Published: February 15, 2017 — 5:36 PM EST | Updated: February 15, 2017 — 7:25 PM EST

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American Girl to sell its first-ever boy doll

NEW YORK (AP) - For the first time in its more than 30-year history, American Girl will sell a boy version of its pricey dolls.

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American Girl to sell its first-ever boy doll

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The 18-inch "Logan Everett" doll will go on sale this week. American Girl, which is owned by Barbie maker Mattel Inc., says Logan is a drummer and will come with a doll-sized drum kit.

It's the latest move by Mattel to be more relevant to iPad-playing kids and their parents. A boy appeared in a Barbie commercial for the first time two years ago. And Barbie got a major makeover last year, giving the iconic doll several ethnicities and body shapes.

To boost sales, Mattel Inc., which is based in El Segundo, California, began selling American Girl dolls in Toys R Us stores late last year. Sales of the brand rose 4 percent during the last three months of 2016.

Published: February 15, 2017 — 7:54 PM EST | Updated: February 15, 2017 — 8:02 PM EST

Dems for DA: A crowded field swings toward chaotic

Lynne M. Abraham has seen a lot in four decades of public service, including 15 years as a judge and then 18 as Philadelphia district attorney.

 But the suddenly chaotic Democratic primary election for district attorney, now just three months away? 

“I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” Abraham said this week.

 Five Democrats had already declared their candidacy by the time District Attorney Seth Williams, dogged by an ongoing federal investigation of his finances and ethical questions for accepting $175,000 in gifts from 2010 to 2015, announced on Friday that he was dropping his bid for a third term.

 Three more potential candidates have expressed interest since then.

 Could the Democratic Party be facing an eight-candidate field for an open seat that is typically won in an easy race by an incumbent?

 That question was bandied about over the weekend and on Monday but pushed aside Tuesday, amid swirling rumors in political circles that Williams had turned himself in to federal authorities or had been taken into custody by U.S. marshals.

 Williams shook his head in wonder Tuesday afternoon while leaving a Center City restaurant.  He called the rampant rumors “crazy” and untrue.

 “Look, I made some mistakes,” Williams said in a brief interview. “But I was a great DA with what we did internally,” a reference to changes to his office’s operations.

 Tariq El-Shabazz, brought on in August by Williams as first assistant district attorney, resigned from that $165,576-per-year post Monday, and acknowledged that he is mulling a run for district attorney.

 State Rep. Joanna McClinton, who has represented parts of West Philadelphia and Delaware County since winning a special election in August 2015, said Wednesday that she was still mulling a run.

 Kevin Harden Jr., a white-collar crime defense attorney who served as an assistant district attorney for nearly four years under Williams, said he was “leaning toward” a run but was “concerned that there may be an incumbent in the race.”

 Absent a reentry to the race by Williams, the only way there could be an incumbent running would be if the post of district attorney became vacant by his resignation or removal.

 That is how Abraham came to be district attorney in 1991.  District Attorney Ronald Castille resigned in the spring to enter the Republican primary election for mayor. Castille lost that election and went on to become chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

 The judges of the Court of Common Pleas, as directed by state law, met in private in April 1991 and selected Abraham, then a judge, as Castille’s replacement. She won with 39 votes, narrowly defeating another judge.

 Abraham said Castille pushed her to pursue the job while she urged him to remain as district attorney and stay out of the mayor’s race.

 “It’s the same thing I asked myself 20 years later,” said Abraham, who left office in January 2010 and ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2015. “What the hell was I thinking?”

 There is considerable speculation about jockeying by judges who might pursue the job of district attorney in the event of a vacancy.  But there are risks.

 “You know, a lot of judges are not interested in giving up a judgeship, because it’s a lifetime job,” Abraham said, noting the easy retention votes judges face once elected.

 Abraham, who became district attorney in May 1991, ran unopposed in that year’s general election to complete Castille’s term, which ran until 1993. She was endorsed by both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.

 The state law controlling the appointment in the event of vacancy requires that the appointee appear on the next general election ballot unless the appointment occurs fewer than 30 days before that election. In that case, the appointee appears in the next year’s general election ballot.

 Abraham said that if there is a vacancy, the Board of Judges should select a temporary district attorney to “keep the ship afloat, awaiting the next DA.” The appointee should not be a candidate for a full term, she said.

The declared Democrats are former city Managing Director Rich Negrin, former city and federal prosecutor Joe Khan, former Municipal Court Judge Teresa Carr Deni, real estate investor Michael Untermeyer, and civil rights lawyer Larry Krasner.

“The Board of Judges would do well not to pick someone out of the field,” Abraham said. “It would look like they’re engaged in politics. And it would put the other candidates at a terrible disadvantage because they’ll be running against an incumbent.”

 One thing is certain: The Democratic candidates have until March 7 to get on the May 16 ballot.

 It takes at least 1,000 valid signatures from registered voters from a particular political party for candidates to be listed on the ballot.  Petition season started Tuesday.

 A crowded field means more chances for ballot challenges, when candidates face legal filings questioning the validity of their petition signatures and the accuracy of the campaign filings and residency claims.

PGW worker hurt trying to stop unattended police car

A Philadelphia Gas Works employee was injured trying to stop a moving unattended police vehicle Wednesday afternoon in West Philadelphia.

Police said the incident happened just before 4:30 p.m., after an officer on patrol attempted to make a routine traffic stop at Markoe Street and Westminster Avenue. The driver of the suspect vehicle, however, made a hard turn and crashed, and the occupants ran from the scene, police said.

The officer exited the police car, but left it in neutral, police said. The police car began rolling backward, and a PGW worker attempted to enter the police car but became wedged underneath it. The car rolled over his legs, police said.

Medics took the man to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. His condition was not immediately available. The officer was not injured.

Turnpike bridge repair draws national talent

A search for expertise has stretched across the country in the effort to repair the Delaware River Turnpike Bridge.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission have hired four construction firms, eight engineering contractors, and two national engineering experts, including the man who first publicly identified welds as a factor that caused a crack in a beam in the bridge, to assist in the repair work. That crack prompted closure of the bridge Jan. 20, and it is expected to remain closed to traffic until at least April.

Karl Frank, professor emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin, looked at photos of the crack at the behest of the Inquirer and said plug welds, a now-obsolete technique used to fill unneeded holes drilled into a beam, created a structural weakness. Now, Frank has been brought on as a consultant.

Robert J. Connor, a civil-engineering professor at Purdue University, was also retained.

“At the end of the day, it was trying to bring in the best of the best from a national perspective in here,” said Brad Heigel, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s chief engineer.

The faulty welds likely weakened the beam, but engineers believe a sudden, heavy load may have created a critical moment for the compromised truss. They are investigating trucking records to determine whether a vehicle that exceeded the bridge's permitted weight crossed around the time the crack was discovered.

All told, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority approved more than $9 million in bridge-related contracts in January. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is also managing contracts for the project, and approved a contract not to exceed $1 million with Modjeski & Masters, a Philadelphia engineering firm.

The first step in making repairs, jacking the cracked beam back into position, has yet to begin. The process of hoisting the damaged beam  into position, a distance of about half an inch, could take days. How the bridge’s trusses react to that step will determine what repairs are needed, officials said.

Metallica to play Pasadena’s Rose Bowl stadium, Petco Park in San Diego

Metallica performs at Rasputin Music on Record Store Day in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, April 16, 2016. (Anda Chu/Bay Area __news Group)

Break out that “Ride the Lightning” T-shirt, Metallica has announced two Southern California tour dates for the summer.

The Bay Area metal band will play the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on July 29 and Petco Park in San Diego on Aug. 6 in support of the group’s late 2016 release, “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.” The openers for the two dates are Orange County’s Avenged Sevenfold and France’s Gojira.

The announcement came on the heels of Metallica’s fire-filled performance with Lady Gaga at the Grammys on Sunday night, which was followed up by a gig at the Hollywood Palladium. Metallica had hinted at a Rose Bowl date for the summer during an intimate show at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles in December.

Tickets for Pasadena and San Diego go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday,  Feb. 17 for $55.50-$155.50.

Fan club members can get tickets on Tuesday, Feb. 14. Legacy Fan Club members have access at 9 a.m., with Met Club members following at 11 a.m.

Every ticket purchase also comes with a physical CD or a digital download of “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.”

Metallica has sold more than 62 million records in the U.S., first cultivating a fan base as one of the “big four” of thrash metal in the early ’80s. As the band’s popularity grew with albums such as “Ride the Lightning” and “Master of Puppets,” Metallica’s big mainstream breakthrough came in 1991 with a self-titled album that spawned hits such as “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Sad But True” and big ballad “Nothing Else Matters.”

“Hardwired…To Self-Destruct,” which was released in November, is the band’s first album of new material since 2008’s “Death Magnetic.”

Jennifer Lopez Channels Taylor Swift's Spirit at 2017 Grammys

CBS

Did Taylor Swift pass Jennifer Lopez her spirit stick at the 2017 Grammys?

The actress and singer appeared to be having the best time watching the show from the front row and channeled the pop star's pep and adorable cheerleader-like persona. Swift, who did not attend the event, is known for dancing like no one's watching and cheering on her peers enthusiastically while attending award shows.

Bruno Mars? A celebrity-packed Carpool Karaoke? J.Lo was Here. For. It.

CBS

CBS

Lopez appeared to like Mars' performance of "That's What I like" very much indeed, singing and dancing along while standing up while most others remained seated.

She appeared especially moved when he sang, "Can I break it down?" She also seemed to swoon after he gave a shout-out to the female audience members, telling them they looked "so beautiful" in their brand-new dresses. Lopez wore a lilac Ralph & Russo gown with a plunging keyhole neckline and thigh high slit.

CBS

CBS

Earlier in the show, Corden brought out Neil Diamond for a fun, star-studded performance of his hit "Sweet Caroline" designed to look like his Late Late Show's Carpool Karaoke segment.

J.Lo joined them and the likes of Faith Hill and husband Tim McGraw, John Legend, Jason Derulo, Keith Urban, Ryan Tedder and Beyoncé and Jay Z's 5-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter.

Tune in to E! News at 7 p.m. and Fashion Police at 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13 for complete coverage of the 2017 Grammys.

A Tribe Called Quest Pays Tribute to Phife Dawg During 2017 Grammy Awards Performance

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

A Tribe Called Quest wasn't going to forget about one of their most important members Sunday night.

While appearing at the 2017 Grammys, the group took to the stage for a special performance with Busta Rhymes and Anderson .Paak.

Before the gig began, however, musicians paid tribute to the late Phife Dawg.

"We, the people, are ready for this. The legendary hip-hop group that earned their first Grammys nomination 20 years ago," Solange Knowles shared with the audience. "In November, they released their new album while honoring the treasured member of their tribe Phife Dawg. "

Once A Tribe Called Quest appeared, the group also shared a message with their fans.

"We'd like to say to all those people around the world, all those people who are pushing people in power to represent them, tonight we represent you," they explained. "But tonight, we also dedicate this to our brother who is not here, Phife Dawg."

As the performance began, the cameras panned to an empty microphone with a light shining upon it.

Back in March 2016, E! News confirmed that Phife Dawg had passed away at 45 due to complications resulting from diabetes.

"Malik was our loving husband, father, brother and friend. We love him dearly. How he impacted all our lives will never be forgotten," his family said in a statement to E! News. "His love for music and sports was only surpassed by his love of God and family."

Shortly after his passing, Solange also expressed her condolences on social media.

"Phife was not only one of the most influential people in hip hop, but he was also one of the nicest & most kindest guys in hip hop," she wrote. "Man. RIP"

Tune in to E! News at 7 p.m. and Fashion Police at 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13 for complete coverage of the 2017 Grammys.