By Michael L. Diamond, APP Staff Writer - A bill named after Samantha Josephson, a college student from Robbinsville who was murdered by someone pretending to be her Uber driver, is a step closer to law. The U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that in part would force ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft to deploy technology that would match passengers with drivers before the ride begins. "It’s bittersweet," Seymour Josephson, Samantha's father, said. "We’d m... Read more

By CHAD GARLAND | STARS AND STRIPES A Vietnam veteran has received his second Silver Star more than five decades after he earned it in a fierce battle at an enemy base camp, where he saved the lives of 10 other soldiers. Bart “Doc” Fabian, a medic with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment during the war, received the medal during a ceremony in Rep. Chris Smith’s office in Freehold, N.J., on Saturday. He’d been promised the medal a day after the roughly hourlong battle of April 13, 1969, but “it jus... Read more

By Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Did the Pentagon look at using ticks with pathogens to infect America’s enemies during the Cold War? And did some of those ticks escape into the U.S., bringing Lyme disease with them? Those are the questions Rep. Chris Smith has been asking for years, and his House colleagues have once again agreed that they deserve answers. The Democratic-controlled House voted to ask the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, to... Read more

Heard on Morning Edition - Steve Inskeep talks to Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey about sanctions against U.S. officials by China. The sanctions are in response to U.S. sanctions against Chinese officials. STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: With a diplomatic fight over human rights, the United States imposed sanctions on Chinese officials linked with mistreatment of China's Uighur minority. And now China says it's imposing sanctions on four U.S. officials. One is an ambassador, two are senators and ... Read more

By Mike Davis of the Asbury Park Press U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., was sanctioned by the Chinese government on Monday in a retaliatory move, after the U.S. placed sanctions on Chinese leaders over human rights abuses. The sanctions filed against Smith, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Sam Brownback, the U.S. ambassador for international religious freedom, bars them from the country, Chinese foreign affairs ministry spokeswoman Hua Chungying said Monday. She did not p... Read more

By TAPINTO BELMAR/LAKE COMO STAFF While limits have been lifted on the number of passengers permitted on charter and party boats, six-foot social distancing must still be maintained — news that was welcomed by Rep. Chris Smith, who represents several popular Jersey Shore fishing communities, including Belmar. “This could not have come a moment too soon. While overdue, this is still great news,” said Rep. Smith, (R-4th District), regarding the loosening of the restrictions, which took effect on J... Read more

By ELIZABETH MEYERS, EDITOR After many years, and countless jumps through numerous bureaucratic hoops, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has designated -- 08691 -- as the official zip code of Robbinsille Township. Mayor Dave Fried announced the long-awaited decision Monday morning that makes Robbinsville Township the primary default town for the 08691 zip code. Previously, the five-digit zip code defaulted to Trenton. "We’ve heard our residents loud and clear regarding their desire to have... Read more

June 2 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday said legislation targeting Chinese officials over treatment of the country's Uighur Muslim minority sent a "clear message" of support from Washington, seeking to prod the Trump administration to push Beijing on human rights. "Over the years, there has been a real commitment to shine a bright light on human rights in China and to say to those who are affected by that, 'you are not alone,'" House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a signing... Read more

By Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Payments for canceled trips that haven’t been refunded. Products ordered online but were never received. Texts touting fake cures for the coronavirus. Americans have filed more than 31,000 complaints with the Federal Trade Commission claiming losses of more than $40 million through Tuesday due to fraud, newly released statistics show. The category includes travel expenses that haven’t been refunded, and online purchases that show up late or no... Read more

By Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman, TRENTONIAN STAFF - Democrats and Republicans have increasingly become more critical of China as the COVID-19 pandemic endures. But GOP Congressman Chris Smith, a longtime New Jersey politician, has been sounding the alarm on Chinese Communist Party politics for years. The state-affiliated Global Times newspaper, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and many others describe as the official “Chinese government’s mouthpiece,” has blasted Smith in a recent English language arti... Read more